Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-05-11

He blundered!" she erica. oup- pose the woman had never had 8 lover; suppose the sweep of her life had been away from men. that she had been so busy that she had never thought of one until she got those letters"
 "Child!" The doctor spoke sharply.
 Suppose through the whole long wonderful summer-tim she had reared her Joy castle. at first afraid 1t would vanish like the bubbles she had blown in childhood, until she had come to believe in the writer of those letters with the same terrible, childlike faith she gave to her Cod"
 Child, child," the doctor implored her.
 With little unsteady laugh Miss Carleton got to her feet. How that big moon stares," she said. Wouldn't you like to climb on its chin and sail to your Hearts Desire? Haven't you a land of Hearts Desire, doctor?" She leaned and looked deep into the moon-dlled, sleeping valleys as she spoke. As.,,. .
 The doctor tried to answer. He drew back into the shadows as she said goodnight. He had seen a wo- mans soul, and the sight had shaken him.
 Not many days later fairy-tale happening came to Mary Carleton in the shape of telegram that told her of the death of an old great-aunt and the arrival of fortune, all in a breath.
 The doctor came back from the valley settlement, where he had been visiting a patient, to hear the story and slip away from everybody. In the quiet of his den. with the little fire on the hearth fighting the grow ing dusk, he tried to realize what life would be with the glory gone out of it. A log broke and fell, shattering his reverie. The fire leaped, and she came swiftly down the room to drop into a chair beside him and nestle there as if she meant to stay indef- nitely.
 "It has been discipline-waiting for that fortune, she said cheerfully. "Many's the time I've defied fate with 1t when I've been so hungry. Cocoa and toast for breakfast, toast and cocoa for lunch and my great-aunt's fortune for dinner. How the money has changed things" in sudden gaiety. I'm not going to ride on the moons chin. It wouldn't be dignifed for an heiress.'
 Don't you ever mean to grow up?"
 The doctors lips twitched in way that would have gone straight to woznans heart if she had loved him.
 I'm grown up" contentedly. "I'm
 And I'm not loss than 15 more," miserably.
 Are you?" politely. "I could never do arithmetic" The laughing shaft of Ter dark eyes struck straight into the middle of heart that wasn't aging. and the blood that wasn't jaded. although the doctor had tried so hard to think so, pounded and leaped, hot and strong.
 The doctor caught her hand in a grasp that hurt her.
 I've been a brute," he cried. "I saw that fellow leave the violets there, and it came to me to try the experi- ment. I believed to interest you in anything, anybody, was to save you. There was no other way to woo you back to life. I saw no other way. Child, child. I never meant to hurt you, That first little letter-heart- broken that you'd had to let go and come away from your work-touched me. You know the rest. I've tried to tell you-a hundred times. As it was I felt that had struck you-had struck little, trusting child" |
 He flung out his hands in tortured helplessness. Say something! Com fort me-if comfort is left in the world!"
 But there was silence In the room the twilight had claimed. T
 The doctors head went down. He had a new strange sense of utter desolation.
 Don't you understand yet? There's no man in the valley. There never was. I wrote those letters sent those violets. To save your very life.'
 A low little laugh had shattered the rooms tense stiffness and rippled over him.
 But" her voice. very small and shamed and golden with content. whispered. as she came close. close, till the marvellous softness of her cheek brushed his, "but-since yester- day I've known-.here's one-on the mountain-top."