The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-11-30


In my little shell to dream OF thea.
things
why do you tell me this, dear?' :.
asked gently.
Because | want to ease my .un-
science. to throw off the weight Of my
deceit for it has amounted TO that.
have been playing a part for years.
part that easily became second ma
ture TO me- loved It'll Rugged ii 10
mel deliberately chose to play II H5r
bosom heaved tempestuously III the
thin white frock
MY twenty eighth birthday was
marked by two things. 1t was the day
of my mothers funeral-my father
died when I was a child-and it was
the day that saw the beginning of my
dream. When | came back from the
graveyard | sat in the still daTkened
room that had been her fasorite sit
ting-room, amid the books that we
had both loved, the flowers she had
always tended, and reviewed my life
| knew myself as an unloved old maid
| had read that in the faces OF my
friends for some time previous. | bit
terly thought of the happiness that had
passed me by, of the emptiness Of my
life. of the desolate future that lay
stretched before my unwilling feet. |
thought of all the other girls who had
married and found love. | felt | could
no longer bear their plying looks and
contemptuous remarks. l took up list
lessly book off the table, a volume OF
Ella and it fell open at his beautiful
fancy, Dream Children AS | sat in
that darkened room still fragrant with
the living presence of one l had just
buried, my lover was born-my dream
lover He was almost tangible pres
ence to me-a real personality. My
loneliness was enliyened, my desola-
ton softened by mis- presence. never
thought of my foolishness-I was in
love"
Shortly after that l went to dwell
with an aunt who lived in the same
place as Ena Spencer. an aunt who had
never visited us. | allowed her to I'M
derstand that | was unmarried by
choice, that | mOurned dead lover.
added bit by bit imaginary details, my
dream was 50 real to me, you see
endowed my dream lover with little
graces of mind and person. dwelt
day and night on the thought of him.
l began to believe, he was real-l spoke
of him as having lived in the flesh
made him live. One day l cut out
this picture from an illustrated pa
per-" she touched the miniature case
as she spoke. There was something
in the face that appealed to me. |
knew vaguely that it was a real per-
sonality, that it was someone who had
written a big book. You remember, IL
was your 'Sidelights on History
He added, "Yes, l remember"
mo one has ever seen this picture
except yOu-no one knows this story
but you"
Ruth" he said, rising.
"No-no-let me finish. Don't try to
look at me. l am so ashamed. AS Enc
has told you, everyone knew my sup
posed history. 1t gave me a fictitious
interest in their eyes. My feelings OF
difiidence and morbid shrinking from
society vanished. went about freely
and became popular. But the door
that my dream lover had opened he al
so barred. l knew there were many
that might have loved me, but my
dream lover now became a tyrant; ne
would not allow them to approach me.
l had r,y dream and that was all until
until saw you at the head OF the
steps that day l came to Ena's."
"But, Ruth, DEAR" he said. its fate.
Can't you see 1t. Nothing but fate
would have caused you to cut my pic
ture from the paper. and then bring
you to me-"
"And you don't despise me?" she
whispered.
For answer he took the fragile white
figure in his arms and kissed her with
infinite tenderness.-From the New Or
leans Picayune.