The suburban citizen., 1901-11-02

l. the SHADOW. the pathOS ana the
fidelity in his eyes made them shine
like lamps. Il seldom mention him"
he said, "but IL you win it." His
tongue, long rusted by silence, halted
in It's speech,
"Yes," she urged. Eyes"
He replaced the cover of the vase
carefully, and picked up a plaque
busting 1t with his sleeve.
"ren years ago the master had a
daughter"
He stopped and coughed.. A pass.
ing cab ratified on the cobbles, and a
tiny ray Of sun falling through the
doorway made a bar of dancing dust.
The woman moved slightly.
"WenY she said "WellY
He bent his head.
"She was the stars and the sun and
the world to hirl-and to me-" he said
simply But we, we We're like tho
things'-he moved his hands compre.
hensively-"dusty and glomy and dull
to one so bright She had a face like
heaven, and earth sees so little Of
heaven that it must take all it can.
One morning we found her some"
There was silence in the street, and
it seemed that all life had cloeged its
wheels and that only the man, with
his pitiful deformity and hale poetic
words, brectLed and had his being.
"But he liyesw she whispered. "You
said that he livesw His head was
still bcnt-he was lest in a reverie.
Il found him on that morning" no
said, not needing her words, found
him lying By the shop door. For
hours thought that he was dead, but
the doctor came and said that we must
look to time for his recovery. Timer
he smiled sadly. death would have
been an easier word
Her skirt rustled again upon the bare
floor, and she drew her breath with a
catch.
Tell RE nore,' she said; "every.
thing"
For years he lay like a log and
never spoke. Then one day his voice
came back, and his first words were,
Where is Anna? 1t was the hardest
hour of my life"
His voice ceased, and she claspcd her
hands fercely; tears were dropping
upon them like hot, soaring rain.
Every day since then" he said Il
have had to suffer the same words
He never fails-he never forgets. II
is aiways-always the same. Has she
come yet? When win she Gomez"
And you?-yOu| Her voice was a
mere echo Of itself.
He laughed, but there was no bitter
ness in the lGugh-and no mirth.
"I-well, L have seen the stars and
the sun and-I, too, remember"
His voice was sOftened, and his face
was strangely transfgured
God has made me different from
other men; may not claim what they
can claim. But have a life Of my
own to give away. Perhaps l have
given it foolishly, but'-he passed his
hand across his forehead-"but 1 am
content"
He had forgotten the presence of a
stranger, forgotten the hour the place
everything except the ideal, perfect
in its entire hopelessness. that had
been the light in his patient life.
And the woman, standing as It were
in the maze Of his dream, saw the long
procession Of her life stream slowly
pass Saw the trlumphs--the friends
the loves that make up the word ca
reer, and above them-as a beacon
above the restless seattle entire de-
yotion Of one life, true and steadfast
as the creed Of hope.
The mans back was turned, and the
miracle of such a soul in such a body
swelled her heart in a great food
With a gesture finer than any that
had made her fame, she stretched out
her hands. Johann she said softly.
Johann! Anna has come home
Mainly About People.