Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1903-01-15

INV Y hushed on the verge of
IESkxess daybreak, was stimulat-
lMWVYG ing. He needed this quiet
hTTEESYStTIi to bear his own thoughts
HkSXlllSNk and to go over with him
N8ItfkFTdl self what had been hap
sIMzISllMll pening. Why was he
here in the park? What of the police
man? These pictures with which his
9p5nd was painted in mad, aching
pOhfusion of the black yet glittering
night, the faces and lights, the dollars,
the throbbing music, and the whirr and
heat and suffering? what lay behind
1t all? The bank-the money-oh, his
letter. Now he had it. Everything
was clear All! how he hated her, God,
he hated her, hated her!
His last letter had come back I'M
opened. Huh! she would not look at
it, she spurned him, spat upon him.
And the letter before that she did not
notice, nor the preceding one, nor the
other-none after the great letter To
that, indeed, her reply had come; her
telegram, short enough and contempti-
BILE enough for him never to forget. Its
one word mo" in the middle, his adj
dress above and her name-despicable
name-below, all on the yellow blank.
seemed to lie now in his mind just as it
IVnad been received, save that he knew
1t had gone to bits as soon as read He
almost wished he had kept it; he would
gloat over it, feast on it. All womans
snobbishness, all woman's frivolity,
littleness, selfshness, meanness, super
flciality; all woman's utter worthless
ness lay in that telegram. A bug, a
toothpick, filthy rag we're more worth
ones while. Faugh! He had found
out. Not every man learned the lesson.
They went on fooling. But he knew
what it was, what it came to, after all
the ecstasy, the delirious sweetness, the
living in the soul Of another, the
seemed but the chrysalis. All! how he
had cherished her! and striven for her!
Yes, striven indeed. He could re-
call, in way, feel again the first great
stimulus surging through him Of en-
larged enterprise for her sake. The
little town would no longer do for him,
he had resolved, as soon as his desires
for her dared be confirmed.
That was the evening when she left
town, and he had been scandalously
lavish on roses, but had arrived with
them at the railway station too late.
Feeling that she must receive his offer
ing and from his hand, he boarded the
next train, while his pulse tripped high,
rode two hours then bore them, daunt-
less though trembling, to the surprised
recipient.
Just to bring the roses all this
way?" she queried. How foolish you
were!"
'Never!' he resisted, heroically. But
/ would have been pleased to do any
thing else"
They had met on the veranda, for
it was a summer night, and there they
sat down, he pouring out his passion,
she quiescently giving ear. When they
parted he called her by name.
All but that was sweet. Her name
seemed like a beautiful gem which he
could carry with him. All the way
back in the cars he fondled it.
Plans matured quickly; to establish
himself in the city and to lay by a few
hundred for nest egg, few hundred
for the home. Homel homel sweet
heart, wifell Those dearest words
rang chime in his ears and filled his
mind with delectable imaginations.
From his city quarters many-sheeted
messages flew every night, mingling
with their poetry Of VOW and prayer
2 detailed material fancies on which his
artist pen dwelt COMMUNICATIONS
of color, drapery and aesthetic furnish
ings daintily picked to meet the COY
requirements of the fat he promised
himself they would take. Each room
was ruled by its genius, every niche
had its own piece, nothing was too in
significant to consider; for there exist
ed no trifes to this worship struggling
to fashion a meet shrine for its idol.
Often, just to render his ideas clear
err and prettier to her, he had used his
brush in water-color sketches, labelling
them, facetiously, illustrated Supple
ments" to his letters, although every
stroke carried it's little burden Of deyo-
ton. Attached to the dining-room
Supplement" hung an airily-done
menu for his first chafng-dlsh supper
with his wife Ali and from one cor
ner peeped out her own fair face-little
queeni His most successful deliniation
of her. however had appeared in the
Venetian Portrait" named for its
vivid coloring. This had grown out Of
the gentle splendor and light and radi-
ance OF an autumn afternoon. which
had come full upon him ald had trans
ferred its all into the picture of that
sirl-the small, upturned face. such az
one sees many In a day, and the nom