The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-03-21

@AA4AA8 sDAN4N ABOVE Bna
forehead, a pair OF blue eyes. q deli.
cately carved nose, and a wistful ib-
tie mouth contrasting strangely
enough with the firm square chin.
but all in~aII an attractive if not 4
pretty lace. But there was a look
in the eyes not good to see in the
eyes Of one SO young, a look half
startled half defiant, but Rithal q
great sadness in them. She walked
slowly across the room, and stood
before the ~full-Iength mirror. There
is a kind of fascination in this stand
ing face to face with ones self, and
It was not vanity that prolonged the
gaze, They stood face to face, with
eyes looking into eyes, the real and
the shadow girl, and when Beatrice
turned away she felt that she had
been looking into her own soul. But
her thoughts were not all of self.
There had been another story in the
Goals, and out from them another
face had looked into her own. The
same as the pictured face on which
her eyes rested as she turned awav.
from the mirror. A face very like
her own, though strikingly contrast
ed in every feature. 1t was thin and
pale, furrowed and creased bv lines
Of thought and struggles of a keen
WA lie; lines that bespeak the
soui ana character of a-face: the face
Of y EeuuSnU ==v=y-lI
with a pair of young, almost child-
like, blue eyes looking out from un-
der a mass of softly curling hair that
fell in almost a girlish manner above
his forehead.
1t wasNa face that bespoke a great
depth of nature-and a stirring of
the depth-a soul finely strung, but
quivering under the EARRING touch of
thwarted hopes and broken dreams,
1t was the face of a young man
only five and twenty, but in those five
and twenty years there had been
crowded enoughpUre heart tragedy to
enrich a volume were it only possible
to portray it. There is often a great
vein of pathos in lives seemingly the
most commonplace and apathetic, if
n car only read between the lines,
and this was what Beatrice was do
ing, as she traced the life-"A con-
test since the day, which gave him
being-and that which marred the
gift-a fate, a will that walked
astray."
Fate, chance, circumstance, call it
what you will; but some power the
strength of which we all have felt in
the shaping of our lives, had ever
been a leading force with him, since
the day, when he, a tiny dreamy
eyed lad, had run away from the
voice that tempted defiance of the
powers of nature, only to return and
to be carried away from the great
water wheel of a mill, limp and very
near l~ifeless, until the day when, old.
er grown, but not less dreamy-eyed
o. susceptible to the voice of his
guiding fate, he had had the old ties
@f the old life broken by a force,
stronger than the force of the water
wheel, in the form Of another life
from his own as uIgnU IrCm udy5 Om0
that would lead into new paths-and
new feIds-felds more "of the earth
earthy''-than the, old mes wherein
he and Beatrice had lived as kindred
spirits and had grown r and
dearer to each other every day. But
now as she looked at the pale, sad
face, another rose up between them
Ia dark, cold face, and over her
heart there swept a great loneliness
and heart hunger.
30 Harry" She whispered, and a
moment later lay full length on the
lounge, her whole frame shaking
with sobs.
She almost fancied there came an
answer from the pictured lips, so
we'll she knew the answer would be
that of poor Tom Tulliver, who told
all the tenderness, the love, tho
pathos, aye, the tragedy, too, of
years in that one cry-"Maggie!"
when the little sister of his child
hood had beer swsPU merci-
AM the old river Floss, BACK
81 years of estrange.
bis arm has read that path
etc Ittlea Tory (and I am sorry for
one who haSs not) has aelt some OF
the tragedy of the breaking old
ties.
Bea+rice's Aobs were full of it
as she gave herselI up TO a PafpAySHl
of grief. At last when her sobs had
spent themselves, she lay in that
border land Of dreams where the
past and the present, the real and
the dream life are so strangely
mingled there is no tracing the boul
dairy. She was living over those q
of childhood q~ueerIy mixed with
events of the past few months
was child again following in !
footsteps-but carrying with h
terrible feeling of restlesshes
fance, loneliness and heart
she had felt since he went aw
, because Harry was angry and
Z not kiss her. She held out he
and whispered. "I.love you, 2
! I love you"
Then she smiled gladly, for t
: parted-and he was speaking,
ing to her in the beautiful We
al Byron
"For thee, my own sweet sister.
s. --7r -.,.. -. =