Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-05-07

"Give me- he said, lone crumb OF
consolation to help me through the
empty days. If there had not been
this plain straight way Of duty for me,
could you-"
Yes, OH yes!" she said.
II had to speak," he questioned.
Il can bear 1t BETTER" she said. ''since
you have spoken"
IF love We're all?"
Nothing else could make me love
you like this" said she.
Only his look thanked her. "Now,"
he said. you must forget that once l
was tempted to play the man. You
must only remember me as the conceit-
ed young curate who tried"
Don't" she exclaimed, don't hurt
me like thatw
Take your own way, then" he whs-
pered, with wintry smile. And bless
you always, my one love. You alone
hold my secret-safe with you"
Dear God: how safe!' she cried.
And so they parted. 1t was the only
way.
But that was not the only confidence
with which she was hOnOred at about
this time, and, strangely enough, 1t was
the curate's mother who next put her
powers of secret keeping to the test
She prefaced her confession with u
touch of tlattery.
Il feel | must tell some one, my
dear" she said. Il shall feel better
then. And there is no one l could tell
so easily as you, with so great assur-
ance of sympathy and understanding"
She was young to the mother Of her
big son, very good-looking, very attrac-
tive in manners still. She smiled at
the girl, while the girl WINGED, because
she knew that smile so we'll on an
other face.
Il hope you will not laugh at me for
silly old goose!'
"As if should"
II don't know-wait and see. sup
pose that in your idea, no one could
possibly fall in love after-well, thir-
ty-fiveY
"Oh, why not?"
Every well tried. dear. Very credit
ably said! But l am more than thirty
tive-and am in love. don't wonder
you start"
II don't-thlnk-I did,
Not badly! But there, l don't want
you to think that because experience
has taught me to laugh in the face of
misfortune. | cannot still feel. Child,
there is no love like late love for tear
ing your heartstrings. Practice helps
to make perfect, perhaps-l don't know.
Women love and marry and live hap
PLY ever after-hundreds of women do
that. But | have had experience, and
l know what | am saying Is true, that
not one woman in hundred ever finds
her ideal as 1, SO late, have found
mine"
oh" said the girl, doesn't he
doesn't he-forgive my asking-but
doesn't he love your"
yes, dear, that's not the barrier. l
think at my age, you know, failure
to return my affection would have
married the picture in the beginning,
have broken up the likeness to the ideal
too soon, would have stayed the springs
Of love before much harm had been
done. No, am spared that. But think
you know how have lived for and in
my son ever since his father died. |
have brought him up to honor his dead
father beyond all living men. How can
now acknowledge to him that great
er than his father has arisen for me?
How can l publicly set another in the
place death has made sacred? Wouldn't
it be like sacrlege in his eyes? The
seed l sOwed in my boys heart has
flourished beyond belief-his very love
of me is entwined with it. If struck
at the one, might l not endanger the
other?"
She waited moment, but the girl had
nothing to say, and she went on again,
speaking rapidly. her voice vibrating
They say I've spoilt him. If so, 1t is
gold; but even for the little things |
must bear my punishment. And who
can measure the temptation woman
has to face-left alone In the world
with her chld-to pet and humor him,
to make herself Indispensable to him
at any cOst-even at some cost to the
beloved object? haven't had thought
apart from him until lately, and he had
always known it. Now the habit of
years has blinded him; he sees what he
has seen so long-hOw many of us do
that ?-and not what Is actually before
him-his father first in the far away
and he always first and dearest in the
present. We have been so much to
each other, so much more than only
mother and son, when there are others
to share the affection each has to give,
| am a coward. l cannot tell my son
he is no longer first. l have set him
before everything all these years. and
and now l must do so until the end"
The girl summoned all her store Of
courage to her aid.
but II he shOuld-think Of marrying
himself, wouldn't that make a differ
ence?"
THAT would, Of course. He would