The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-05-10

EAAEo -AuAEAAa was q NAAACA A. w
had been a tragedy IN her life, but she
had borne her pain so bravely and made
50 littie outery that nobody but her.
self and her father, and one other
had ever known it. That other was
Tom Grayson, the overseer's son. Miss
Aurelia's mother had died when she
was horn, and she had grown up on
the big plantation, with few other play
mates but the big. strong. handsome,
passionate boy, whose hand, to her. was
as light aud tender as q woman's, and
whose voice took on cadences Of gen
tlsness when it spoke her name. Out
Of these childish associations, out Of
common memories. and dreams
dreamed together love had sprung as
naturally and rs inevitably as rcAe
out of the heart Of the spring, and
when the boy lover had opened his arms
and called her 70 them, she had laid
her head upon his breast as confident
ly and simply as a bird flies to the shell
ter Of its nest. Hand In hand they had
gone TO her father, and then
In an instant their paradise lay shat
tered about them. The old, bitter caste
spirit, the naughty pride Of the aris-
tocrat famed up in the old man in sud
den wrath. He tainted the boy with
his humble origin, fiayed him wish
scorn for trying to steal a silly girls
love in order to raise himself, aud the
boy, goaded to madness, flung himself
out Of the room with curse.
tom, Tom, she had cried, II shall
never love anyoae but you. Come
back, come backln but he was too
young and too hurt to heed any pain
but his own, and ne never even glanced
back at her pathetic little figure.
The next morning he was gone, and
to the girl II was as If the tomb had
swallowed him up. She ate out her
heart in fruitless longing and anxiety,
but no word came, and she did not
know whether he remembered, or
whether he had forgotten, until after
her fathers death. Then in going over
some papers she found letter ad
dressed to herself. II was from Tom,
telling Of how he had battled with fate
to make place worthy Of even her In
the world, Of his success, and begging
her If the old love still lived In her
heart to send him one word or token,
Il was dated three years before, and
Miss Aurelia, reading 1t with trembling
hands, knew that twice had her father
closed the door in the face OF her happi
ness.
1t was this story OF her life that she
wrote. and because she dipped her pen
in her own blood, and bltstered the pa
per with her tears, and told the thing
that was, just as she knew IT, the story
was sweet as love, and beautiful as
hope, and touched every heart with its
tender pathos. But to Miss Aureaia II
seemed shameless thing, and she was
not even comforted when II won the
prize, and made some stir IN the world
of letters.
''Why, Miss Aurelia. said one village
oracle, sits just wonderfudl To read
1t anybody might think it's something
that really happened; but, as said to
John, why, we've known Miss Aurelia
all her life, and she never even had
beau, let alone being In love- How
could she know what love is like, 20
well2"
''of course not, answered Miss Au-
relia, family, show should know
what love is hke?"
Even as Miss Aureia was enjoying
the first flush of her literary triumph
two men were lingering over their cot
fee and cigarettes in library in
northern city.
II tell you, Tom," enthusiastically,
II have discovered genius Won our
prize story competition, you know,
You must read IT, Anything so fresh,
so tender, so human haven't seen IN |
many day. Listen to this description
of the boy and girl lovers'-and he be-
gan reading paragraph from Miss
Aurela's story. He had read only a
few lines when the other stopped him.
''Who did you say wrote it?" he
asked, in a tense voice.
"0h, nobody you ever heard ora
woman Aurelia Darlington - down
south somewhere"
But Tom had snatched the magazine
from his hand and was racing through /
It In feverish haste. When he had fin.
ished he turned to his friend with an
on his face none had ever
seen there before. Forgive me-" he
said, simply, 'but I'm In rather d
hurry. 1--we got message to 60
back home, and leave for the south IN
half an hour"
Two days later Miss Aurelia, sitting
In the dusk in her dim old library,
hooked up to see Tom standing before
her as if he had been the spirit of her
thoughts.
.'Aurelia,v he said, let's GO back and
rewrite the old story, and give it
happier ending2"
Miss Aurelia has written no more
stories. The editor still laments her as
! genius lost TO the world, but she
knows she Is doing something better
than imagining romances. She IL lily.
ing one.
Too Much Explanation.
We do not miEd having man waste