The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1908-07-03
A Decision
-. Of Fate.
IoriIg|iinal.lz

- e5NaSoo ANA JOu W PLCDb AlEs
Kenneth; cannot be your wife,"
"Why not?' t..
Mother. cannot leave her alone.
Old age is coming upon her; she would
suffer untold misery" q
"She can live with u.s."
Kenneth, do you know what woulI
be iii store for us-for you-under such
circumstances?'
"WhatT
you don't know women. Mother has
been head of her house all her life.
She would regulate ours" 1 .
Il don't mind who keeps house."
81 do-that is. IL have one of my
own. prefer to keep 1t myself. But
there are other considerations. Moth
er requires very high temperature.
You. i know, like cool house. When
you came home to hot one you would
throw open all the doors and windows.
Mother would retire to her room and
stay there all the evening. She would
wish to have me with her. would
remain with you. She would caE me.
| would say. NO, mother: you have
had me with you all day. My husband
needs me, now To which she would
reply: i shall not live the night
through. Goodby. die of cruelty
Then you would say: Go to her. To
morrow we shall be free l would 60,
but We would not be free tomorrow
or the next day or the next"
You mean that in time she would
be free; we would do the dying" ~&
"No; we would drag out a miserable
existence"
"The picture interests me. Go on"
"Then occasionally we would have q
little misunderstanding"
Never"
"Yes. We would. All married people
do. Mother would be aware Of It. She
would take my part and would treat
you like criminal. That would make
you furious. and we would be forever
making M. Then she would be con-
tinuously discovering that you had no
respect for the hardships I was endur-
Ing. She would consider You a model
Of seifishpess aud treat as SUCH"
ANY more Of itT'
"Yes: you would soon lose your equa-
nimity and treat her harshly. That
would stab me to the quick and would
only irritate lzr the more against you"
Go on"
occasionally we would wish to 60
out TO theater or to visit our friends.
Mother would make such a fuss about
being left alone that we would have
to give up such pleasures. Then you
might wish 70 go on a journey and
take me with you. couldn't leave
mother. Then you would begin to
curse and 10 swear and wish her at
the bottom Of a bottomIess pit or in
the hottest Off fiery furnace. It would
be terrible"
There was a long pause. Presently
he said, but with faint heart:
Il love you SO we'll. sweetheart, that
would rather stand all this than give
you up"
She wavered and at last said:
"Let fate decide for us. Do you see
those two volumes In the library in
red morocco? Well, tomorrow morn.
Ing when you come downstairs there
will he Yes In one volume and a No
In the other. Choose one. We VIII
abide by the result Of your choice"
For the rest Of the day he thought
hard. That night when all were in
bed lie slipped downstairs In bis stock.
ing feet and went to the library. He
opened volume one and found a yes"
then volume two and found also
Yes" Rubbing out both, he wrote
NO" for each. put them In and stole
upstairs 20 bed.
The next morning when he heard her
leave her room he left his. and they
went downstairs together. He went TO
the library, hesitatel long between the
two volumes. lifted his eyes as III In
silent prayer, then took out volume
two. opened II. read the word mo" and
sank limp In a chair. Then, with
moan. he rushed from the house.
There were complications for a few
days.
Then he wrote Mother" on n slip
Of paper and Kenneth on another,
Placing one In each Of the red moroc.
co volumes. The next morning she
was 60 draw as he had drawn. He did
not slip downstairs that night 10 make
both Kenneth" Indeed. he feared
that II Kenneth" were drawn Il would
mean both Kenneth" and Mother"
a combination he especially wished to
avoid. But as the clock struck the
midnight hour there was silken
tread on the stairs. A white figure de.
scended and, going 10 the library. took
out the slip on which Mother was
written and wrote Kenneth" In It's
stead.
"Fate has decided In your favor.
Kenneth" she said after drawing. and
he held her IN his arms. But n all
does not turn out as well as you ex.
pect you mustn't blame me-"
There was an interval OF ten years.
"will the old fiend live foreyerf'
"Now. Kenneth, I will not hear ysu
call poor mother an old fiend. told
you when you persisted just what you
had TO expect. You were willing to
l.a,.. 40 A. fasa