The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1902-11-07

is gone from your spirit ana the nrt
from your brain. That is, it would BIZ
from yours. You can see for yoursel1
that I have entirely recoyered-en.
tirely."
He waited until he had unrolled
the paper and looked at it on all sides
and swiftly rolled it again, before he
went on.
''It was three years ago-just after
you left the city-that I first met
her. I will not tell you her name
you would not know her-but she was
young-I was young then, too-and
! she was so beautiful that all men were
attracted to her. Do you smile tc
think that | was attracted, too? True
Il had not lived the life most men
live. Twas a student, and had lived
among books and dreams. She was
the embodiment of all that was pure
and lovely in literature and fancy.
! had worshiped her afar off until she
called me to her. Howard, she sent
the others away, and called me, as a
queen calls a courtier, and went"
The paper was growing ragged at
the edges. He held it up a moment
and looked at it, then clasped his fin
gers around it till they were white
from the pressure and went on:
"For weeks I saw her every day. I
found that I could say brilliant things
to amuse her-1, the recluse, the ST.
lent. Other men, weather., well
known, socially, stood off and were
amazed, but l cared nothing them.
Through all the ages, through all the
impossibilities of time and space, our
two souls had been coming together.
Missing her, would have gone on,
asolitary student, to my journeys end.
| shuddered, sometimes, to think
what my life would have been if I had
not gone to the house where Imet her
first. Missing me, she would have
laughed and TESTED with the crowd of
suitors until she wearied of them,
and they fell away, one by one, and
left her still heart-whole and alone
My life was filled with such dreams as
these, which seemed so true, so I'M
natural that | felt it necessary to
speak to Elinor, for she must see as
clearly as l."
The flood was carrying him on
he resumed hurriedly with his eyes on
the paper:
Gone evening I went to the Van
cour home. Elinor was alone, with a
shadow on her face, and something
took possession of me, and II spoke.
Isee youare disturbed-for me. You
need not be troubled-it is all over,
long ago. I have lived through it. I
can laugh when I think of it-ha, ha,
ha! Shelaughed, too, at the time, and
said it was the strsngest thing that
a girl could never be friends with
man but that he spoilt it by wanting
to marry her. She leaned back in her
cushioned chair-there was some
thing made of silk and lace behind
her head, and-and she looked so fair
and dainty and gentle-but she was
laughing; and she told me that she
liked to have me near her for several
reasons. In the first place, | was tall,
and she liked tall men. Then, | could
talk to her about books, and that en-
abled her to talk about them, too,
without being at the trouble of read
ing them herself. Then, was so de-
liciously serious, and that refreshed
her-and above all, she knew she was
perfectly safe with me, for no one
would ever be insane enough to dream
of our marrying. She laughed a great
deal, yet she was vexed that l had
spoken and spoiled it all. She had
broken her doll, and finding nothing
but hearts blood inside it, she threwi it
away. But men were all alike, she
said; they all took themselves so Sc
riously. And then l laughed also,
and went out into the night. A little
while after she left the city and went
west; and II sat here at my desk,
and lived.
'"Yes, / am quite recovered-fortu-
nately. With some men it might
have been very serious thing. There
are men, you know, who put so much
Of life into thing like that what is
left behind isn't worth considering. |
It would be so with you, Howard. 1
nave thought of you many times, for
knew-what might come-and 1
wanted to warn you. When you are
out your soul they are tolerat-
ng you because-because you are
all. 1t would ruin your life, my boy,
Don't let them do it."
sEWait a moment" said the nala-