The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-09-06
AFTER YEARS
"Stephanie! Is it indeed your

/ Yes. indeed. am go.-g to sing for
/ Mrs. Calender presently"
/ 1t is SO long since | heard YOU
/ Randall Stacey went on dreamily. DO
7 y0u remember those summer evenings
when you used to play and sing to Us
/ between the lights? You are very little
( changed, Stephanie. since those old
! days. How long ago it seems. Is it
| four or five years? Where have you
been all this time, and what have you
/ been doing?"
Didn't you know where l wasf" she
asked quietly.
Wees, l heard at the time, but
But you thought it best not to 90
Ind see for yourself" she put in, with
a tinga Of mockery in her clear, sweet
voice.
She lifted her eyes to his and met his
gaze in silence-a silence that made
him vaguely uncomfortable
Il was young and foolish" she said
presently, speaking in a calm, matter
of fact tone, land at the time did not
understand what was perfectly plain
to me afterward.'
You are speaking in enigmas," he
rejoined a trife brusquely and awk-
wardly. II wish you'd be little more
explicit"
There was a pause.
Five years ago-how long it seems,
Much can happen in that time, and
much has happened. You are changed
for instance. You have grown visibly
older by those five years"
This was not the Stephanie be had
known in those Old days" and yet
how sweet and altogether desirable she
seemed. Yes" she went on. you
were different then, or else a glamour
lay over you that l was too infatuated
to see through. Remember how l wor-
SHIPPED your beauty, how l believed
you to be all that was grand and noble"
the laughing mockery in her tone
| made him wince-"so painfully youth
full and foolish Of me, was it not? You
told me fortune lay in my voice-do
| you recOllect?-and you were inclined
to rave over my little sketches of char
acter, but still, when l was left alone
in the world, to sink or swim as best l
might, you refrained from holding out
a helping hand to me, when word
from you, who had already won your
way in the literary world, might have
saved me many forlOrn. heartbroken
hour, and
Il didn't know! broke in Stacey
eagerly. Believe me, l knew nothing.
or l would have helped you. l would
have done anything for you, Steph-
anie."
You didn't know" she echoed. But
you yourself pointed out my capabili-
ties, Of which l was ignorant"
YES. yes, l know" he protested.
one says what one can encourage, of
course, but I saw nothing to make me
suppose YOU would do more than others
are trying to do. There is no royal
road to success either in writing or
singing, Stephanie"
You spoke differently then, but l
suppose your words had no meaning,
any more than the other things you
said"
"Stephanie, you are hard on me, but
hear me before you condemn. Justice
at least should compel that much. l
did care for you In those old days. l
don't think you have ever been long alb
sent from my thoughts, but l was a
struggling author, and l had no right
I IN q . 70 ho
SO I took the wlsest course in going
away and leaving you free"
Still she persisted in the same
cold, sweet voice, you might have
shown me how to use the literary or
musical powers you told me I pos
sessed, might you not:"
My dear Stephanie," he expostulat-
ed, what would you have done? You
had certain aptitude for saying clev-
er things, and you had pretty, fresh
| voice Of the average quality, but count
less other people have both too. Where
would have been the use Of putting out
your poor little efforts against some of
our literary and musical giants? Did
you aspire to be a brilliant authoress
like the celebrated Mrs. Vavasour, for
lnstance?'
Perhaps | did" she allowed, with
an odd smile. Il was very ambitious
in those days. l am still. I should like
to be greater even than Mrs. Vava-
sour"
The group at the end Of the room had
| been broken up and Mrs. Calender
came toward them. Stephanie rose and
followed Mrs. Calender into the music
ROOM
Stacey watched her disappear
through the door. What a fool he had
been to let Stephanie Craven pass out
Of his life in those past days! He had
not realized it before. He had been a
miserable fool, but he would do better
now And then across his musings
came the sound Of a voice so rich and
full and sweet that he started to his
feet.
"A pretty, fresh voice of average
quality So much for the keen pene-
tration on which he had prided himself.
An eager crowd surrounded her
when she ended her song, and Randall
Stacey could not reach her just then.
A tall, fair man was bending over