Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1907-07-25

to save him, but since that day when
those men struck az your heart, have
been filled with, oh! such longing %
tell you, to tell you, Bob"
What? Beulah, what? For the
love of God, don't stop; tell me, Beu-
lab, tell me-" He had not lifted his
head. 1t was buried on her breast, his
arms closed around her She bent her
head and laid her beautiful, soft cheek,
down which the tears were now
streaming, against his brown hair
Bob, forgive me, but l love you, love
you, Bob, as only woman can love
who has never known love before,
never known anything but stern duty
Bob, night after night when all have
left have crept into your Office and
sat In your chair. have laid my head
on your desk and cried and cried until
it seemed as though ! could not live
till morning without hearing you say
that you loved me, and that you did
not mind the ruin l had brought into
your life. / have patted the back OF
your chair where your dear head had
rested. l have covered the arms OF
your chair, that your strong, brave
hands had gripped with kisses. Night
after night l have knelt at YOUR desk
and prayed to God to shield you, to
protect you from all harm, to brush
away the black cloud l brought into
your life. | have asked Him to do
with me, yes, with my father and
mother, anything, anything if only He
would bring back to you the happiness
l had stolen. Bob, have suffered, suf-'
fered, as only a woman can suffer"
She was sobbing as though her
heart would break, sobbing wildly,
convulsively, like the little child who
in the night comes to its mothers bed
to tell of the black COLLINS that have
been pursuing it. Long before she
had finished speaking-and it took
| only a few heart-beats for that rush OF
| words had broken the power of the
| fascination that held me- had turned
away my eyes, and tried not to listen
! For fear of breaking the spell, did
not dare cross the room TO close
| Beulah's door or to reach the outer
door of my Office, which was nearer
| hers than it was to my desk. | waited
through a silence, broken only by
Beulah's weeping, that seemed hour
long. Then in Bob's voice came one
low sob of joy:
"Beulah, Beulah, my Beulah!"
realized that he had risen. rose,
too thinking that now l could close
the door. But again / saw a picture
that transfiXed me. Bob had taken
Beulah by both shoulders and he held
her off and looked into her eyes long
and beseechingly. Never before nor
since have l seen upon human face
that glorious JOY which the old mas
tiers sought to get into the faces OF
their worshippers who. kneeling be-
fore Christ, tried to send TO Him.
through their eyes, their souls graft
tude and love. | stood as one en-
thralled. Slowly ana as reverently as
the living lover touches the brow OF
his dead wife, Bob bent his head and
Kissed her forehead. Again and again
he drew her to him and implanted upon
her brow and eyes and lips his kisses
! could not stand the scene any longer
started to the corridor door, and
then, as though for the first time either
had known | was within hearing they
turned and stared al NE. Al last Rob
gave a long, deep sigh, then one of
those reluctant laughs OF happiness
yet wet with sObs.
We'll, Jim, dear old Jim, where did
/ you come from? Like all eavesdrop-
pers, you have heard no good of your
self. Own up, jim, you did not hear a
/ word good or bad about yourself, for
I it is just coming back 10 me that We
, have been selfish, thar We have left
, you entirely out OF our business con
5 ference"
} We all laughed, and Beulah Sands
. with her face a bloom of burning
t bushes. said: MIR. Randolph, we have
I | not settled what ii is best 10 do about
| fathers affairs
: After a little We did begin to talE
2 business. and finally agreed that
Beuah should write her father, word
i ing her letter as carefully as possible
1 TO avoid all direct statements, bu
i showing him that she had made bu
). little Roadway on the work she haG
r come north to accomplish. Bob was
Il changed being now; so, too, was Beu
T lah Sands. Both discussed their hopes
f and fears with frankness in strangS
l. contrast to their former manner. hui
;. there was one point on which Bot
t showed he was holding back. l finally