The Washington times., 1908-12-29

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| kitchen, night after night. laborioUsly
studying the divorce reports in the
newspapers, 50 that she might make no
/ mistake.
! Never questioning, therefore. that the
/ intelligence sent him was correct, he
! now drew fresh encouragement from it
! for his enterprise.
He was free this minute, Free TO WOO
| and wed whom he pleased, The
definite assurance would probably reach
| him IN an epistle from FIossy within
! two or three days; but it must be so,
/ for he would already have heard. II
/ there had been further ''posponmints' -
Certainly, il was an auspicious cir
| cumstance that this day. when he
stood upon the threshold OF his new
! career. should also see the swapping
OF the last tangible link which bound
| him to the past.
1t seemed almost as though Destiny
We're thus speaking to him. and say
ing: Go in and win all along the
line,"
He hesitated no longer. but set out
for one Hundred and Twenty-secOnd
street
Flossy. back in the kitchen Of the
little fiat, her dinner dishes all wash
ed up, heard his sharp ring at the
door. heard the greetings exchanged
Between him and Helene. heard Aunt
Margaret go into her own room and
close the door.
Then as she had done on many an
evening before, the thin-faced drudge
stole down the little hail Of the apart
ment, and lurking behind the por-
there's 70 the living room, listened to
all that passed within.
Much of the conversation which she
overheard in this way was duh and
uninteresting TO her ears-taIk OF
books and plays and music and pic
] lures and current events Of which she
had no more comprehension than a
child Of ten years, also details Of
Helene's work at school: but when
Starr Spencer would dilate upon his
wealth, and his prospects, and the big
operations in which he was engaged.
she would hold her breath. and crouch
tense to listen so as not TO lose a
single word.
She would watch them, too-watch
from behind the corner Of her cur
! tain, as cat watches a mouse-Stl,,fv-
ing with jealous glances the plav Of
expression on Helene's mobile face.
mer Of the light upon her lovely hair:
and when she saw Starr Spencers
cheek flush under the spell OF these
, witcheries, and his eyes grow dark
with suppressed passion. her own ewes
would glitter green in the darkness
and take on that menacing stare, .'as
Of tgress about to spring"
Then. at last. when he rose TO 20.
4 < Na to
room to survey bitterly in its little
square Of loolingglass the ravages
made by time and toll upon her own
girlish freshness-the salIow cheek.
the lined brow. the thin. wisp-nke
hair-untiI finally. casting herself up
on her narrow iron bed. and clutch
ing her throat TO stiGe the choking.
rebelliOus sobs, she would writhe and
toss half the night through IN a
storm OF fierce. primitive emotion.
only to be IN ready TO prepare break
fast al the usual hour in the morn
ing. capable, industrious, impassive
as ever.
All, there was a tragedy OF the heart
in the back as well as in the front
of that little Harlem iat; and per
haps the humber one was the greater
tragedy Of the two
To be bereft OF the object OF ones
affections by the processes OF fate
in the first flush Of loving and bein.,
loved. is hard: but TO see him turn
away Of his own free will TO seek a
to a woman IS the bitterness which
seareth the SOUL
Florence is a good girl" Aunt
~ to -H,rF oh,
sings over her work"
Beware of the girl who never sings
over her work. Beware OF her, but
judge her not too harshly when her
tortured spirit at last breaks the strain
Of repression. and from her mute lips
rises the cry Of mad. raging hostility
against the whole wOrld--aEainst the
whole world except the one person who
is to blame.
But the time had not yet come for
Flossy's ugress-cry to rise. Che could
not be exactly sure: there were still
some faint, wavering doubts in her
mind as to ''Pete's'' disIoyalty. He had
lied TO her about his affairs; but had
he also lied when ne told her that day
at his office she was the only girl he |
ever had or ever could care a straw !
about?
A womans faith will cling 20 the last
shred of hope. Helene, she knew, was I
the one woman he ever visited; yet she /
had never heard him address her mis- I
tress with a word 10 which even her |
Jealousy could take exception.
It was the more intangible evidences |
OF his passion-the kindling eye, the !
caressing tone Of voice. the stolen /
glances OF lOnging-which caused her
such anguished suffering; and yet, So /
long as he failed 70 put his alteration l
into words. she tried to argue with her
self that sh. was mistaken, that she
was imputing an importance 70 these
things which did not exist.
SO she continued 10 watch, and to |
listen. ard to torment herself ir this
way every time he called. until at last
she felt she could bear it no longer.
She must know.
Then a cunning scheme was haccEed /
In her brain. She would bring the de-
lays and postponements Of TIE divorce
case" to an end. She would let MIN
think she had secured the decree.
II ever he intended TO speak To
Helene. that would surely be the time !
when at last he considered himself
rec. with no longer any barrier he