Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-08-02
THE FIVE O'CLOCK EXPRESS.

| sidns-aS she was wont to describe her
self-shoOk her head slowly.
''Slill, you love me" insisted Wilmot
softly.
No. she answered; L do not think 1
do"
''Look in my eyes and tell me that"
said Wilmot quietly.
why not:" she said, with a little
laugh. and raised her eyes straight to
his. There was only a moments silent
gaze between them, but in that time an
exquisite flush stained her face and her
| lips curved tenderly. She recovered her
self quickly. If / do she said quietly,
lit 3oes not mean anything"
| You mean-
THAT | have no faith in it. Love
may be beautiful thing, the theory of
F.! it may be beautiful, but it fails to work
out that way i'll marriage"
My dear girl said Wilmot quickly,
do not talk that way. | do not like to
hear you. When the theory does not
work out in marriage. when the love does
not continue beautiful, it simply means
that it never was there. There is moth
| ing more to it,
''You will have to admit that it is
pretty good imitation then" she said,
when it deceives nine people Out of ten.
And there seems to be no protection for
Wilmot did not reply. He leaned
| back in his chair and allowed his eyes
TO wander around the pretty drawing
! room that had grown so familiar to him
the last few months. He believed he
could name every object in il. He had
certainly sat in each chair, scanned each
| picture and studied each article OF adorn-
ment, waiting eagerly for the swish of
Virginia 5 gown on the stairway. 1t was
| a strange thing if he could not marry
the woman he loved when she loved him.
He sat staring at the floor, thinking
hard.
Il do not know what 1 am going to
do" said Virginia, musingly. She rest
ed one elbow on the arm of her chair.
her face in her hand, and looked at him
Il do not know what is going to be-
come OF me-. 1t is an empty, cherries
vista | have before me-
What you are going to do" said VIII
mot hrmly, lis to marry the man you
love. Mind you-the man you love. You
know that most women merely marry
the men who love them. There is a
great difference"
There is something fascinating about
the fact that man loves you, even if
you do not care for him at ALL she
admitted.
"Wilmot rose to his feet and squared
his broad shoulders.
That was your trouble he said.
She raised her hand to him with
faint appealing gesture. Don't" She
begged--"don't tell me what the mistake
was, even if it is all over. You don't
know how hard it is even after all this
time \ mist of tears fell from her
eyes; Wllmot crossed the room in long
strides and crushed both her hands i'm
his. His arms ached for her, bur he
only said Poor little girl" under his
breath.
And | wanted so much to be happy
she cried. never learned to take I'M
happiness WE'LL never could make the
pest OF anything. was born a rebel.
If thing was bad, | always threw it
away. Don't you see. | never can make
anything better. But marriage you can't
throw awayt'
Poor little girl ne said softly.
She was CRYING. Life is all wrong
No, Virginia" he said. "the universe
Is all right and life is all right. You will
md 1t out in Il little while. You struck n
rock with your little bark-that is all.
You had too many or these dreams-so
many Of them that you could not get ~
real values of life. But it will come out
al right for you yet" He suddenly nut
his hand on her hair, touching it rever-
ENTITY. She sat staring at the rug at her
feet with absent eyes, a melancholy droop
az her mouth. her thoughts busy. He nut
ms hand under her chin and turned her
face up to him sharply. The want the
OF her own-that she read in his struck
her ike 4 knife. She put both hands
against him and pushed HIM away. you
must not, she whispered; you must not
love me. | believe you do love me. but
you must not. DO you not see that / can
NOT marry againE | am afraid. | should
be watching all the time for the signs of
the awakening. Do you not see that it
would be poisoned from the start?"
Wilmot walked over to the window
and looked out on the avenue. The day
was dull and cloudy. Some children were |
running up and down the pavement. and
their Shrlll cries, as they darted back and |
Iorth IN their games. awoke some vague, !
uull pam within him, some indefinable |
want, and with it all heavy sense of |
the madequacy of life. He turned to |
her suddenly. Il am going away" he |
said.
Away" she repeated. "Where?"
Some place where | will not see Won |
again for long time" he answered So |
berry.
You are very foolish" she said.
Am l. he replied quietly. You mean
to be So any longer
What do you mean
l mean that man is a fool if he stays |
near woman who does nothing but give |
him pain. have to save myself. aud the /
unrSt step | am going TO take toward il, |
Virginia, is TO get out of your neighbor- |
hood
=, He smiled at her with friendliness. |
She caught her breath and was silent a |
moment
Why cannot we 20 on seeing each |
other Just as we have all summer?" She |
asked finally.
Nov, look here" said Wiimot. with |
some irritation, I'VE are not children, and |
a mans love is not an air plant 1t |
uoeSn feed on nothing. No. il will do |
me good anyway, to be away from you
Tor while"
How long?" she asked.
How can l Say?" he answered THE |
only thing | can do is to start. And |
about it."
When are YOU going?" she asked !
TREMENDOUSLY.
Tonight he answered. shortly.
Il do not suppose you would change
your mind$'
There is only one thing that could
make me do it, he replied, firmly. Her
eyes fell.
He laughed. VERY well; goodby. Viz
ciuin - -