Smyrna times., 1905-11-15

husky-"she said she'd never cared for
me-" He swallowed hard again. "Nev-
er--is that trueY
The woman was frightened. She felt
the sudden iron of his will and was
speeches..
ANSWER me. Is it?7 His command
rang out like "A pistol shot, and dan
gerous CLEAN lay level in his eyes.
YES" she admitted, utterly thrown
off her guard.
cat least" he said finally, and his !
voice sounded miles and miles away, |
1--WE have the truth at last. Now we |
may understand each other"
From that time on Greta was as |
completely ignored as if she had been |
the bisque shepherdess on the drawing |
room cabinet. From being everything |
in the house she and her mother had |
suddenly become nothing. 1t was al
most as If they were remaining there
like the maids on two weeks notice.
One morning they told him that his
wife was calling for him. They led him
into a cool, dim room. When he be-
Cdl1lt dCCuSlOlllSu 10 llC ndil llSnl hC
saw that Greta, the pink rose, had
turned to an exquisite white lily. He
spoke to her gently, considerably, as
the physician had bade him, but as to
feeling-had not she herself killed it?
But all the damned up love in the
mans nature went Immediately out to
the human trifie in blue ribbons and
| nil
| for his inspection.
| Johns son and heir grew and thrived
| daily. Life for the first time since his
marriage again became invested with
a meaning for John, and God existed
after all. The father directed his
household with the power and the su-
perb Indifference of king, and the
women folk were treated almost as ci-
pliers. Mr.. John Selwyn, a man of af-
fairs to be reckoned with, well dressed,
well hammered, polished in speech,
went to his offices every morning. In
the afternoons he drove out with his son
and his sons nurse in his sons landau
behind his sons magnificent horses.
From the moment of her child's birth
Greta had felt a tenderness toward
John-the tenderness of a wife who
has borne a man a son. Now she was
beginning to feel other things. She
smiled as she remembered her irrita-
ton at his social derelictions, his old
, time lack of etiquette which had seem-
ed to her a hopeless stumbling block
, in the way of mutual happiness. But
] nOw-even if he hadn't mastered those
? deficiencies, which obviously be had
I what were such small matters compar-
ed with the power to face the realities
b Of existence? And how big he was in
all big things
: One day she came to him, a dumb
o pathetic question in each purple eye.
q "What is itT' he asked generously
s Her short upper lip trembled, and with
0 out warning she burst into tears.
= IL want you to love me again,
e she sobbed.
Y Love you? As the woman VIII
d bears my name, as the mother of m.
d son-why, l could scarcely help but d
e that"
r "No, no:' she cried, as one who reall
IS suffers. 81 don't mean that way.
a want you to love me as you used t
g I'm just longing to have you come an
kiss me-when you don't have to, 70
"a know"
g He stood precisely where he wai
gauging the sobbing little figure for
'u long, long while in utter silence. Firs
he measured her severely, then que
p tioningly. Last of all, sudden sof
ST ness stole over him and swept him o
- his feet.
I! Without a word. but with eyes til;
or were wet, he crossed the room al
1t took her protectingly in his big arm
Us Just then the nurse fetched their sma
at son in, Growing with delight.