The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-01-29
ONE OF LIES
LITTLE TRAGEDIES
BY w. y. l. A MPTCH.

This is true story Of New Yorl
acters in it. a man and a woman
Neither was too young to be silly o.
too old 10 be sentimental II began
several years ago and ended only re-
Gently The man lived IN New Yori
. at It's beginning az he does now. and
the woman lived and still lives in i
nearby suburb They met, as men aut
women sometimes do. ON train II
was no common Irritation, with the
usual disregard OF the convention He
was "A gentleman, she lady, and for
some courtesy he had extended with
perfect propriety she thanked him,
and their acquaintance began,
They were congenial spirits. Surely
II they had not been her thanks for
his courtesy would have marked the
end of their accidental meeting They
talked for perhaps an hour before she
left the train, and mutual hope was
/ expressed that they might meet again.
/ He had given her his card she simply
! gave him name. Personal details Of
/ that sort had small interest for them
! They had discovered in each Other in,
| tellectual attractions which were Of
deeper interest They were friends
of the soul aud the mind
Not long after this first meeting
their paths crossed again, this time
in the city, and he asked her 70 lunch.
con with him She went. and for an
hour or two they talked as two friends
who had known each other always
They asked no marks of Identification
She had his card. he knew her name,
and that was enough Indeed. not so
much was needed to make their com
partnership delightful, but names have
their uses in the furtherancc Of asso-
citation. A note must be written some
times or call sent over the te!e-
phone
After this meeting they saw each
other again several times, never for
more than an hour or so at luncheon. /.
ADD then they went their separate
ways.
For two or three years after This /
their association was close and con I
slant, and she became a companion
and friend who was far more to him
than any he had ever known. He took
her into his business condolences and |
she became a wise and strong adviser
to him, He did not hesitate 10 tell
her repeatedly that no woman could
be more to him than she was. But
neither talked of love. and the grand
passion was ignored by mutual con.
sent, If. indeed, 1t had ever met with
reco gniton
Thus their two lives went on, close
together interdependent, the one rely.
ing upon the other, both faithful, each
uplifting the other. In all these years
what they We're to each other obscured
who they were, and they knew no
more than on that first day when he
had given his card to her and she
had told him her name What they
knew satisfied them fully
MOI long ago he asked her to come
10 town, as he had something OF i'm.
)ortance to tell her She came. %
,he always did in response to ans
,all he made upon her, and they d.ued
ogether She did not ask him what
natter Of importance was to be dis,
,lssed. because she knew he would
ell her in good time They talked OF
music and books and plays AND people
md the dozens of subjects intellectual
makes delightful. aud
when they had come to the coffee he
old her they We're forgetting the i'm,
business which had brough,
hem together
we have never talked much of our
wn selves, he said, and you know
5 little Of me az I know OF You, but
believe we both feel that II has been
luch better so"
She nodded. and he went on.
What | wished to talk to you about
| wished 70 tell you
as
She put up he, hand to stop him
You need not tell me" she said
You are to be married" He bowed
at he did not smile as one might at
fought of his wedding day ~ knew
must come some time" she con
nued quietly, and with only the
ightest culver of her lips, and
lew that what we were to each other
,uld not always be was content
have 1t as it was To have at
mpted any change meant more suf-
ring than either Of us can suffer by
e inevitable. have not been UMPIRE
ired for this. At the beginning I
W the end and have gone forward -
It taking. as my own, the sweet
III the bitter, and I have been hap
er since we met than ever was be
re. ] shall not be very unhappy
w. but / shall miss you more than
can tell"
'.And | shall miss you" he said in a
oxen voice My obligations have
en- elsewhere all the time | have
own YOU and ! love the woman I
} to marry, but to you I owe a debt
lich"-
1. l. L.