Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-09-18

AoEe Ol GOO, QOn 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 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 l have crept into your Office and
sat in your chair. have laid my head
on your desk and cried and cried until
1t seemed as though I could not live
till morning without hearing you say
that you loved me, and that you did
not mind the ruin 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 | 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. l 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
had stolen. Bob, have suffered, SUI
fered, as only 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 it's mothers bed
to tell of the black COLLINS that have
been pursuing it. Long before she
had finished speaking-and it took
only few heart-beats for that rush of
words-I 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, l 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. 1 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. l rose,
too- thinking that now l could close
the door. But again 1 saw a picture
that transixed 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 I 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. I stood as one en-
thralled. Slowly and 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 at me. At last Bob
gave 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
1t is just coming back to me that we
have been selfish, that we have left
you entirely out of our business con-
ference"
We all laughed, and Beulah Sands,
with her face a bloom of burning
bushes, said: Mr.. Randolph, we have
not settled what it is best to do about
fathers affairs"
After little We did begin to talk
business, and finally agreed that
Beulah should write her father, word
ing her letter as carefully as possible,
to avoid all direct statements, but
showing him that she had made but
little Roadway on the work she had
come north to accomplish. Bob was a
changed being now; so, too, was Beu-
lab Sands. Both discussed their horee
and fears with frankness in strange
contrast to their former manner. But
there was one point on which Bob
showed he was holding back. I finally
put it to him bluntly: Bob, are you
working out anything that looks like
real relief for Miss Sands and her
father?"
Il don't know how to answer you,
Jim. I can only say have some ideas,
radical ones perhaps, but-well, I anu
thinking along certain lines"
saw he was not yet willing to ta6e
us into his confidence. We parted,
Bob going along in the cab with Miss
Sands. -
Two days afterward she sent for US
both as soon as we got to the ONCE.
II have this telegram from father
it makes me uneasy Mailed to-day
importAnt letter. Answer as soon q
you .7ecetye. zz5=ss5.==,