The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-05-18

A PARTING CALL

eeil-dnQ the 1Ortner the, better, NO, SHt
didn't say that say it; for mightn't
just as well put a thousand miles be-
d tween Us as one? So L am here this
afternoon to say goodbye.
Goodbye she echoed. and her voice
trailed into silence.
He hardly seemed to hear her. he had
fashion of being entirely engrossed- He
had also acquired habit of telling her
all the details. as they occurred, of his
courtship-the siege of a heart that had
ended in failure. In the beginning it had
been understood between them TO be for
her benefit to build up a living document
from which she might draw new stores OF
inspiration: real history throbbing with
actual life, on which she might sharpen
her pen and her fancy.
Not that he had taken the matter very
seriously at first-seriousness had grown
out Of custom For he had never really
seen that she was as unlikely to take his
brother mems fancy-and so gather ma
terial first hand-as she maintained, never
had thought her as plain as she believed
There was. indeed, a shy charm about her
small. pale face, in her large earnest
eyes, that sufficiently colored the giving
of his confidence from picturesque as
well as a unitarian point of view More
over, she was extremely ingenious in sug-
gesting means toward the furthering Of
his desired end that his mans wit might
often, he confessed have overlooked And
in cases of disappointment, she was more
ingenious still in twisting about unwel-
come and undesirable fact a glamour of
possible benefit yet 10 be won out Of fur
ther striving
So that his good things had seldom ap
peared wholly good TO him until she had
shared them, while each defeat had been
softened to his memory by the veil her
sympathy subsequently drew over it
Goodbye he sad again. Yes,
must be going. But couldn't go without
thanking you. could !, for all the patience
with which you've borne with me for so
long? And yet"-he frowned abstractedly
perhaps it was cruel Kindness after
all. If you'd called me an ass and done
with it--right at the start, you know"
But it's not" she objected, "a word l
ever use" AS writer, she was obliged
TO be particular as to wording.
Yet she locked SO distressed that he
softened his sentence. If an ass can
be pig-headed. he said, Il am that sort
of an ass, and so it might not have
worked"
You know she said. frightening
little. that it wouldn't have worked
Then, overcome by her natural honesty.
she added, except TO make you never
speak to me any more
And again she looked so distressed that
he tempered his private opinion to her
obvious necessity.
''Nonsenser' he said. One word And
such little one,''
But there can be- she objected; there
is a good deal in one word sometimes.
Look, then. at this word that you have
come here this Afternoon to say; for ex-
ample we don't need to so farther afield
than that Goodbye. \ word so soon
over. so quickly said. and containing
heartbreak> Standing for that
fears filed her earnest eyes; she held
out her ha:.ds. oh she said, Il am so
sorry, So aorry for you''
1t had been understood between them
that hes heart would be broken if that
came TO pass which had actually hap
pened. if he only earned In the long run
accepted TIE broken heart as she cred
tied him with it without protest; he did
not even pause to consider how strangely
similar Ware his sensations before and
sfter the fracture of that vital organ.
soon cver-why, yes he agreed.
Goodbye would soon be said If it held
two heart breaks in it instead of one"
''How-what do you mean?' she cried.
Well X she had loved me and yet
something had parted u.s.
"Oh, thst? You meant, that? Well,
yes. that might have been-if you had
both loved-and neither of you had loved
very much.
She hesitated; her earnest eyes were on
the ground. Overcome by a sudden i'm
pulse, he stepped closer to her.
What did you think l meant?" he de- |
manded
''Nothing-I don't know-what should l |
Think Then she raised her eyes bravely, |
though a quick. painful color dyed her
face.
Il viii tell you,' she said. and it was |
something so ridiculous you will hardly |
believe it-sometimes l thought you were |
gazing to accuse yourself of, perhaps, and |
that wasn't-that wasn't true. I thought |
that. perhaps. You were thinking that l |
that THAT mine might-that the sec /
one. art-break you were speaking about |
might belong to me"-she turned her face |
further from him-''caused by-well. by /
y0Dc goodbye"
Sometimes when one has known thing |
foa months with no active realiza ton of
thu knowledge. when it has lain long in 1
ambush unfaced. unreCarded, in some dim |
corner of ones consciousness. il vet comes |
as great, a paralyzing shock when at
last one is called upon to face and TO re-
gard it-as great a shock as any man is
bore it well and bravely, managing very
nearly to hide his establishment altogeth-
er. and helped in this way by a wonderful
new feeling he could not wait to anaIyze
He seemed to brush aside her trembling
words, her faint. haaf-expressed excuses.
while seizing with absolute assurance on
the thing easiest 10 combat.
1t was true" he said. AT least l be
lieve that more or less. it would be true
II said it; would be true if ! Went away
saying goodbye and leaving you behind
II You didn't break heart YOU would be
very, very sorry; you would be lonely |
Oh, 1 know L am saying this all the
wrong way round. but your words have
made me see 50 much that l have been
blind to-no. not only in you. but in my
self. MI swear it If you like-I do swear
It And you love me
I DON'T"
We'll. then, aren't You ashamed of
yourself To have turned my love from
that other. only to give me a second and
a harder hlow2''