Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1909-09-23


Careless people always lose
things" said she severely; II always
told you how careless you were"
I'm afraid you we're right" I adj
mitted; "but I didn't mean to be-
"Oh, one never means to be, of
course. Don't urge that as an ex-
cuse."
THE fault is not all mine,' l eK-
tenuated.
She laughed
Whom are you trying to put II
on?" she asked.
But did not reply, and presently
she inquired more kindly:
Was what you lost Of much valuel"
"Of the greatest value"
"Pshaw! that's too bad. Have you
tried to recover. it?" And now a
friendly interest warmed her tones
IT'S no use," said hopelessly.
But / should think you'd try, at
least" she urged.
looked at her speculatively.
II wish dared" l sighed.
How queerl Why don't you dare?"
There are several reasons"
She faced me accusingly.
Are you talking in epigram?" she
suddenly demanded. "You know how
l hate It."
Not at ALL" I protested; but, you
see, this didn't really belong to me.
never possessed it. hoped that some
day it would be mine, and now l have
lost the hope of 1t. Do you see what
1 mean?"
She put her chin in her palm and
stared into the fire.
"That is so different-so altogether
different" she said.
But quite as hard to bear" in
sisted. 1T is no easier to lose the
hope of thing than to lose the thing
itself"
Perhaps not" she admitted,
thoughtfully; but we have all had a
great many losses of that kind"
Il never had loss like this" 1 re-
piled seriously, and l arose to punch
the fire and change the subject.
Barbara, however, was both sympa-
thetic and interested, and also, I
think, she considered this a safe and
comfortable topic and she wished to
avoid others that might not prove
SO. So she said:
Il can't see why you have given up
all hope of getting this thing that you
want You say you dare not make an
other try at it. But l don't under
stand. Is it some sort of chairman
ship, and has it been given to some
one else?"
1T is not craftsmanship" l an
swered her; 'but, yes, it has been
given to some one else"
quite irrevocably?"
81 am afraid So"
Pm so sorry for you"
Thank you. l need your sym
pathy."
Then it meant a great deal to
your"
She turned in her chair quite sud
denly and looked at me, the question
in her eyes. At the moment the fire
began to fame and crackle, falling
full on my unwilling face, and heI
eyes, meeting mine, comprehended in
spite of me, wavered, and dropped.
"Oh!" she breathed very softly, "oh
why did you-did you do it?"
"He isn't much of a man who goes
about whimpering, is he?" I asked
trying to smile but making a disma
failure of it. IF the fire had only
smouldered a minute longer you neet
never have known. Don't remember
it, and don't let it make any difference
in your-your happiness"
DON'T" she cried. She put hel
face down on the arm of the chair and
left it there a minute, while l stood
looking helplessly down at her. Pres
emily she lifted her head and looked
at me with eyes filled with scorn.
81 hate myself when I think of wha
you must think of me-" she flashed
Can you think one kindly thing?"
mot one" said /, "but a thousand.
Her smile wavered through tears
and she put out her hand to me. She
ought motif was a dangerous mo
ment: there are times when the hard
est thing in the world is to take the
hand of the woman you love. But she
didn't know it. and took it.
| mo 1,T,