The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1905-01-13

with a deep drawn sigh. sigh OF /
Infinite aspirations, she came back al .
last from her dreamland.
Poor Hilary" she said softly.
why poor he questioned.
Because YOU have no vocation TO
ill YOU life"
But | have" he objected.
She opened her eyes. her wonder
FIJI eyes. whose color was as the
changing color Of the seas.
My vocation is to love YOU"
THAT is hardly a vocation" she
smiled.
1T is enough for me- he answered
quietly. And. some day"
Some day" she echoed.
1T maye Be enough for you, too
She stirred uneasily. and again that
faint shadow fell across her face,
that vague trouble crept into her eyes
II was as though some dim premoni-
tton OF the i'll awaiting her out yon-
der in the great world had come To
her But she shook it off impaticntly.
be Forget me. Hilary. Don't ever
think that. II want to live and TO
do don't want to be just absorbed
absorbed by love and all the com
munplaceness OF every day things. !
waut'-she stretched out her tinted
young arms towards the crimson tint.
ed munrs--l want life"
And life is love" he finished softly;
the best OF life. that is"
Not for me, she answered swiftly
with al the self-suiiiciency OF youth.
Dear" be said and his voice and
the words he spoke came back to her
afterwards across long years Of 81.
Ieuco afterwards, when she had
learned too late their truth, dear,
there is just one thing would say to
you. Go and all good go with you.
Live your own life and win the success
that | know awaits you. Work your
hardest. and give your whole self your
sell that is so dear'-a sudden tender
ness stole into the gravity Of his
'uirc-'tO your vocation. But If ever
it fails you, II ever time comes when
YOU realize that success and fame and
honor are not all, but only a part Of
life ii you ever grow tired, and stretch
ont these little hands for the gift you
care nothing for to-day, then remem-
Der, b Is yours, my Iris yours for all
time and eternity"
Don't she whispered unsteadily
20, Hilary. you-you make me afraid
afraid of mysclf-of whether, after
all, | have chosen the better part
Don't be afraid little one. think
Won have not chosen at all yet, You
are too young to choose. You are on
ly experimenting
And YOU
81 shall wait until your experiment
ing Is over"
DO yuu--carr-so very much?" she
asked wistiully
He put a hand under her chin, and,
lifting her face. looked down into her
troubled eyes.
IT will be many years little girl, !
'hub. before you understand how
much" he answered quietly.
She rose from her chair, and the
great man rose, too. and his eyes Were
pItitul For he had told her hard
thing perhaps the hardest thing In
NE and, though she WAS facing 1t
with the courage and self-rcslraint
ten years OF strenuous work had taught
her yet he knew to her 1t spelled an
emf more bitter than death. So his
grip on the daintily gloyed hand sh,
held out to him said much that his
lips lell unsaid since he was very hui
man, in spite Of his greatness.
Thanh you, doctor" she said lit
lie unst'adily.
Then she turned away, and mo-
mcnt later she had crossed the sun
shiny pavement and stepped into the
waiting carriage.
Home please" she said
And though her face was white her
voice WIS perfectly steady
But once there, she turned into the
little study where she had known so
much of joy and locking the door,
lived out her hour OF agony alone.
This then was to be the end the
end ul all her dreams and ambitions
This horrible thing that she hardly
dared tu name even to herself In
thought yhc went back over the years
that had begun with bitter poverty
and uncoasing struggle, aud ended
Sha threw out her hands with a sud.
zen. butter cry.
BLIND Blind o, God, can't
bear it,"
And he fame. and the wealth. and
he things of this world that she had
gathered around her seemed suddenly
10 slip from her like cloak. and
leave her shiyering in Il great. cold
loneliness n loneliness that sometimes
before had made itself felt. but that
She had always been able to throw off
or "a call 10y some other name Now
She know that she could never throw
u oil again never call it by any other
name, that II was hers for all the long
.ong, empty wears that stretched be.
fore her, for fate had taken her work
from her and she had nothing else,
no IT, IN all the world beside.
Three months!" she whispered at
last. Only three months. and then
darkness"
And on her soul the darkness had
already fallen rs she covered in the
"trip of an ironical fate that, out OF
all other possible nights, had chosen
lust this one to strike her down |
this night that she had dreamed of ten
years ago among the roses, and worked
for ever since
She put mp her hands to her head,
and pushed back the heavy, waving
hair
But | must not think now. There
viii be time enough afterwards. To-
night" Then suddenly her hands fell