Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-05

been wishing / had companion that
beautiful day while mother and MIR. cam
eron talked together. j stood for mo
ment saying nothing. and thoughts Went
racing through my head as memories 90
through the brain of a drowning man.
then I happened to look up at the door-
everything swimming before me-and
curious idea came to me. The old door
looked SO rich in experience, ana seethed
SO fitted to watch the generations OF men
and women come and go. that l fell INTO
step. so to speak I thought of the
brides that crossed that threshold. ana
something irresistible compelled me 10
make myself one of them And ! sala
yes At least they say i said yes.
know Mr. Cameron drew me into the
house looking more pleased than / had
supposed he knew how to look: put
could hardly see him for strange VISION
that had of the people who mad nnisheu
with their lives and been earned cut OF
that door, Actually l seemed to see u
procession there with the long black box
like thing with its fringed pail! But was
not afraid 1t was majest1c-the vision
i fancied how I would be carried out or
there too, and liked even that thoushl-
7 liked anything that was not poverty
stricken and semi-vagrant and mean!
Mother was there all the time smiling at
me in that curious patient way OF hers.
| had never before n9ticed how terrIpiS
thin she looked. Perhaps 1t was party
net on her white hair-'but anyway. she
seemed to pe appealing to me to save her
from drudgery in her pathetic old age
I mt ont my hands to her, and 1t was she
not Mr.. Cameron-into whose arms ie'i'
And | wept there long. long time.
Stonehurst gnaws his lip and says
nothing. .o.,
I've we're married in a month. l took
mother home with me, and Aunt Ann was
boarded at farmers near by ana
InIn
Cameron did everything as he had agreed
And then mother-mother died. she was
tired out and when she feit we no longer
needed her. gave up the Will 10 lVe
And the old door had seen new pro-
cassional and another recessional. as mad
seen in my vision that first day.. Iheh
settled down to my life. There were the
workpeople to see to: and there were MI
Camerons friends to entertain. any
make. Everything was laid out Tor me
Ey-erv day was filled up with things
ought to do / was so busy that even
my dreams were crowded out
mo no. Your dreams are the most
.,hstantiai part of you. Madeline. That
what is so marvellous about you. Ihere
they are always so familiar and lmme-
mortal, You say they are your Dreams. ou'
7 believe they are mine! Or they are every
bodv's, You got them out of the heart
~ the ages or you stole them from
poets. You can't say things as others
do There is something so moving in
your voice, I've always felt you to be
mystery, That's why I adore YOU so!
I wonder if you know how everything you
say moves me-?
I'm a mystery maybe. because I have
never found myself. l live in a hermit
land. aud there is only me to wander
about in it,
''Have 1 not entered II. Madeline, Mad
eline?''
The woman laughs sadly.
"IIave you? Sometimes l think you
have. and others I think l have only
found your footprints on the sand and
that ! am searching for you! But then
real things have always seemed like shad-
ows and shadows like realities to me.
There at Cameron Meadows. the work.
the house. the people. were like moving
shapes The summer passed and white
winter came. 1 had hoped we might go
to the city for q while, but Mr.. Cameron