Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-01-01

out eagerly and cordially her graceful
 hands that in the days of long ago he had
 covered with kisses and pronounced
 divine"
 "Ah. Grace! How natural you look, :" he said, dropping back into his seat after
 the first greeting, If you will pardon
 trtte old saying, you must have found the foun tain of perpetual youthl" And she.
 with bright woman's tact, seated her. self where the light fell over her shoul-
 ders, softening the lines of her face, and
 making halo of her sunny hair. They
 talked of old days. of old friends. familiar scenes, and the death and marriages of
 mutual acquaintances, and anon supped an iced beverage which a snowy becapped and aproned maid produced at exactly
 the right moment-but of their old rela- tionship never a word was spoken. To her, that was sacred-to him, well -haste was dangerous!
 A flush stole over her face, her eyes frightened and laughed as they had not done since they last looked into his She was transformed. transported-happy
 again. With the old enthusiasm of
 youth, she was recounting an incident
 when she suddenly realized that her
 words fell on deaf ears. He was gazing
 out toward the beach from which strolled
 tall, slender young girl. Her hat in
 hand and the breeze tossing wealth of light wavy hair around her face, the like 1 of which he had not seen since-well, for 20 years
 Russell, this Is my daughter Grace Miss Bernard, MT. FIudson.''
 He had almost seized her hand, then
 looked from one woman to another. Was
 this his long lost sweetheart? No, it was
 her daughter.
 The days that followed were a mixture of joy and pain. hope, doubt and happi- ness. Mrs. Bernard realized as she never
 had before that to be with Russell Hud-
 son was pleasure akin to pain. Not ] word of love had been uttered-scarcely
 look, but day after day he came to take her, in company with Grace, for drive,
 sail, lunch ofstroll. Every moment was
 to her one of keenest delight, and to her surprise and satisfaction. Grace had been civil enough to him-even gracious--and he. for the mothers sake, of course, had shown her the kindest, most fatherly at tention. True, he didn't look fatherly.
 but then she kaew his age.
 1 The summer was drawing to close The white and gray seagulls no longer l sat idly on the tops of the danger piers 1 far out in the bay The hotel was prac-
 tically deserted, and chilly wind blew 1 from the east all day-still Mrs Bernard
 fingered at her summer home She would sit for hours ensconced in cloak l on the bare veranda looking seaward l dreaming and re-fiving the summer hours spent with Russell Hudson He l had been so attentive, so kind and con-
 stant, 1t could mean but one thing, she
 told herself, he loved her still She 1 prayed for strength to carry the weight of her girlhood. her wifehood and her l widow-hood love. A love that to her was l the grandest passion she had ever known.
 save that love which had been sent with
 her first and only child.
 l or course 1t was tiresome and awfully dull for Grace, and at last the mother had decided to return to the city on the
 morrow.
 Russell Hudson had told therH he must
 shortly leave for hasty business trip to l England, and would come that day to
 make his adieux. Mrs. Bernard felt that the parting would be sweetened and pal 1 Hated by a certain avowal which he was certain to make-and then-how would
 she ever tell Grace! Her face burned,
 and she closed her eyes and fellto dream l ing again. Her reverie, however, was in-
 terrupted by familiar voices and the sud-
 den appearance through one of the low l parlor windows of Grace and Russell Hudson, as he stepped lightly out on the l veranda holding by the hand the bIushing
 girl. Mrs Bernard laughed softly at the pair
 1 What is the matter now, Russell? |? l You are always teasing that child!' l Its just this" seating himself
 and with his disengaged hand taking 1 that of Mrs. Bernard, while Grace the l younger modestly averted her face, q hope we haven't taken you too much by l surprise. but your little girl is so much l like her mother used to be, have quite l naturally learned to love her, and am I going to ask you to let me take care of her in the future-no--" interrupting I Mrs. Bernard as she started to speak,
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