Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-06-25

| ly-modelled mouth, showing signs Of
deterioration. He had all the shyness
OF h1ghly-strung natures, but the
! poetry and mystery in his expression,
which was almost feminine, was mega
tived by well-developed, athletic fig
ure.
Lady Kitty, who found young men
very scarce about Donoyle, had been
unable to resist being what she called
kind to the poor young man. Some
people would have called it flirting;
but, as Lady Kitty told herself, of
course he will understand from the
beginning that nothing can ever come
Of it, and so he won't do or think any
thing foolish. Therefore. she argued,
| 1t Is quite safe for me to be kind to
him and allow him to read me his
poetry, and show him the most beau
tiful walks. and let him row me on
the river. She further excused her
self on the ground that she simply
must soolve the puzzle as to whether
1t was Vandraken she liked in Dare
Or Dare in Vandraken. She never used
the name love even to herself, which
Is the masquerading way of wetsern
woman; whereas, in the east, they
veil their faces and let their souls go
| naked ana unaSnamed.
On this particular Sunday the exr
cuse Kitty made to herself was that
she wanted to ask him about the SER
mon, so she took him for walk along
a terraced path that ran through the
forest, by the side of the river
The mere fact that they walked SO
long in silence, without noticing it,
should have warned them that among
thN 80 !
woods they walked on dangerous
who broke the silence
81 wish you wouldn't preach such
sad sermons, Mr.. Dare. 1t was very
beautiful, but surely life is not so full
of trouble as all that and l wish
wish you would not look at me so
much when you are preaching Why
do you look at me so much?" She
looked up at him as she asked, her
royal-blue eyes full of other ques-
lions.
i Fabian breathed little hard, sum-
moning all his forces of self control
to the help of essential reticence. She
could read what she liked in his long
Ing eyes, but his pawned soul should
not cry aloud. They mad come to a
fallen tree, which faced an opening
TN the forest, an opening made to
clear view of absolute perfection.
On the right the forest was unbroken,
except by the grey towers of the cas-
tie, nearly mile away Far below
them was the river with the autumn
nal woods of the left bank reflected in
its mirror-like depths, till the woods
swept away from the river, following
the line of hills, and gave place to
the green of the fields undulating up
wards to the everlasting mountains
a world of violet and mauve, brood
ing In mystery over the lesser land
scape.
Moved by common impulse, they
sat down on the fallen tree 81 don't
think I knew I was looking at you,"
he answered. 81 only knew I was
thinking of you as l tried to describe
heaven. 1t is the existence of per-
feet beings on this earth which makes
perfection certainty somewhere in
the universe. You know, l don't pre-
pare my sermons, and / hardly re-
member what say, but If l preached
a beautiful sermon you were the text;
and if it was sad, it was because I
shall always have the faculty of I'M
derstanding perfection, but never the
joy of possessing it-neither in this
world or the next
What makes you say that?" she
answered softly "Why should your
soul not know perfection, since it is
in tune with it, and desires it so
greatly? But perhaps it is better to
know it, and never have it, than to
have it and never know 1t, as so many
people do
"My soul!' he answered bitterly
"Your lips, Lady Kitty, are too exquis.
lite to mention such a thing as my
soul. You said Just now that life
could not be SO full of trouble as my
sermon suggested but you don't know
life, Lady Kitty. You have lived in a
walled garden, sheltered from the
storms Of existence. Never stir out
from the shelter of your perfumed
garden, for life outside is full of hor-
rible traps, and only the strong can
escape them"
How morbid you poetical people
are!" Lady Kitty had almost reached
out a sympathizing hand, when she re-
membered what her mother had said
about his dissipated look. She slight
ly drew away, and added, rather cold
ly 81 assure you, | could go outside
my walled garden without stepping
into mud puddles. One can always
resist temptation"
"Yes-the ordinary temptations of
, the world; the every day sins we are
warned against in the nursery and at
church. But there are awful powers
Of evil, unheard Of undreamed Of
He hid his face in his hand, then
looked up at her imploringly, mutter-
, ing tensely, between half-closed
teeth: Il don't care so much what
others think, but no matter what peo-
pie say, you must believe in mel"
II want to, Fabiani' And this time
; she did reach out her hand and lay it
on his arm. You can't think how !
want to. If l once believed that all
the beautiful thoughts you have Great,
>, ed in your sermons and poems could
come from out Of the mud, | would
, lose my faith in the stars-and yet
, you spoke of your own soul with hor
ror. I don't understand don't lln
t derstand. Why can't you tell me
, what is on your mind?"