Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1903-09-09

with her hands and drew back from
the terrible image Of herself which
the polished mirror mercilessly re-
aected with entire disregard of how
It crushed her heart and soul.
why, Why" she gasped, did ! not
dep"
Only three brief months ago and all
New York had acknowledged her as
one of its peerless beauties, almost
unrivaled in delicate, peach-like bloom
of complexion and finely carved, clas-
steal features. Now she was q
Fright Despite their attempts to
conceal the feeling, she saw the invol-
'untary, uncomfortable aversion with
which her friends when they first
looked upon the terrible change which
the frightful disease She had just re-
covered from had wrought, shrank
back from her; and it pierced her to
the quick.
They were kind and consider
ate, but they could not entirely
veil the disgust which the sight of her
so woefully altered struck upon them.
And If they were so affected what
would he say and feel-he whom she
loved with a woman's absolute devo-
ton and to whom she had pledged her
faith-who was more TO her than life
when he saw this wreck of herself2
To men, she knew, beauty in a woman
had much to do with love. How could
she in fairness ask or expect him to
remain true to his plighted faith and
make her his wife2 Yes, she might
ask, but it was not possible that his
love could survive the shock of the
change in her. He might, as a matter
of honor, and out of the sympathy Of
his soul, wed her; but she would not
have him that way.
She dropped into a chair and moaned
p%iteously. He could no longer love
herl Haunted by the horrible dread
of meeting him and seeing him recoil
from her, she felt that hope had died
out of her life and she would perish
of despair; and suddenly she dropped
upon her knees, as she had often done
since the mirror had FIRST disclosed to
her the wreck she had become, and
ardently prayed for death!
He was on his way home. The news
papers had announced the fact some
dayS ago that his regiment might be
ex ected to return at any hour. He
would come to her proud, joyous, gay,
and with a beart beating with raptu-
Gus happiness; and he would leave
her a few minutes later with his
dreams OF love and his heart crushed;
but not as crushed as hers. For he
was a man and. time would heal the
wound, reconcile him to the loss of
her, and there were other women with
beauty, wealth and breeding who
had enyied her and strove with her
for his heart-and one of them would
take her place and sleep at his side as
she had hoped to do. But for her what
could time do? 1t could not restore
her beauty; it could not change her
from the disfgured wreck it had made
her; and even if it was possible for her
to ever forget him and fall in love with
another it was monstrous to expect
that any man would ever be drawn to
a woman with so hideous a faee-a
face she felt it would be a mercy to
herself as well as to others to keep
constantly covered from the sight of
all eyes.
He would pity her, she thought. But,
an! that was the very keenest sword
thrust of all In her agony-this ex-
quisite agony she had felt before and
knew she was doomed to feel and suf-
fer over and over again as long as life
lasted and her mind had power to.
think-she rocked herself to and fro
and sobbed out her broken heart in
cries for DEATH Would it be a crime,
under the circumstances, to kill her
self? Should she do it before he came
to her? MOL She could not die with
out seeing Rim again, excruciating tor
ture as the meeting with him would
surely be. Let her see him and then
the endl
There came a heavy, quick, impa-
tient knock on the door and a voice
outside calling to her.
"Agnesl Agnesl May l come in9 It
is I-Clarencel"
At the sound of his voice, so dear
and yet now so terrifying to her, she
hastily arose, covered her face with
her handkerchief, and called back:
.Waitl Waitl Do not come ini"
But the door opened and he entered;
and she saw dimly that another man
his valet-was with him. She turned
away and the valet went out, closing
the door softly behind him. He stood
sin where the man had left him, his
hand on a chair. The words he had
meant to utter stopped upon his lips
AZ her silence, and other quite differ
ent came instead.
"You-you do not come to mel You
~ He paused and seemed to be
struggling with the rush Of feeling
which had come upon him. Then bow
ing his head, he continued, brokenly:
aYou are right I should have
known"
She entirely misconstrued him; she
thought he doubted her and she could
not bear thatl
aNo-donit look At mefn she cried.