The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-06-08
THE DREAM
s-rANDr,r
THE WAKING.

throng stood Mary, pink-cheeked, smil-
ing and talking animatedly about art;
Mary, in strange, estheuc array, with
the train Of her clinging gown coiled
serpentwise about her feet, her pretty
hair dragged forward in pale brown
fun that threatened to drop over her
eyes at any moment and rose tucked
| behind her dainty ear.
] Could she be that demure, shrinking
country girl whom Robert had escorted
to rural dances four short years ago?
Evidently the painting under consd-
| Grafton was the work of Marys hands.
| Ii was portrait of an amazingly tall,
| reed-like woman whose scanty dra-
| peries seemed in eminent danger of
slipping off altogether. Robert looked
from Mary to the picture and back sew
eral times before his bewildered con-
| seriousness grasped the significant fact
of her artistic achievement. Then, quite
| suddenly, Mary turned and saw him.
| "Why, Robert Nearing!" she cried
| with unfeigned delight, going forward
| with outsretched hands. Robert, in
deed I'm very glad to see you, really!"
1t was not at all what he had hoped
she would say, or, rather. not the way
he had hoped to be greeted. The old
| exquisite reserve of manner was gone;
her ready smile transferred itself from
the company to him with unprejudiced
sincerity that made it drearily imper-
sonal
"Of course, you'll stay for a little
chat about home folks!" she insisted.
Il live here with Miss Gilbert, my RI
val in art, and, being good Bohemians,
we get on swimmingly together
Robert stayed after the silken throng
had fiuttered off. Mary lit the pink
draped lamp on the little stand with its
half-emptied wineglasses. drew up an
easy chair. and seated herself where
the light fell rosily on her pretty, smil
| ing face She asked all manner of
questions about the old friends and her
brother, who had fostered her orphaned
childhood with paternal tenderness
"Dick hasn't been in to see me often
only twice, in fact" she told Robert.
But really don't miss him half as
much as l feared ] might, because so
| many other interests have come into
my life."
This is one of the interests | sup
pose" said Robert, nodding toward
picture on her desk; the photograph of,
man with a handsome, boyish face
| and eyes of singular, womanish beauty.
Mary's face took a delicate reflection
of the roses on her bosom and a sudden
radiance flashed across her fine eyes,
like CLEAN of sunlight on still waters.
"He is the dearest fellow in the
world" she answered, blithely. "a jolly
good fellow straight through"
Robert did not trust himself to an
swer. He picked up the picture and
looked closely but unseeingly at the
handsome, debonair face OF his rival,
while he fought down the pain OF de-
feat, for the look in her eyes when they
strayed toward the picture of "the dear
est fellow in the world" destroyed the
last vestige of his hopes.
He was a man OF fine character,
sternly upright and sweet-natured, but
slow Of speech and singularly reserved.
He had loved Mary in patient silence
for six years, during which his secret
hopes had helped him through much
toll and disappointment. Now that the
realization of his ambition had given
him the right to speak there was
another man in his light-a man
against whom he had not the shadow
of chance.
"Are you engaged TO marry him?" he
| asked presently, in hard, constrained
voice that quite startled Mary.
"Oh! dear, no." she laughed. We're
chums-good fellows. He is a writer,
and, like most of the tribe, poor and
charming. He writes stories about me
and poses for my sketches. Neither OF
us think OF marriage. We talked that
question all over and came to a sensi-
BILE understanding"
"And you've given up the idea OF
marrying?" Robert asked.
Mary nodded and bit off the tip Of
the bud she toyed with.
"Will career satisfy your
Perfectly" Mary answered, gllbly.
I'VE live as yon see, In happy-go-
lucky, unconventional way. We sell
our work when we can; when we can't
why, then, we don't" she laughed
with an irresponsible shrug,
Strikes me you've changed good
DEAL" said Robert, soberly, after a
thoughtful pause.
IL don't like the idea of you living
this way, Mary" said the young fellow,
involuntarily glancing at the wine
glasses.
This is because of your absurdly
one-slded view of things" she laughed,
good-naturedly. 1T is great fun, re-
ally. 1t spoils one for the humdrum
| life of the old-fashioned woman.
"That is just why | object to it. I'd
rather see you happily married and set
tied down in what you call humdrum
life than living as you do here.
Couldn't you paint as we'll even II you
were married?"
Dear. no." said Mary, very positive
/. ly, with laugh at the absurdty OF
such thought. Marriage spoils art.
But what of yourself, Robert? Why
don't you take your own advice and
/ settle DOWN."
Because" said Robert, gravely,
y II 4