The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-05


Even to the moon would 7 follow
you. And then a sudden awed ST.
renee Tell upon them, for when their
hanos came down one of hers was in
poth OF his. The voice of the hostess
recalled them to their surroundings.
Inc days that followed were as the
unfolding of fairy tale to the little
Ilpoon clerk. She danced in the big
9allroom, strolled on the beach and
drank champagne on the yacht deck
with the butterflies of fashion who
would have petrified her with a stony
stare mad they known her as she real
~ was. A rumor, started by some of
tne college boys, crept about that
.her chaperone was a misery aunt
VINO neglected the girl shamefully:
and the grand folk at the big hotel
considered it quite praiseworthy in
them to take her up Dorathy
meanwhile took all the good the gods
sent, and turned a deaf ear to the
promptings of her conscience against
the silent deceit she was practicing.
She had not started that runor.
Every day Harry was with her, and
every day they played with love as
though 1T had been a rubber ball, and
not sphere of brittle glass to crack
and shatter past all mending.
But week is only seven days, and
seven days must come to an end.
And one night when Harry said:
fGood-by until Tomorrow" she knew
that for them together there would
be no tomorrow They had left the
ballroom early and spent the evening
on the balcony, talking now and then
in happy whispers, lapsing often into
happier silences. Something in the
girl was crying out fiercely against
the separation that was at hand, but
she choked it back bravely, and so
the end of the evening found them.
"Good-by until Tomorrow" he said
and then with a sudden audacity he
touched with his lips the hand she held
out to him. Tomorrow we will go
down to the shell beach, and l have
something to tell you"
All night she cried to herself, but
the daybreak train found her at the
station. While she was being rushed
back to the dusty city, to dainty
WEAKNESS and toll, Harry was read
ing and rereading a note that left him
speechless:
"Good-by. Forgive me. I have gone
back to the moon alone"
During the rest of that summer
Ben Pierce watched sorrowfully the
shadow on Dorathy's face. He asked
no questions, but in many small ways
his sympathy found expression, and
the girl was passively grateful. She
knew from the papers the very day
Harry Allen reached the city, but it
was November before she saw him, a
November evening gusty with wind
and fitful swirls of snow. She was GO
ing home from work when suddenly
under an electric light at the street
corner she met him with two society
girls. For one moment they looked
into each others eyes, then he
stepped forward with a glad greeting.
She longed to stretch out her hands
to him and cry out her joy, but the
surprised gaze of his companions was
upon her, so she Sonly lifted her chin
a little and passed on in silence. At
that moment the light above wavered
and died down a second, after the
nature of such lights. and, under
cover of the dimness, she slipped into
the shadow of a doorway, so close she
could hear and yet be out of sight.
Your friend did not seem over
joyed to see you, Harry" one girl
said, coldly
"''No. l don't understand. She is a
splendid girl; met her at the beach
last summer. Her aunt was a rich old
ogre"
A laugh interrupted him. What are
you talking about? That girl is the
ribbon clerk at Bruce's.
"a shop girl? It's false-I mean you
are mistaken"
you can see for yourself any day. 4"
Then they were gone.
The next day a new customer sat at
Dorathys counter and seemed hard
10 please, so long did he turn over the
bolts of ribbon in her boxes.
80 this is the moon to which YOU
came back?" he asked bitterly.
Yes Aren't you glad came
aIone?" She glanced down at the lit
tered counter and sighed. Was she not
sorry she had deceived him last sum-
mer? No: her deceit had been pas
sive, rather than active; and, besides,
fate owed her something besides this
ceaseless toll. She had no regrets or
apologies. He got up presently and
went out In his heart he knew that
he loved the girl, and that she was
sweet and true; but he could not bear
that his wife should be out
of his class-a woman toward
whom his friends would con-
descend. The thought was intolerable.
Twice he went to see her in her own
home, a plain cottage in a most I'M
fashionable quarter. But he went only
twice.
81 will not see you again. .Dorathy
said "At the beach I was as your
equal, and you did not care who saw
you with me. Here it is different, and
you shall not visit me. and then be
ashamed to let your friends know it."
Her heart ached to say it; but I'm
Gle Jim, to whom she told the whole
matter, declared she was right and "a
perfect brick" She knew Harry loved
her. and with womans intuition she
OWNED the struggle going on in his
breast; and she hated herself that she
cared: Frequently she passed him in
the street, and she knew by the look
in his eyes that he had not forgotten;
and also she knew that he feared the
verdict of his world too much to throw
off it's shackles.
And Ben Pierce tided up her shelves,
and watched over her with quiet pa
thence, understanding much, yet MAX
ing no comments.
In the spring there was a business
crash. and Harry's firm went under
He was no longer the most desirable
parti of his set; he was as poor as the
little clerk who measured ribbons be-
hind Bruce's counter. One soft June
evening he went to her.
II am going away to new place to
begin life again; will you come with
me?"
She looked. at him a long minute.
"six months ago / would have follow
ed you-yes even to the end Of the
world had you honestly asked me.
Rut / have learned that your pride Is
stronger than your love; you would
never outlive the feeling that you had
10 rried beneath you. My husband