The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-29

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 tContfnued
 So these friends were silent, and the little tragedy developed. Harold's ps- tience began to give way under the constant strain of seif-suppression. Stephen tried to hide her love and fear under the mask of a gracious calm. This the other took for indifference.
 At last there came an hour which was full of new. hopeless agony to Stephen. She heard Harold. In a frag- ment of conversation, speak to MT. Stonefouss of the need of his return ing to Alaska. That sounded like word of doom. In her inmost heart had she been free she would have her. self spoken the words which would have drawn the full truth to them both. But how could she do %, having the remem brance of that other episode; when. without toe reality of love, she had declared herself. -. Oh! the shame of 1t; The folly! :. The And Harold knew It all! How could he ever believe that 1t was real this time!
 Again and again came back the re- membrance of that bitter regret of her Aunt Laetftia, which no happiness nor no pain of her own had ever been able to efface from her mind:
 'aTo love; and be helpless! To wait, and wait and wait: with heart all ahame! To hope. and hope; till time seemed to have passed away, and all the world to stand still on your hope less misery To know that word might open up Heaven; and yet to have to remain mute! To keep back the giances that could enIighten, to n1odu- late the tones that might betray! To see all you hoped for passing away---g"
 At last. at last she seemed to under stand the true force of pride; weaich has in 1t thousand forces of it's own. positive, negative. restratnfui. ohi how blind she had been How little she had learned from the miseries that the other woman whom she loved had suffered! How unsyrnpathette she had been: how self-engrossed; how callous to the sensibilities of others And now to her. in her, turn. had come the same suffering; the same galling of the ironi Must 1t be that the very salt of youth must lose it's savor, before the joys of youth could be won! What. after all, was youth if out of it's own inherent power 1t must work its own destruction! If youth was so. why not then trust the wisdom of age? If youth could not act for It's own re- demptton--"
 Here the very rudiment of a thought struck her and changed the current of her galling reason. A thought so winged with hope that she dared not even try to complete 1t! She thought and thought till the long au- tumn siadows fell round her. But the misty purpose had become real.
 After dinner she went up alone to the mn. It was late for a visit, for the Silver Lady kept early hours. But she found her friend as usual la her room whose windows swept the course of the sun. Seeing that her visitor was In a state of mental disturbance such as she had once before exhibited, tho hostess blew out the candles and took the same seat in the eastern window as she had occupied on the night which they both SO wel1 remembered. steph- en understood both acts. and was grateful afresh. The darkness would be a help to her in what she had to say; and the resumption of the old seat and attitude did away with the awlS- wardncss of new confidence. Sunlcient of the fast waning twilight remained to understand such looks as might heip spoken words. During the weeks that had passed stephen had kept her friead' informed of the rescue and progress of the injured man. Since the discovery of Harold's Identity, she had allowed her to infer her feeling towards him. Shyly she had conveyed her hopes that all the bitter part of the past might be wiped out. To the woman who already knew of the love that had always been. but had only awakened to conscious ness in the absence of It's object, a hint was sufficient to build upon. As she put her arms round the girl she said softly; not in the whisper which im- plies doubt of some kind, but in the soft voice which conveys sympathy and trust:
 Tell me, dear child!. ., ,....--,-. ... <.
 Then in half-conscious way. in words that came so shfthkInEly reached the ear bent low to catch them, came Stephens murmured thought:
 "Oh. If he only knew! And I cant tell him; I can't! I dare not. must not! How could dishonor him by bearing myself towards him as to that other--worthless--! Oh! the happy, happy girls, who have mothers-r' All the muscles of her body seemed to shrink and collapse. till she sank an inert mass at the Silver Lady's feet. t
 But the other understood There Is this about age and suffering: at least they teach to understand! She still said no word; but her silence. and her quick breathing, and the loving clasp ing of her arms and the pressure of each individual fnger-tip, brought un- derstanding and comfort to the striok- en girl at her feet.
 After a long, long pause; when Stephens sobdng had quite died away; when each muscle of her body had be- come rigid on It's returning way to normal calm; the Silver Lady began to talk of other matters and conversation became normal. Stephens courage seemed som chow to be restored, and she talked brightly.
 Before they parted the Silver Lady made a request. She said in her nat uPal voice:
 "Couldst thou bring that gallant man who saved so many lives, and to whom the Lord was so good in the restora. tion of his sight, to see me7 Thou knowest I have made resolution not to so forth from this calm place whilst I may remain. But I should like to see him before he returns to that far North where he has done such won- ders. He is evidently a man of kind heart; perhaps he will not mind com- ing to see a lonely woman who Is no longer young. There is much should like to ask him of that land of which nothing was known in my own youth. Perhaps he will not mind seeing me alone" Stephens heart beat furious ly She felt suffocating with new hope, for what could be but good from Har- old's meeting with that sweet woman who had already brought so much comfort into her own life? She was abashed, and yet radiant; she seemed to tread on air as she stood beside her friend saying farewell. She did not wish to speak. So the two women