The Irish standard., 1901-10-05
GH NJ FER XII.

S1OIEO" 0AuAlNS1 Win FcIuOrS0 IL INC
souls education. The soul of the
woman who grieves in silence broad ems
aod deepens, sending down into her
own life far-reaching roots and I'M
folding upward rare auxiliary bios
SONS that fill the life about her with
divine breathings. Such was the ex-
perience of Frances Brookin. Thrown
back upon herself, conscious of inno-
cence, and feeling always the presence
of sorrow, the sorrow of great dis
appointment, she saw her girlhood
slipping away faster than time itself;
for it is true that age is the sum Of
experience rather than years, aud all
of life may be lived between the set
ting and the rising of the sun. But
with Frances this change was not the
shrinking of the soul into forgetfn3-
ness; 1t was an enlargement of view
and perspective in which old headlands
assumed smaller proportions. New
imperative duties they seemed, arose
and met her; new responsibilities pre-
sented themselves; she faced them all
bravely, hopefully, lovingly. The fine
quality of her soul proved itself in the
casting out of all the bitterness which
had in the first hours of her mixfor-
tune stormed its citadel and raised
somber banners there. Tho victory
over self won by this frau girl was 20
marvelously complete that no cynicism
supplanted her innocent faith in the
eternal existence Of truth and good
ness and their ultimate triumph over
evil. Her touching acceptance of life
In it's new aspect was not bora in
day. There were weeks Of anguish;
there were months of dull heartache
and loneliness; there were tear-wet
pillows and nights of crying out against
fate; for the death of an ideal is the
saddest death in all the universe, since
for this there is no resurrection. The
girlish ideal Of Frances Brookin was
dead at last, and slept under the petals
Of faded white rose. Richard Somers
was out of her life, out Of her heart.
The man she loved had never existed,
she told herself. He was dream, a
romance, an immaculate conception Of
. virgin mind. The real man was the
unworthy offspring of base, worldly
passions; he was nothing to her but
. name.
Political events hastened the girl
into womanhood and towards that
large tolerance with which the strong
soul at last invariably encysts the in
applicable and unwclcome facts it can.
not avoid. With one leap the fierce
south entered the arena of war, and
Virginia hills echoed the mingled
cheers of contending armies and the
thunder of mighty guns. Richmond
seemed to have become, as in day,
the center Of intrigue and Of action
On every side flashed the gold and sill
yer of wars rich trappings. Plumes
danced in the breezes and the confed.
crate gray met the eye, rest where il
would. From the capitol the banner
of new nation foated proudly, and
beneath it echoed the tramp of march
ing legions, the galloping hoof-beata
of horses, through all hours Of day and
night. Men, in this hitherto ,taid old
southern city, hurried, under the spul
of emotions that seemed born, of con
tagion in the air, and anxious womer
went about with willing hands to aid
in every department they might h
wade. Among these, her life adjusting
itself easily and gratefully to the new
demands, was Frances Brookiu, tn,
tenderness Of her fine face softenet
and deepened into divine womanliness
the love-ray eloquent n her msltini
eyes.
Swiftly the holiday dds Of the va,
had faded cut Of view. Agnnised a
lence swallowed up laughter. For tn,
drift was coming in from where II,
sstorn Of battle ragged, wrecks q Ia