Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-08-14
CHAPTER VII.

He was on the train at last homeward
bound. Gazing out of the window of the
! car he was trying to find where he stood.
He must be in love. He faced the remark
able fact that he had spent whole week
| an Independence at an expensive hotel, and
| squandered every cent of the small fee
he had received for his address In what
/ would be otherwise a perfectly senseless
| manner.
Yet he felt rich. He was sure he had
| never spent money so wisely and economi-
! cally in his life Beyond the shadow of
a doubt he was in love-desperately and
hopelessly committed to this one girl for
life! He said it in his heart with shout
of triumph. Life was not sterile desert
of brute work. 1t was true. Love the
magician of the ages, lived in this world
of lost faiths and dead religions!
Now that he was leaving he felt ting
ling impulse to leap off the train, cut
across the fields and run back to her
and he laughed aloud. just as the train
came to a sudden stop, and everybody
| looked at him and smiled.
A drummer looked up from a novel he
was reading and said:
TITS fine day, partner, isn't it?''s
Never saw a finer" answered CASTOR
with another laugh.
He dwelt long and greedily on the con-
seriousness of this new vitalising secret he
felt for the first time throbbing in his
soul. He bathed ibis heart in its warmth
until he could feel the red blood rush to
| ends of his fingers with its new fever
He breathed its perfume until every nerve
quivered Il have never lived before! No
matter now If 1 die, I have nved" he
said slowly and reverently.
He wondered long and wistfully what
was in his heart while this wild tumult
| was going on In him. He wondered IL 1t
| were possible she loved him. 1t seemed
too good to be true. He was afraid to be-
lieve 1t. And yet his whole soul with every
power of his being cried out that she did
He could not have been mistaken in the
message he read in the liquid depths of
her eyes. and the delicate tenderness Of
her voice. Words may say nothing, but
these signs are the language of the uni
versal. Still, others had been equally
sure. and been deceived. Might not he too
make the fatal mistake? 1t was possible.
And. there was the pain.
| She had not uttered a single word In
all the hours they spent together that
might not be interpreted in a conventional
meaningless way.
Yet he had given to every one of these
words a soul meaning that spoke directly
| to his inner being and not his ear.
He had never spoken a word of shallow
| love-making to woman in his life. To
him love was too holy a mystery. 1t
| would have been the blasphemy Of the
Holy Ghost-a sin that would not be for
/
His college mates had called him crank
on this subject. But he shut his lips in a
wav that always closed the argument,
and they let him alone with his Idol.
IT am afraid yet to put it to the test!' he
said at last. II must have time to reveal
my best self to her. / must see her again,
live close to her day by day, and bring
TO bear on her every power of body and
soul possess"
Mrs. Durham met him with dancing
eyes. "Oh, I've heard from you. sirI"
kiss me, auntie. and be kind! I'm in
the last stages Of delirium!'
| lie took her hands both in his and
looked at her long.
How good you've been to me, auntie,
in all the past. You never looked so
beautiful as today. / want to thank you
for every word you've said to Miss Sallie
for me- It may have helped just little
| anyway"
';Weil, you are in the last stagesy" she
exclaimed gleefully.
"And you are glad Of it?'
cot course, am, it will make a man
of you"
"But suppose I loser"
She was silent a moment and then
slipped her arm gently about him, drew
down his ear and whispered:
"You shall not lose-I've set my heart
on it,"
He pressed her hands and said: How
like my sweet mothers voice was that!'
And then they fell to discussing plans
for giving Miss Sallie and her friend a
Jolly time at the springs.
"But auntie these plans don't seem to
me exactly what I'd like. You see want
TO be the whole thing 1t may be hope
lessly selfish. but I can't help it."
well that isn't best"
"Say, auntie, what do 1 look like any
way? How would you describe my make
UP? Let's get at the weak spot and splint
them UP a little. You know, 1 never Sc
riously cared rap before about my
looks"
'WeIP'-she answered slowly regarding
him. "Iu be perfectly frank with you.
You are tall-at least two inches taller
than the average man, and your muscular
body gives one the impression of power.
You have black hair darlk-brown eyes
that look out from your shaggy straight
eyebrows with a piercing light"
You think the brows too shaggy?''
mo, like them. They suggest reserve
power and brain capacity"
| Good. 1 never thought of that"
you have a face that is massive, almost
leonine, and a square-cut determined
mouth, that always clean shaver, some
times looks too grim"
'I'n remember that and look pleas
ant"
you have a big hand and sometimes
shake hands too strongly. You have a
handsome aristocratic foot when you
wear decent shoes. You often walk hump
shouldered, and sit so too"
! "I'll brace up"
you have deep verticle wrinkles be-
tween your eyes just where your straight
eyebrows meet"
Heavens. 1 didn't know I had
wrinkles"
Eyes, but they mean habits Of thought
like your STOPPING shoulders, don't OBJ
ject to such wrinkles in mans face.
But the best feature of all your stock is
your eye. Your big brown eyes are about
the only perfect thing about you. There S
infinite tenderness in them. Now and then
they CLEAN with hidden fire that tells
of enthusiasm, thought, will, character
and dauntless courage"
She looked and they were misty with
| tears.
He pressed her hand. "Auntie, didn't
know how much you've loved me all these
years. How love opens ones eyes"
"You have a high temper, plenty OF
pride, and are given to looking on the
dark side of things too quickly. You lack
poise of character and sureness of touch
yet, but with it all. yours is masterful
| nature"
zone you think that a perfect woman
could lover"
There are no perfect women; but I'll
match you against any woman know.
So there, now, take courage"
| will he oraxyalv answered.