The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-03-26


him through your long, dark lashes,
for you knew only too well you had
added another heart I your already
outrageously long number of devoted
slaves, and you even smiled when you
heard Miss Primly say, quite audib.y
Gas you passed out Of the room):
Outrageous firti Mr.. North. how
can you admire her?"
You will meet Jim tonight, and be
will mutter: Delighted to see you,
Mrs. Gouvenier," and will cross to the
opposite side of the room, where he
will look at you longingly and bite
his mustache savagely, thinking how
selfish your husband is to forbid you
TO dance, because ne is too old to find
any pleasure in ii himself.
They will all be there, the old
friends. ct seems much longer than
two months since you went abroad;
have you missed them?)
Did / say "an?" No, not all, for I
remember a pale face, with such ear
nest gray eyes.
He found more important things in
life than pleasures and dances. There
were so many poor to help. so many i'll.
SO much suffering and unhappiness. He
took life too seriously" Jim had said.
I do not see why your mouth should
droop so at the corners. Don't do il,
Phyllis. it spoils Cupid's bow. Is
there still a pain in your heart when
you think of that poor boy? Well,
don't do it. then; forget him; there are
SO many you should be sorry for, and
it is rather late TO begin now.
There is a step Oh the stairs; how
quickly your face changes as you rec
ognize your husbands step. All the
life has died out of it and il has grown
cold and expressionless. You rise to
meet him as he comes toward you.
My lear Phyllis, do be CAREFUL
1t would never do for him to see your
face as it is now. such a look of long
ing has come into it as the thought. lit
might have been so different if" goes
beating through your brain But with
a master stroke of self-restraint, you
force a smile and lower the eyes that
are filing with tears so fast you dare
not trust them, and say with a half
laugh and a voice that is perhaps a
trifle unsteady: Don't / lock lovely?
Is it time TO go. dear?"
Just then you are interrupted by the
sharp noise Of a door being shut vio-
lently. Everything grows dim and con
fused. Your husband seems to grow
DINNER and DINNER until he fades
m sn&a %ha = orl-, n rrrh IN
eyes and look with astonisment at me.
/ also rave changed, from a stately
pier glass to a little oval mirror hang
ing over your desk. You look into me
with eyes that can hardly believe the
vision of yourself that l reflect. for in
stead OF your Paris wedding gown you
have on a dainty matinee jacket and
your hair falls in pretty confusion over
your shoulders You stretch out your
hand to a letter that lies before you on
your desk and with a glance of won
der you read in your Owl penmanship
these words:
Washington, d. c., Jan. IS. 1900
Dear Maj. Gouvenier: / have seri-
ously considered the question you
asked me last evening, and / feel much
honored hat you should wish me to
become -FOUR wife. II l can add o your
happiness by giving you the answer
you so much desired"
What is the matter2
Why should you crush the letter in
your hand and then tear it up and
throw it into the waste paper basket
The confused look has left your face
you are beginning to realize that after
writing that letter this morning you
leaned back in that comfortable chair
and thought of the great happiness
hat was in the future for you.
You imagined yourself as a wealthy
woman, thinking of the many delight
full things the majors" money coult
do for you.
Gradually you grew drowsy, 70,
leaned your head against the back o
your chair. your eyes closed-thI
dream hat followed did not picture tn
future at all as you had imagined i
would be; you realized too late Ii
seemed too late in your dream) tina
money alone could not Bring you hap
piness, and that it was not so easy a
you had hoped it would be to forget
certain pair of gray eyes. / confes
that all through that dream / did all
could to make you see the mistake yor
would make if you did so in reality.
What are you doing, Phyllis?
Surely, you are not s o childish as t
write to hat poor. discouraged mis-
~sionary on the western prairies? An!
you really intend to give him the an
swer he has longed for for the pas
three months?
Well. you are a queer girl TO let
mere dream influence you so. Wha
will society say?
The beautiful. proud Miss Phylli
Varian to be married to a missionary
to give up the gay life she has found $,
pleasant, TO live in a wretched little 10:
hut in the place of a churchl
But you seem determined, and
smile hovers over your beautiful re-
lips as you seal your letter. and l can
not help but wonder if you were eve
really as happy as you are now
And you will go to the charity bal
tonight, but not as Mrs. Stoctoi
Gouvenier," and you will tell Jim abou
the letter YOU wrote this morning an,