The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-09-27

it have beeu?" she wondered her old
bewilderment at his conduct, her whole
being longing to comprehend 1t, re-
viving with something of the old, old
force. Could it have been? Could
it have been-I And an old guess, an
old theory, one she had never spoken
to anybody, but had pondered much in
silence, again presented itself interrog.
ativcly to her mind.
The door opened; the butler mumbled
Il name, and she saw tall, white
haired. pale old man smiling ut her and
holding out his hands. 1t took her Il
little while to realize who it was. With
an unthlnking disallowance for the ac.
tion OF time, she had been expecting a
young fellow of eight and twenty,
brOwn-haired and ruddy.
Perhaps he, on his side, was sur
prscd little by meeting middle
aged lady in Il cap.
After dinner he would not let her
leave him, but returned with her to the
drawing room, and she said that he
might smoke. He smoked odd little
Cuban cigarettes. whereof the odor was
delicate and aromatic. They had talked
of everything. then had laughed and
sighed over their ancient joys and sor-
rows. We know melancholy wanders
hand in hand. She had cried a little
when her husband and her brother
were first spoken OF. but ut some comic
"reminiscences of them II moment after
wards she was smiling through her
tears.
do you remember so and SOP and
What has become of such one:"
were the types of questions they asked
each other, conjuring mp old friends
and enemies like ghosts out of the
past. Incidentally he described Porto
Rico and its natives and Its Spanar,ls,
Its climate, its fauna and its fora.
In the drawing room they sat on
opposite sides of the fire and were ST.
lent fora bit Profiting by the permis-
sion she had given him, he had pro
duced one of his Cuban cigarettes.
opened it at its ends. unroled IT, rolled
1t up again, and lit it,
Now the time has come for Won To
tell me what / most want to know"
she said
What is it?''
why you went away"
"Oh!' he murmured
She waited minute. Then-
Tell me-" she urged.
do you remember Mary Isona:" he
asked
She glanced at him suddenly as If
startled
Mary lsona? Yes, or course"
well, | was in love with her"
You were in love with Mary Isona?"
Il was very much in love with her.
l nave never got over it, I'm afraid"
she gazed fiXedly at the fire. Her
lips were compressed. She saw n slen-
der girl in Il plain black frock, with II
sensitive pale face, luminous, sad, darl,
eyes. and mass of dark, waving hair
Mary lsona of Italian parentage, a
| llttle music teacher whose only reln-
ton to the world Theodore Vellan
liVed In was professional She came
into 1t for an hour or two ut n time
now ana then, TO play or to give Il
music lesson.
Yes, he repeated. II was in love
with her. have never been in love
with any other woman. II seems ri
diculous for an old man to say il. but
am in love with her still. An old
manF Are we ever really oldY Our
body grows old. our skin turns white
nut the spirit, the heart? The thing
we call ~ Anyhow, not day. not
an hour passes, but think of her. I
long for her, / mourn for her. You
knew-you knew what she was. DO
you remember her playing? Her won.
derful eyes? Her beautiful pale fncey ,
Ana how the hair grew around the
forehead! And her talk. her voice. her
| lntelllgencel Her taste. her instinct.
IN literature, In art-it was the finest
| ever met"
Yes, yes. yes" Mrs. Kempton said
slowly. "She was n rare woman.
knew her intimately better than any
one else. | think. | knew all the un.
happy circumstances of her life; her
horrid, vulgar mother; her poor.
dreamy inefficient father. their power.
| y ~" huIu Sne nhu 10 work. You
were In love with her. why didn't You
marry herr"
'She wouldn't have had me"
Did you ask herr"
No 1t was needless 1t went with.
out saying
You can never tell. You ought to
have asked her"
1T was on the tip OF my tongue
of course, TO do so hundred times
My life was passed In torturing myself
with the question whether | had any
chance, In hoping and fearing. But ms
often as found myself alone with hel
| knew 1t was hopeless. Her manne,
to me Is one of frank friendliness
There was no mlstaklng 1t. She neye,
thought of loving mev'
"You were wrong not to ask her. One
= never can be sure. Oh, why didn't yor
ask herT His Old friend spoke Will
great feeling.