The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-24
ONE GRAY AFTERNOON
BY ELSIE L. GILMORE.

Copyright 1903, by Daily Story Pub. Co.
1t was a gray day. The cold autumn
rain beat steadily against the glass,
and the accompanying wind played
| hide and seek with the dying leaves.
| chasing them through the dismantled
garden and to the moor beyond at an
astonishing rate. The gray waves of
| the sea dashed against the huge gray
rocks with q hoarse. cadence. the spray
driving in and redrenching the sodden
rose bushes at the side Of the pretty
cottage, with it's numerous windows
and porches, and it's general air of dam
tiness and individuality. Far out from
| the land the tall Bar lighthouse doomed
like a phantom through the gray mist
encircling it, and a few gulls wheeled
about aimlessly.
| A glowing CRATE fire warmed and
cheered. the pretty den. forming a strik-
| ing contrast to the air of dreariness
outside. Books and pictures abounded
in every available space, while the ar
rangement of low, easy chairs and
cushions, the bowl of cut flowers, the
abundance of magazines and papers
betokened a dainty disorder delightful
to contemplate. ~.
The woman leaned back in her low
cushioned chair before the fire. The
brown hair plentifully sprinkled with
white, the undeniable lines about the
mouth and on the forehead that Old
Father Time SO generously beStowS
upon us all, heralded the fact that
youth had already merged into middle
age. And yet something there was
about the graceful, well-rounded figure
| and the deep blue eyes that seemed to
| proclaim the fact that the twin broth
ers, Time and Age, could never wholly
destroy a sort of nameless fascination
with which the woman seemed pos
I sessed. One felt in looking at her that
she would be as charming at sixty. al
though the paleness of the skin and the
rather wide mouth precluded all claim
| to beauty.
/. The woman picked up a letter gleam-
| ing from the lap of her black gown and
re-read it: my Dear: You already
know, you must know. how you have,
! become a. part of my life. Your noble
| work among the poor of the parish first
| attracted me and when I came to know
| you better you seemed to me the very
essence of womanhood perfected. I
make no protestations of undying af-
| lection. / leave that to sentimental
| school boys, but will come this after
| Eoon and hear from your own lips what
! L am praying to hear, you clear-eyed
| womanly womanp
I She clasped the paper nervously with
| a little cry, half happy, half fearful.
| 1t was true, then. He loved her as she
| had sometimes dared to dream, and
she loved him, this great hearted, phil
Ianthropic, ideal man. By education,
by similarity of tastes, even in looks,
they seemed suited one to the other.
The two years of her residence in the
village had endeared her to rich and
poor alike and even the most fastidi-
Gus could not but agree that the match
would be one of excellence.
But as the thoughts came rushing
upon her the glad light died from her
eyes and the letter dropped unheeded
to the floor as her caller was an
| nouneed. She arose with a difhdence
wholly foreign to her nature and held
out her hand. The man took 1t quick
ly in both of his and the gray eyes
looked squarely into the blue eyes.
We'll" he said. gravely. She drew
| herself away and motioned him to one
of the chairs. II want to talk to you,''
she said softly. Cali day I have been
T thinking of the story of a girl once
knew and somehow knowing your wide
sympathy and your clear medicines
1 wanted to tell it to you!"
But can't the story wait until"
NO." she said. with suddenness. 81
/ want to. tell you now
He seated himself in one OF the
chairs and leaned back. Eat your serv-
ice, madame" he said. amusedly. Zone
of your many proteges, 1 suppose"
| @She was a girl, a very young girl
1 she commenced. Her mother died
7 when she was baby and left her to
T the care of a distant relative, a just
+ woman, but cold and unfeeling. She
never frightened the girls life by one
kiss or earess as long as she could re-
I member. She simply did her duty as
far as food and clothing and a country
school education were concerned. She
+ went thus far and no farther. and the
girl grew to be sixteen In that lonely