Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

IL not! voice was not IKE MS
''rhen shall send for you at once!"
The doctor returned to his vigil. The
squire, when left alone. sank on his
knees with his face in his hands: his
great shoulders shook with the intensity
An hour or more passed before he heard
hurried steps approaching He sprang to
the door.
'Well?"
"You had better come now"
els she better?''
"Alas! no. I fear her minutes are num-
bered. School yourself. my dear old
friend. God will help you in this bitter
hour. All youican do now is to make her
last moments happy."
II know! Il ,know!" he answered, in a
voice SO calm that his companion won
dered.
When they came into the room Mar
garet was dosing. When her eyes
opened and she found her husband beside
her bed there spread over her face a glad
look, which. alas, soon changed to one
Of pain. She motioned to him to bend
down. He knelt and put his head beside
round her, as though by his iron devo-
ton and strength he would shield her
from all harm. Her voice came very low
and In broken gasps: she was summoning
all her strength that she might speak.
my dear. dear husband, ]. am SO sad
at leaving you! You have made me SO
happy and love you SO! Forgive me,
dear. for the pain know you will suffer
when I am gone! And oh, Stephen, I
know you will cherish our little one
yours and mine-when I am gone.' She
will have no mother; you will have to be
father and mother too'
Il will hold her in my very hearts
core, my darling. as l. hold you!" He
could hardly speak from emotion. She
And oh, my dear. you will not grieve
that she is not a son to carry on your
nameT And then sudden light came
into her eyes. and there was exultation
In her weak voice as she said:
She il to be our only one: let her, In
deed. be our son! Call her by the name
we both lover For answer he rose and
laid his hand very, very tenderly on the
baby as he said:
carry your soul in her breast. will be my
son; the only son I shall ever have. All
my life long / shall. please Almighty God,
20 love her-our little stephen-as you and
love each other!
She laid her hand on his so that It
touched at once her husband and her
child. Then she raised the other weak
arm. and placed 1t round his neck. and
their lips met Her soul went out in this
last kiss.
BY degrees Squire Norman began to
shake on the apathy Of his grief AS
the personal side Of 1t became less keen,
90 memory began to have its 2oompensa-
tons.
Time IN after al, III. or,v .nir,tuo, ,oox
dvnn Ths &c., LII o'. ~. cM an
those who ara coma heSnna ana The nast
when the dead come back to us in
memory and In sleep. are its two phases.
The throhbing Of living heart has
the music ~ fhe .nhere. "A
With his coming back to the interests
OF life. the pleasure Of Stephen Norman
the first loved the bsbv in that # was
thu leracy Of his darlinr ana fhe hnnd
between Them. and also With that fnve
which is q mystery oil. fafNerh6od. Ri,t
now he began to love his child Tor her
own .saka-
Little Stephen had winning. ways which
sent deep roots into her father's hearf.
Time went ouicklE by. and Norman -waa
only reealfesi Go ifs passina nv the rroyvth
Of his child But HIS. baby was one and
Ii itself a new nxperience- int -brousi,t
into: juxtapositIon what .is With what ives.
The changes that beean to mark the di-
vergence Of sex were positive shocks to
him. for. they were unexpected.
for his child a certain reeent rnenf r,f. her.
sex. Hfa old hone AZ = !, afn hsd heery
rooted too deeply TO give, nav easily. Ant
when. the conviction came and With #
tha habit Of its acirno,-iedsn,art th.-e
II III
the hating place for safisfa ctfon. Rrf
he never. not then NOR afterward o,it~-
lost the old belief that Stephen was in
deed a son. This belief tineed ALI his
after life and nodded his n0licv with re
aard TO HIS rirI's nnhrin1tnr Il sha ws.
to he indeed his son veIi as III. dou~h
tar she must from thn ART ho 1900.
toned tn hov,sh a. well a. to oirIts
wavs This In that sha moo on nnI,,
child. was not q dif1cnit matter to o.,
cornn,ish IJod sho hoA h.otha-s .nS -.
fers matters ~ her se~ vouiI soor ho,,e
fo,,nd thair o.vn Isva1 "o
There was nna neraor wbo ot,....a
strongly to anv devia ton frnro +he CO..
ventiona, role - . To- .d,,oat,e .0 I'll Ill
YVES Miss 1.aetitia powIv nh" tcni. ~.
a time. in 40 FAR a. s,,cH q nisce comid he
taken that ~ the chiid.s wothsr 80 oe
Prw,v ~ N"rr,o,d tt,se ,,o,,,. -. o4 III.
or Rte rether arS sc,,,a o,-tooa 'sa s,0 1T
own senior Whe,, thu old sn,,;rc 800 .a.n mas
u,ita had d;ed Taetitia 4heI oo,,o.Sa5
snins tar ~ +h;rfw1.sx h.d tatsr .osSHS
sio, ~ +ha ,,n,nS M.-1nre+ MI. aSe
~arot heH ,verrted Srr,;na n,orvna H.
Snr,Iv Wss w.;i .ettsa.d %. ~, N a1ns
Lncwn Stenhen Norr,om au .ar 'is nv
Tho,,ob sho could howa ,r,;.had .,a,.. ~.
hridsSroon, for h.r Ia-,fnS go ye
wouiS he hard ~ cot . hatt.r IT,, HnS" ~
~ ,,o-e .,,,t.h,n 800. q, 1.s man VI o,le
go, thst Mo~ret ,a,as IL IL. Aiso eiIe
49,. nc. - me" a. .. aossu i.n1; ana tne
80. - ,.,t,,aT sa,,n ~; .ouu Ime Happi
q nIeosnra IN the ro,, src. ~ tn,.. in ,..H
90, pe o.,hn, -. ,.,oau ce " true ioVe'
ihousn S.1pnen was q sweet chl!d she
was WllIuI one, ana very early In her