The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-10-20
CLARENCE
BY BRET HARTE.

!.
by BRET HARTE. s3
The gate closed behind them. Clar.
rnce looked around the nov emntv
PATIO, and the silent house. from
he cOuldsnow see that the ker-
wants had been withdrawn Ia i1a,re
~ secrecy OF the gathering. Cool and
ns he knew He was. he stood
Sill for Q moment In hesitation. Then
the sound Of voices came to HIS ear
Q the garden room; the light friy.
olty OF Susys's laugh, and lockers
nnskier accents. He had forgotten
they were there-he had even forgot
existence.
Trusting still to his caImness. he
called to Hooker In his usual voice.
Ihnt gentleman appeared with a face
lis attempts to make uncon-
cerned and impressive had. however;
only deepened his funereal gravity,
.,i something to attend to-"
I must ask Won and Snsy to excuse
s1e little while. She knows the
house perfectly, and willycall the SER
z from the annex to provide you
noth With refreshments. L will Join
yon,a little later" Satisfied from
LOCKERS manner that they knew
nothing OF his later interview with
P1nckney he turned away and ascend
go TO his own room.
He then threw himself into an arm.
chair by the dim light Of a single can
die ms 1T to reflect, but he was con-
sc1ous, even then, OF his own calmness
u want of excitement, and that no
reflection was necessary. What he
had done and what he intended to do
quite clear; there was no a%lterna-
tive suggested, or to be ever sought
after. He bad that sense of relief
which comes with the climax Of all
great strugglesNexen of defeat. He
had never known before how hope
less and continuous had been that
struggle until now it was over. He
had no fear for tomorrow: he would
meet 1T as he had today with the same
consciousness Of being equal
to the occasion. There was even no
necessity of preparation for it; his
will leaving his. fortune to his wife
which seemed a slight thing now i'll
this greater separation-was already
IN: his safe in San Francisco; his pis-
lois We're in the next room. He was
evensslightly disturbed by his own in
sensibility and passed into his wife's
bedroom, partly in the hope of dis
turbing his serenity by some memen-
to of their past. There was no tlisor-
der OF hight-eyerything was in its
place, except the drawer of her desk,
which wa still open as if she had tax.
en- something from it as an after
thought. There we're letters and pm
pets there-some of his own and some
in Captain Pinckney's handwriting. IL
did not occur to him to look at them
even to Justify himself-or excuse
her. He knew that his hatred of Cap
tain Pinckney was not SO much that
he believed hilnsher lover, as his sud-
den conviction that they were alike!
He was the male of her species-a be
ing antagonistic to himself whom he
could fight and crush and revenge
himself upon. But most of all he
loathed his past, not ON account Of
her, but of his OWL weakness that
had made him her dupe, and a misun-
2derstood mar to his friends. lie had
been derelict of duty in his ~se1fisl, de
yoticn to her; he had stit1el his am.
hilton, and moderated his own pos.
sibilities-no wondersthat others had
accepted him ut his own valuation.
Clarence; Rrants was a modest man,
but the egotism of modesty is more
fatal than that of pretension, FOR it
has the haunting consciousness of SUI
pcriar virtue.
lie re-entered his own room aud
again threw himself i'll his chair. His
calm sH;as being succeeded by physi.
ch.. wcariness; lie remembered he had
lot slept the night before and lie
ought to take some rest to be fresh
ii the early morning, Yet lie must
also show himself before his self-in-
yited guests. Susy and her husband,
or their suspicious would be aroused.
He would try to sleep for a little
while in the chair, before he went
downstairs again. He closed his eyes
eddy enough on a dim, dreamy rccol.
lection of SusS, of the old days III
the little Madrono hollow where she
Ind Cnce given him a rendezvous. lie
forgot the maturer and critical un
easiness with which he had then re-
.1.yNed her coquettish and willful adj
yfuces which lie now knew was the
set1tci OF the growing dominance oi
Mrs. PeytoD over htm--and remein-
bered only her bright, youthful eyes.
and the kisses he had pressed upon
her soft. fragrant checks. The faint
ness he had felt when awaiting i'll the
old no .: g%aruen,@a few hours ago
stemtd 10 stealon him once more. and
to lal,sc intnd delicious drowsiness.
lie eve, seemed again to inhale the
perfume of the roses.
..Clnrepce!s
He started. He had been sleeping
but the voice sounded strangely real
a little girlishs laugh followed. lie
sprang to his feet. 1t was Snsy,
standing beside hin-and susy even
as She looked in the old days!
forwith a fash 81 fiber old uudaci.
ty. aidcds ny her perfect knowledge oil
the house, and the bunch Of house.
hold keys she had found, which dan
eIed from her girdle, as in the old
fashion. she hnd disinterred one oi
her old frocks from n closet, slipped
ii on. and %loosening her brown huir
had let IL fall in rippling waves down
her back. 1t wns Susy in her old girl.
ishness, with the instinct of the
grown actress in the arrangement OF
her short skirt w her pretty ankles
and the halt conscious pose she had
taken.
Poor, dear old Clarence she said
with dancing eyes, II might have won
n dozen pairs OF gloves from YOU
while you slept there. hut you're
tired, dear old boy-and you've had 4
hard time of it. No matter-you.ve
shown yourself II man ut lnst!-and
I'm proud of you"
Half ashamed of the pleasure be
felt. even in his embarrassment, Clar.
snce stammered: But this change
this dress!"
Susy clapped3 her hands like a child.
~ knew it would surprise you'll Its
an old frock l wore the year went
AWAY with aunty. ! knew where lit
WAS hidden, and fished it out again
with these keys, Clurence--it seemed
SO like old times. Lord! when i was
with the old apain-andty ou