Evening journal., 1901-03-21
. A FORGOTTEN CURVE

's'-i-,-.-..i-l.-i.,-i
''Then you think we had better sepa-
rate?"
She had not suggested It. but it sound |
ed less brutal to say 50. He was at all
times polite.
She looked at him a moment and an-
swered YES" quite mechanically. Even
then It seemed as IL something must in
terfere: it could not be possible that this
was the end-that they who had been SO
happy could forget it all and 50 in diff
ferent waysl
Ii had come about so strangely-they
hardly knew how themselves. One could
not blame either OF them. Somehow the
glamour was gone, and there was little
back Of the glamour. She was sweet and
pretty and had dainty ways and good
taste, and she was good, really and sin
cere-not cloyingly nor aggressively.
But she had taken things for granted
and after the honeymoon, instead OF pad
ding a little to keep the ripples on the
surface, she had been content TO drift
till all the sparkle had gone out Of the
quiet waters.
And he--well, Il seemed as II the charm
OF love had thrown him over his natural
disposition at first and melowed and
smoothed the angles OF cynicism, and he
had thought he was completely changed,
but OF late he bad champed and frettcd
and grown sarcastic and moody, then re-
morseful. and the very remorse made him
more irritable than ever.
Kisses and smiles had grown TO be lux
uries. Perhaps in a way she was to
blame-innocently enough. Sarcasm flour
ishes best when the cheeks flush and the
lips droop pathetically under its sting IL
she had rallied and PARTED in merry,
wholesome scorn, all would have been
well, but one cannot be sweet and Iowa
bic and know how to fence too. It Is
asking too much. Repartee was an un-
known art to her, and she vexed him by
her very helplessness.
For some months IL had gone on so,
coolness and Misunderstanding and per-
petual heart breaks and striving to
please, all unaware poor child, that the
effort was so painfully apparent as to
defeat its object. A little dash Of inde
pendence now-but she did not know
that.
And now, after feeling for-it seemcd
a century-that something, everything,
was wrong. that each felt uncomfortable
in the presence of the other, that eacl,
was unhappy, chafng under the bond anil
crying silently against fate that hal
cheated them, it came TO pass that n
reckless mood came over her. and, with
a sudden tightening Of heart and throat.
she had declared passionately. tragicaly.
that life was unbearable that love was a
moekery and as a woman will. a great
deal more that came Of itself when once
the ioodgates OF her reserve were loosen
u ed.
l Tt ,,-o, ro~oIc4fcr r,,,,t 90 20 an.
were TO see n quiet pool turn into a rag
ing torrent before ones eyes. He turned
a little pale.
"Then you think we had better scpa-
+ rateT he asked quietly.
And she said yes mechanically, ab-
5 sently.
a Il viii take You to your mother"
She looked up startled.
'Now?r
"Why not? There is no necessity OF
prolonging the 'mocsery is there?"
She stood perfectly still. The words
rang in her ears, Whom God has join.
ed together let no man put asundcr" but
her modern teaching held no such decree
There would be a separation-a divorce
in time. Well, it was not her doing
{ Something was leading her into the shad-
ows-fate or destiny-when she longed
to stay in the sunshine. So she argued
- to herself as she put on her wraps and
7 went out with him into the street.
g Neither spoke as they went along the
y broad dimly lighted avenue. AS 10 q
). drowning man comes the revelation of
his past life so to these children Of fate
came clearly, as in a glass, the days. the
e incidents-all the joy Of their carly love
s. their marriage and the days that fol
I lowed.
A streak Of light fell across the pave
n ment, throwing into bold relief her shad-
ow. and his eye Travelled over its outline
T, that graceful curve from neck 10 shoul-
/, der-how he used TO admire it. aud how
he had ceased TO notice it lately; and
from the shoulder, curving carelessly in
TO her slender waist What delicate
curve It was, and how pathetici How
slight she was-how childishly slight
And he was leaving her to battle alone
D against lifel Had he not taken her Ia
r the threshold OF happiness and then loclS-
S ed the doors and turned her adrift in the
2 darkness?
S 1t fascinated him. He watched the
, shadow lengthen and finally disappear,
e but the slight figure was beside him.
r How natural It was 10 shield her to-
dearest" he exclaimed in n choking
voice, don't you think we could try
I Ills arm was around her and from the
/, depths OF his shoulder he heard a joyful
lIftTo co1,bfufr tsNac - TNvehonUn