Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1904-06-09

| Stately, brilliant, cOmmandlngi au-
dacious, afraid Of nothing, she had re-
| covered partial health to find herself
RELOCATED, by the more timid and retir-
| ing Laura's overmastering tenderness
and solicitude, to niche she by no means
| fitted, from which she lOnged to escape.
Gradually she became partially recon
ciled to her position of housekeeper and
homemaker for "the firm" as Laura
merriy called their association, she had
never allowed Laura to suspect that she,
too, would have loved to enter the bread
winning arena, to become happily self
supporting. '+r |'S@ ~" ~
With the coming of success to Laura
her life had grown less physically ardu-
Gus. She no longer performed the prac-
tical work OF housed eepirg or darned
stockings. But she had known 10 In
creased happiness because OF the un-
wonted ease and indulgence. And with
the advent of the little fortune that had
placed both beyond the need of financial
restrictions or limitations, her occupa-
ton had finally vanished. She was no
longer necessary, even to Laura, VINO
might now order gowns and furniture
without thought of economy, whose time
was now at her own disposal. Hence
forth she devoted her efforts to philan-
thropic endea-or and was very useful
but no happiet' And her thoughts, not
unna'urally, TUNED back to Jim Benson
now md then.
He lad been her first and only lover.
Her first, because he had loved her from
childhood, her only lover because she
would allow no other. And Laura, as he
had said, had quietly but potently kept
them apart. @s
Time, meanwhile, Lad done much for
Jim Benson. The unfortunate relatives
had disappeared from sight and cogniz-
ance, he had successfully combated pow
erty and misfortune. He had even won
renown as a war hero. But none OF
these changes, while perfectly apparent
to Laura's intellect, had touched her
heart in the slightest.
She, herself, had been long untouched
by playful Cupid Her whole soul and
heart had been bent.to the work of pro-
viding splendidly for Alice, If winning
professional success. The coming of the
money that had lifted her beyond the re-
gions of struggle had also caused her real
disappointment, since Alice no longer
needed her devoted ministrations. The
firm and determined resolve to keep.
Arthur Huntley at a distance-fUr the
sake of Alice-had taken the places of the
earlier idea of self-sacrifice. But never
until tonight had she dreamed that her
heart had suffered unknowing i'm plea
ton. Tonight, leaning back III the
low chair over which he had bert in
leaving, she knew that she was in love.
"To think of it," she sighed and smiled,
half satirically. "In love at IS, and for
goodness knows now long. too I, who
have diagonsed-and treated-so many
love cases, to be in love myself and so
suddenly learn it. But, of course, shall
have to put this madness quite into the
background tomorrow, and no one will
ever know" ~.
"Why?" her own heart, strangely in
sistent, kept asking.
Alice her MIND made reply.
s. Then, too, although she would no! for
worlds have owned this, her pride SUI
fered at the thought of lowering her
long-faunted flag of preferred maiden
hood Could she, who had so long be-
lieved herself far removed from any soft
ening touch of this ''pure human" weak
ness. consent to capitulate, to yield?
In the end she, too, cried herself to
sleep like lonely child, and woke, in the
to smile bitterly a. vagaries
and the tears of the previous evening.
to resolve never, never to desert Alice,
who would never. consent, she felt sure,
to share married home with her, so
long as she retained her reason. Her
heart ached sorely, at bottom, but a
sense of exaltation upheld her; the men
tai composition. of the kindly but decided
letter that should prevent Arthur Hunt
leys coming siren gthened and nerved
her. She went down to breakfast quite
calm and steady, but so distracted and
self-centered that she failed to notice
her sisters similar state of mind.
Each woman, although ostensibly
busted with the morning papers, thought
and saw little but mans dear face.
Laura, with swiftly depressed tender
fancy, was thinking how tender and
manly was the man she would presently
send from her forever; how unlike the
less noble men of her common acquaint-
ance. How very different, with quick
natural transition of feeling, from the
other men who had so long wished to
marry Alice, who had
81 saw Jim Benson yesterday" she
said, suddenly. Il suppose he is III town
for the winter
Eyes," answered Alice, once more
blushing and quivering in that long-for-
gotten girlish manner 'he-he was her>
last night before you came home"
HE was, was he? Still faithful?" b.
gan Laura, in the light, half-ra1ling to.>
she always used when speaking of Jim
Benson But she stopped, speeches.
with amazement, at sight of her sisters
eyes.
"Yes," answered Alice. bravely, al
though the hand holding her coffee cup