Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1903-02-06
Ais We'll That Ends Well.
A SToRY or FOUR SIDED LOVE.

He looked for the most part straight
In front of him as they walked across
the field side by side. His forehead was
puckered. his mouth set, his peculiarly
youthful face paler than its wont.
Life" he said, lis such huge re-
sponsibility."
Unconsciously his voice took the
dogmatic tone which so often char
acterized it in the performance of his
clerical duties.
''Lifo is such a serious matter; l
do not think we half realize its tre-
mendous seriousness"
'Talking-of-er-tigers?" said she.
His voice dropped to one of sur
prise, almost of irritation. What do
you mean?" he asked
Il haven't grasped the connection"
she said. at is only when | am in pain
that / feel like that"
Plainly he was seriously affected,
for he even ignored her frivolous
aside.
"Oh, what is it," she asked. There
must be something" she continued.
HAS the vicar'-here she smiled, al
though unwillingly-"hash his rever-
ence been insisting on the fifteen min
utes' limit for your sermons again? p
You couldn't neglect your mother
for any one" she said, bravely.
NO" he admitted, mo; that's true"
$50 you are forced to make duty
of necessity she said.
He waited a moment, repeating her
words over to himself. as though he
had not reached their meaning.
"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.
81 had to speak?" he questioned.
81 can bear it better?" she said,
"since you have spoken"
eff love were all?" he quoted.
Nothing else could have made me
love you like this" said she.
Only his look thanked her. Now"
he said, you must forget that once |
was tempted to play the man. You
must only remember me as the con-
ceited young curate who tried"
DON'T" she exclaimed, don't hurt
me like that"
Take your own way, then" he
whispered, 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 conf
dence with which she was honored at
about this time, and strangely
enough, it was the curate's mother
who next put her powers of secret
keeping to the test. She prefaced her
confession with touch of fiattery.
Il hope you will not laugh at me for
a silly old goose!"
CAS- if | should"
81 don't know-wait and see. l sup
possibly fall in love after-well,
thirty-fve?"
"Oh, why not?'
every well tried, dearl Very cred
itably said But | am more than
thirty-fve-and l am in love. | don't
wonder you start
Il don't-think-I did"
mot badly! But there, l don't
want you to think that because ex-
perience has taught me to laugh in
the face CT misfortune l cannot still
feel. Child, there is no love like a
late love for tearing your heartstrings.
Practice helps to make perfect, per-
haps-I don't know. Women love and
marry and live happily ever after
hundreds of women do that. But |
have had experience, and l know what
/ am saying is true, that not one
woman in a hundred ever finds her
ideal as l. so late, have found mine"
oh" said the girl, doesn't he
doesn't he-forsive my asking-but
doesn't he love your"
Eyes, dear, that's not the barrier.
| think at my age, you know, a fail
ure to return NY affection would have
merred 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 sen ever since
his father died. l have brought him
up TO honor his dead father beyond
all living men. How can now ac-
knowledge to him that a greater than
his father has arisen for me? How
can | publicly set another in the
place death has made sacred?
Wouldn't it be like sacrilcge in his.
eyes? The seed I sowed in my bcy's
heart has flourished beyond belief
his very love of me is cntwined with
it. If struck Mt the one, might
not endanger the other?"
The girl summoned all her store of
courage 10 her aid
But if he should-think of marry
ing--himself, wouldn't that make
diffcrence?"
"You think that because you arc so
young yourself, dear girl. And how
patient you have been to mel" she said,
coming back to her accustomed con-
sideration for her companion. Some
times | have felt | must speak. just
once, or it would kill me-and now
have spoken. You will respect my con-
fdence. know"
YES" said the girl, yes"
III.
These were the questions which
troubled her, filed her waking thoughts
sent her restless to bed.
And while she still waited she be-
came the victim of yet another conf
dence, this time from a man again,
but middlc-aged and irOn-gray-