Sharp County record., 1903-05-29

She LET Mr. Hopkins and her mother
fix the wedding day, and resigned her
self to the inevitable. 1t was on her
yarriage morn that the expected let
ter came:
Tam deeply grieved TO hear OF your loss
and sympath.zs with you and your W1lhtT.
In justice 20 yourself since you asN u,'
counsel I must advise you 90 accept y"u'
wealthy suItOr. a poor devil Ike me can
not expect TO count
May you have all the happiness you ue-
serve. o,,--,...-,,-,
"R g. HARVIE.'
Alice read the note twice, seeing
only the sarcasm, and not the pain be-
tween the lines. II stung her to the
ouick vet she felt relief that he had
accepted the situation so quietly.
Ther she burned the note and set her
self steadfastly to forget the writer
The majority of women are like eats
in that they purr to the hand which
strokes them gently and accept life
cream rraciously.
Mr.. Hopkins adored his young wife
and rejoiced to crafty her every
whim. Moreover, Alice had always
been fond Of him, and to her surprise
She found herself by no means unhap-
py. It would be too much to say that
she ceased TO remember Dick, but that
young man was thousands Of miles
away, and the thinking did no harm,
even though, during the Spanish war,
she searched the newspapers for news
of him, and felt little thrill Of pride
and pleasure when she saw that En-
sign Richard Scott Harye had been
promoted to a leutenantcy for distin-
guished gallantry in action. She could
not guess that Dick, pierced to the
core by what he considered her mer-
cenary course, had made up his mind
TO let her see that the loss had been
hers.
That was shortly before Mr.. Hop
kins was taken lila long and serious
nlness--and Alice's wifely anxiety
drove everything else out of her mind.
Her husbands death was genuine
grief to her, all the greater because
she felt that in return for his whole
heart she had given him so little Of
her own. She missed him even more
than she had done her father, and fell
into a sort Of apathy which lasted un-
Ill she was reused by the discovery
that her mothers health was failing.
ut is nothing serious the doctors
told her. "She needs change of air
rather than medicine. Take her to
Old Point Comfort. This climate is
leadly at this time Of year"
The change did good to both mother
and daughter. Alice soon found her
self taking more than a Ianguid inter-
est in life. The proximity of Ports
mouth, with its navy yard made naval
uniforms frequent sight, and revived
old memories.
It was scarcely a surprise TO her
when, as she entered the hotel parlor
one evening after dinner she found
herself face to face with Dick Hary'e.
Involuntarily she extended both
hands.
"Oh, Dick!" she exclaimed, and re-
covered her self-possession almost in
stantly feeling the chill of his manner.
Mr.. Harve barely touched her hand
with one of his; the other arm rested
in a sling. Mrs Hopkins?" he said.
coolly. This is an unexpected pleas
ure."
Alice shrank into herself, like sea
anemone, but she managed to ask, po-
Htely: "You have been wounded?'
"Only a triAe My ship and 7 are
both in dock for repairs. Excuse
me" and he left her to join a group
at the further end Of the room.
Thereafter, although they saw each
other almost every day, their inter-
course was Of the scantiest. Alice was
persuaded that Dick wished to avoid
her, and kept carefully out of his way.
This was not difficult. All the other
women Honized him as hero, and
Alice. as beftted her widows weeds,
held herself aloof from gay company.
She had no idea that the old wound
ranked still in her lovers heart, that
he stunned her as a burnt child breads
the fire.
"He despises me too much to notice
me-" she told herself, bitterly, and de-
voted herself more tenderly to her
mother.
A week went by thus; then fate
led Dick Harvie past the door of the
music room, where he heard a we'll
remembered voice in song. He paused
behind the heavy portiere in time to
hear Alice sing the last line of annie
Laurie" "How beautifully You sing
those Scotch ballads" said one admir-
ing voice.
pray don't stop" cooed another,
"You know Aud Robin Gray do
you not Mrs, Hopkins?" asked the ac-
companist, a musician in the pay Of
the hotel. pray sing it for us; II is
so admirably adapted to your voice.
and she played the prelude without
waiting for yea or nay.
There was a little tremor in Alice's