The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-04

bly, forgotten that any such thing
as sentiment had ever existed-for
them!
AS she arose and shook out The dust
from her skirts, folded bit of pa
per fluttered to the floor. She stopped
mechanically and picked it up, intend
ing to restore it to the drawer. but
something familiar--her own name
stared insistently up at her from the
back of 1t, and crossing to the low
light that burned in a corner of the
room, she glanced through the writ
ten sheet with bewildered eyes.
Dear Tom:
Not even my brother may say a
word against the women who bears
my name If Patricia has ceased to
care for me, assuredly it is not her
fault, but my own. If l am misera-
bly, unhappy--if, as you say, the world
can read my story of sorrow on my
face-then have only myself to blame.
am not the sort of man to make Wo-
men love me. Perhaps, indeed, l have
never tried as l should have tried, to
win her into my kind of life and away
from hers. l may have been unwise
to suppose that any woman woulo
give up all that she cared for and
was used to in the world. to link her
interests and aims to those of an old
fossil like myself. But, suffice 1t to say
now, that 1 did suppose so. and-ac-
cordly, l presume-have succeeded In
wrecking my own life as well as hers
in the process. Nevertheless, as l
started out to tell you, under no cir
cumstances, however strenuous, can
listen to disparagement of her. If she
has acted indiscreetIy or foolishly, the
fault is mine and ii is the worst that
can be said of her. l have never loved
any other woman or even thought
did, and in spite of everything that has
gone before or might follow after
| there will not be a second. YOU"
Here the letter broke off; evidently
it was a discarded copy, and he had
written another along the same lines
| and sent 1t to his brother!
Patricia did not move from her posi-
ton for n long time. The color had
quite gone from her face and lips. and
| her eyes bore a strange. pain -darken-
| cd look that they had not known be-
fore. Oh, what n blind, unreasoning
| fool she had been! His silence then
| his seeming GOODNESS, his withdrawal
from her life had been but the reflec-
| tion of her own alienation. Because
| of his inability to enter into the life
of frivolity she had led, she had al
lowed him to drift away from her to
spite of everything, he had remained
loyal to her. while she--she was about
| to repay him with fragrant desertion
A shudder shook her from head to foot
| and a queer feeling of dizziness begar
| to steal into her brain. She put out
one hand to the wall to steady her
| self. The world swan like a black
| ball before her eyes.
| hour later, faint blue streaks of dawr
ly fashion with the pale, yellowisf
| light from the low-turned gas. Sh,
| had CROPPED her way to n chair, anC
| was now lying back weakly against
| the cushions, her strength quite ex'
| hausted by the strain of the past few
hours. For some time, she sat quite
still, thinking intentIy. Then, all n
| once. memory came over her with
rush, and her face changed. frightened
and a ripple of silent JOY passed ovei
| It,
After a little, she got up and moved
| quietly Into the room where her hus
| band still slept She stood moment
| looking down at the unconscious fac,
| of tho man who was dearcr to he
than all the world besides. The fea
| lures were thin and sharpencd a!
| though from a great strain and deeI
shadows under the closed eyes. accen
tuated an instant impression of bag
gardness.
Patricia felt the ready tears wei
quick and hot to her eyes. and sill
swiftly down her checks, falling un
needed, by the sleeper's face.
| Presently she sank on her knees by
| the side of the bed. and buried he,
face in both hands. Minutes passed
She could not tell how long aftcrwarc
it was, but her husband stirred vague
ly, and murrured her name in hi.
| sleep.
The clock struck five. Telford s.art
ed up from his dreams, with a curiou,
sensation. For the half of a minute
he stared wonderingly at the bowed
head beside him. crushing one hanC
across his eyes as though to cleal
| away a mist.
Patricia" he called softly. Hi.
voice was tense with cagerness. m
eagerness that was almost fear. II,
| raised himself on one elbow and gazcc
down at her, tentatively. anxiously.
But the light in the face she lifteC
to his, broke luminously through the
cloud in his eyes.