Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-02-02
Cant We Try Each Other Once More. .


eAGfOlCAO nQu 6QtnOAO ~ VIZ q OO~-
mon enough scene, but full of absorb
ing interest to serious mite of a
child sitting like an Obedient little
statue on the seat where her cOmpan-
ions had placed her, hands sedately
folded in her lap and her plump little
legs barely long enough to bangle
over the edge
Her wide eyes questioned each face
about her with wistful intentness, and
there were occasional evidences of a
mighty struggle of cogitation in her
little mind. The man with her was
kind enough, after his own lights but
he was not used to children, and this
child was not used to him, and she
was l11ely.
The Desbrosses street ferry bad
just come in. and among the string oil
passengers who hurried into the wait
ing room were a man and woman
upon whom the child's eyes fixed
themselves in speculative admiration
This was stately and beautiful lady
The man was large, and perhaps
would some day be larger but now he
carried his bigness of height and
breadth with an enviably easy swing
He went to the window and bought
one single ticket, and then the two
came and and sat diagonally opposite
the child and her companion. The
woman was speaking in constrain-
eddy polite tone
There are but few moments to
wait. | beg that you will not consider
it necessary to stay. There was no
occasion for your coming at ALL"
You forget that there are still
some appearances to maintain he
answered stiffly. There is no occa-
sion to create any more gossip than
is necessary, and this is an absurd
hour for you to start
isn't it little late to consider ap-
pearances?" she asked, with touch
of scorn in her voice, chatting at his
cold supervision of her actions, which
he did not attempt to explain by any
warmer motive than conventionality
She knew what he meant-that it put
him in the light of a brute that she
should be fleeing from his home unat-
tended at a particularly i,senpxerient
hour She knew mat it W.
surd journey, bringing her at her uczS
~Stination at midnight, but she could
not endure that silent house for anoth-
er minute. The fever to be among her
own people-the few, the very few,
who would sympathize and ask no
cruel questions-had rushed irresisti-
bly, upon her few hours before, and
she had recklessly made her prepare
tons and started. What matter? They
had agreed that the hollow sham of
their married life had better end at
once, and that later they would be
legally separated. 1t soon would be
known to the world, and New York
had become cell of torment to her.
And he-when he was coolest he
was always punctiliously polite, and
he had insisted on seeing her off if she
was determined to take this foolish
Journey. His face had been hard and
Indifferent as the door-their door
had closed upon them as man and
wife, and the ride to the ferry had
been made in rigid silence.
Her eyes caught the child's unwaver-
Ing gaze, and her face softened from
its finty composure. She had no
children of her own, and this was such
an unconsciously pathetic figure, with
its primly folded hands and solemn
eyes The little traveller smiled faint
ly and looked shyly away. Then the
eyes crept back again, and friendly
communication was established. For
a few moments she sat in sober con
sideration, weighing some mighty prob
lem in her mind, and ever and anon
slipping a tentative glance toward the
stately lady; then there was a eau
tious peep at the caretaker's face,
and with the anxious haste of one who
gathers all his courage for desperate
leap, she slid swiftly down and
was across the way before her com
panion could realize what had hap
pened.
won't you, please" she began,
eagerly. her eyes searching the wom-
ans face, won't you please tell me
what a divorce is?"
THERE it was out-that awful, I'M
answered question which had been
tormenting her small soul for days
upon ays-and her bolstered-up cour-
age suddenly snbsided into fiatness
as she realized the magnitude of her
temcrity in asking this strange and
beautiful lady a question which had
invariably met with a startled rebuff
from others Her eyes went 10 the
floor and she dropped obviously
The effect was electrical The two
faces before her seemed suddenly i'm
modified. The woman looked ahead
of her with hard, unseeing eyes, and
WINGED as though struck: bat the man,
with mans distaste for a scene, was
the first to treat this conversational
bomb as casual matter. He leaned
forward in the most friendly manner
possible. although his rudy skin had
taken Oh still warmer tint. and
forced smile as he looked into the
wide eyes that gazed wonderingly into
his own.
Well. now, what makes you ask
such funny question 2" he queried.
Z wanted to know SO bad. she said,
appeallngIy Mammals got one, but
] she's gone away, an everybody says
BE still wen ! ask them. Nobody
will tell me what divorce is Did
it hurt mamm2 2" she cried. Her eyes
still urged their questionable ques-
ton that she had asked again and
again. but to which NO one bad given
her an answer
The woman leaned forward, gather
ed tho little bundle Of loneliness into
her arms and held her close.