Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-09-05
! The Love That Lives
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BY ELLEN FRIZELL WYCKOFE. I

TT E WONDERED if she still cared.
IL He had gone west ten years ago
because he was too poor to offer her
anything he thought it worth a
woman's while to accept. He had
learned to live without thought of
her. Now he was at home on business.
He had run down to the beach for a
breath of sweet salt air.
He was watching her as she, all I'M
conscious of his presence, quietly ate
her supper in a corner of the dining
room farthest from him. It had been
q long time since he had thought of
ner, yet she came back naturally
enough to her place now that he sat
there looking at her.
There was a bowl of loose, freshly
cut roses and gardenias on her table.
The sea breeze brought him little
whiffs of their fragrance. He re-
membered her love for them. Three
other women sat at the table with her.
He knew they were there, but he only
saw her.
She laughed now and then, and he
watched for the sparkle in her eyes, the
dimple in her cheek, and the CLEAN of
her milk-white teeth. Each of her
many charms were intensified. She
had ripened up beautifully. He missed
a certain soft, pretty shyness that used
to fold her away from him as it's messy
calyx screens a rosebud. It was this
little barricade of reserve that had kept
him silent and at a distance in the
days Of old. 1t was gone now. He felt
that she would understand at once how
it was with him. He was not afraid
of the air of womanly pride that had
come to her.
She fed herself daintily as a bird.
she seemed wonderfully at her ease.
and altogether sweet and wholesome.
Her blue eyes were clear and steadfast.
1t rested him to look at her. She was
the one woman. in all the world. It
was curious that he had rather lost
sight of that, lately. Now her person
atty stood out clear and sweet from
the shadows Of his forgetfulness like
star when there is a rift in the
clouds.
The simple old life had been good
for her, he thought. While he had been
toiling and delving, wasting his youth,
almost losing his soul, she had been
living quietly at home in the old house
up in the city, coming out in the old
way each summer for a month by the
sea. He felt resentful and ill-used.
For he might have been with her. In
stead Of the gold he had been heaping
up he might have had her.
The dainty supper cooled before
him. The waiter behind his chair
fidgeted and asked questions, anxiously,
People glanced curiously at the hg.
sunburnt, queer-mannered man from
the west. A party of young people be-
hind him laughed and talked merrily.
The four women at the table In the
corner chatted pleasantly. There was
all the cheerful hotel dining-room
clatter. But he saw only one face, with
its crown of dusky hair and eyes of
blue; heard only one low, clear voice.
He felt injured when he saw how
quietly content she was. There was
no shadow of regret in her eyes, no
line of grief on her face. She must
feel very sure of him, certainly; very
positive that he would come for her
some day! And yet he had said no
word of all this when he went away.
He thought that she ought to know
intuitively that he was near her. He
had heard such things. But she
smiled brightly into the face of one
of the other women.
He got up and went out of doors.
He was used to plenty of air. The
place was sitting. He wondered what
she would say when she saw him. He
ought to have written, of course. But
then-why, well, he hadn't written.
His sunburnt face flushed hotlr Never
mind, she'd be glad enough to see him,
anyhow.
The sun was setting. The lilac walk
vas quite dim now. 1t lay under tho
lining room windows and her table
was near the last one; so he drifted
that way. He could hear her laughing.
How prettily she did it. He remem-
bered that most women laugh shrilly.
Now he could see her She was stand
ing up, the bowl of flowers in her hand.
Il think shall give each of you part
CT m, flowers. Charlie sent them out
to me- He must love me very dearly,
don't you think?" And again she
laughed softly.
A friendly handicap on his shoulder
reused him. "Dick Allen, home from
the west. as live! ] thought ! knew