The Cairo bulletin., 1906-06-03

dreamy-eyed, pure souled girl for hi
wife, The vision of death, cold ant
naked, of eternity, terrible and never
o-be-ended, had cast a sudden pal
over his world, and his soul. smitten
with the emptiness of its delights
reached out for something real-some.
thing that would endure He found
the girl. She had waited for her
lover-the strong man of her dreams
| all her life. True, 1t was but little
tale Of childish years at best, and when
the boythe boy with the soIIed soul
and the sin-smeared life-told her OF
his love (and, indeed, he thought that
he loved herr, she questioned not, but
gave herself to him, glad and free
For little while all was well. me
boy kept the memory of the shroud,
| the marble brow, the pulseless breast,
tine nameless terror OF the hereafter;
and the girl wife, SO calmly unafraid,
was love and life to him.
But slowly the vision faded. TIE
din of the world broke In upon hint
the noiso of the tumult that he loved,
Ciamorous voices called to him, and
would not be denied The girl wife,
with her artless love, her transparent
sincerity, her dreams and her absurd
ideals, became hateful to him. He
called her a hypocrite, but he knew in
his soul that he lied.
OF all this, he told her nothing, and
she, sweet soul, being a dreamer,
dreamed on. She dreamed that his
love for her, like her love for him.
was rooted in infnity, and had Meth
or beginning nor end. However
changed he was, and 0, he was
changed. However her heart might
grieve over him-and, 0, the grief was
bitter! One thing she never ques-
tioned-his unchanging love.
1t was hard for the boy, these years,
harder than for her. He had to endure
her love, when every fiber of his be-
ing loathed her. The chain that bound
him to her dragged heavily.
He wondered sometimes that he did |
not break 1t, once for all. But he |
could not; there was human goodness
in him still; something of the primal !
man-man before the fall Children
were in the home, and each one was
mighty link, forged by nature, to |
hold him in the toils-he loved and !
hated them. The wife, too--the girl of |
dreams-he loathed her, yes-yet,
there was the jealousy of possession
she was his-his to protect and care
for, though despised, Still the girl |
dreamed on. and sickened him with
her kisses.
But the day Of awakening was at
for both. He. too,
was dreamer, though his dreams
were evil dreams.
She was brushing his coat one day,
caressing II as ii it were living thing.
and singing softly to herself when a
paper dropped from one of the pockets.
She took it up-it was an envelope,
addressed in his handwriting TO one
whom she knew we'll
A sudden pang smote her through
the heart. She opened the letter.
there were fresh violets in it-and
read-only word or two, but enough!
All, God! The girl who had kept her
girl heart and her dreams through
the long years, would never dream
again! She was woman, now, with
A womans knowledge, and her infinite
capacity for suffering.
How long she sat there, conscious
only of mortal wound, dull throD-
,ing In her ears. a blindness in her
syes-she never knew. A careless whis-
lie aroused her The boy had come
pack for the forgotten letter. There
sat his wife, and the letter had fallen
1t her feet. She stopped and handed
{ to him: and as she lifted her eyes TO
his. he saw that there were no dreams
n them. but only memories.
you have read 1t. he said, mechan-
sally not as a question.
Yes"
1T is all over, then" he said. There
vas an accent of despair in the words.
lie had lost her. ana with instant
he knew that in earth and
heaven there was nothing so dear TO
lin. Her simplicity. her sincerity. her
Iweet unworldliness were jewels worth
he ransom of soul. now. 10 the fool
Tho had despised them But It was
90 late. There was fire smoulderlng
IN the earth. lie raked the Goals to-
yether and threw the letter in the !
midst. violets and all. watching with
/ fierce delight as Il shrireied into i
Ishes.
At last he turned his fixed gaze !
rom the hearth. He moved toward !
Ter and took up his hat. holding it in I
lis hand as chance caller might. be-
ore he went away. Yet he delayed. ]
5 seconds ran into minutes lie could :
Iot go until she knew. though It was Z
DO late nov. But his tongue failed I