The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-04-02

his promised wife.
He sat still. his breath coming in shori
gasps. The girl played on. Mildred
threw back her head, and the voice that
had 50 often filled his heart with rap
ture rang out in
Christ Is risen, risen to-day"
The unseen listener did not stir until
the song was ended. Then he rose
opened the door softly, and stepped gu
into the night.
For an hour he strobe along, going
over the past. It had been 30 happy, 50
hopeful. yet his own hand had closed
the door upon It.
Mildred Blake had been bis fellow stu
dent at Cornell. She it was who had
melted him to dream Of a glorious and a
useful future. When he graduated and
went west to seek his fortune Mildred
was his promised wife.
The enlargement had come slowly.
At first he had struggled brayely,
clinging to his lofty ideals through dis
appointments and rcbufis. When he be-
gan to turn from those ideals, to seek
material success at any price, then his
letters to Mildred were further apart and
colder.
She was very patient, but there were
lengths which ever her gentIeness could
not 20 There came a day when Francis
Jerome received a letter giving him his
freedom.
He accepted It gladly. Life was too
busy for him TO think Of marriage. The
years had gone on, and now
"She must be the minister's wife" he
concluded. as at last he turned his steps
In the direction of the hotel. "She to be
living here! Both voice and touch prove
that her musical talent has fulfilled the
promise of her youth, But married to a
man who would be content to preach
here! Bah! Her life is a failure"
The next morning Mr.. Jerome wentto
church, He must know something more
| of Mildred. and he could not bring him
self to question a stranger about her.
The little ediice was crowded with
| bronze-faced lumbermen and their pre-
maturely aged wives. The stranger had
| no eyes for them. He even forgot to look
for Mildred In his eagerness to see the
man whom she had married,
The minister was a small, slight,
thoughtful-faced man, 1t was apparent
that he was educated and cultured. He
49,. Ifr,.n1F lrnrItTt lrf, 4h, rn1yIaa
doing all in his power to bring home to
his listeners a realization of the risen
Christ.
And Mildred? Again standing be-
tween the snowy Easter lilies, dressed
simply in black, she sang Of the
wondrous love that had broken asunder
the bonds of death.
Francis Jerome listened with bated
breath. Whatever of success or failure
the years had brought Mildred. they had
brought her a serene JOY in life, to which
he was a stranger, He saw this in her
face and heard it In her voice.
The service over, he was hurrying
from the church when Mildred met him.
She gasped, For a moment her color
fled. Then she greeted him with SIM
pie grace,
Such a surprise! All! you must find
the waiting tiresome.' as he explained
his presence in the town, Then she laid
her hand upon the minister's arm.
"Mr, Jerome, one of my college
friends, William. Mr.. Jerome, this is
my brother. Of whom you have often
heard me speak"
He remembered perfectly. William
was her older brother, and had planned
to work in the foreign mission field.
"My health would not permit it, Mr..
Blake explained. He had overruled
Francis objections to going to the par
sonage, and they were on their way
thither. IT'S all right, though. This
work up here is the Masters. Yes; it's
lonely in a way. but Mildred and | are
too busy and too glad that we can tell
the story of the risen Christ to mind
The parsonage was a tiny house, but
the rooms were coy and dainty. The
tND HltU sHt lCIbtN tnG vpCh " Wv
talked until Mildred summoned them to
dinner.
The roughly plastered walls of the
dining-room were tinted a soft gray,
making an effective background for the
green vines which wreathed the pic
lures. The table was spread with law
ender and white china and family sill
yer. There were soup, cold meat with
vegetables, a salad, coffee and nuts.
During the afternoon Mildred and her
brother listened to the story of Francis
Jerome's success. The woman sat with
her eyes fixed upon the leaping flames,