The Democratic advocate., 1909-07-30
HIS LESSON
It Taught Him lust What the Girl
Wanted His& to Know.
By ROBERT a. KNOWLES.

side. gazing silently into the soft May
moonlight. The air had the haunting
sweetness that comes at evening from
growing things in their freshness. 1t
was still and dreanily peaceful, time
to soothe human restlessness and hui
man pain.
But it did not soothe Jane. She had
been sitting there so quietly all even
ing that ii seemed to her she must
jump from the chair. screaming at the
top of her voice. in another minute.
Under the light shawl she wore she
twisted her hands together in an effort
to control herself. Yet she continued
to stare out at the moonlight as IL to
behold 1t were the one thing worth
living for.
Rodney was staring out at the moon
light. too, and enjoying 1t. He liked
the stiffness; he liked being able to
keep silence; he liked to be sitting
there beside Jane.
If Rodney had loved her, Jane
thought bitterly. he would at least
have held her hand. But he did not love
her; he only liked her because he had
always known her and because she
was the one girl with whom he could
be perfectly natural II he wished to
be silent with her he was silent; be did
not feel 1t necessary to make the ef-
fort TO talk. Yet Jane felt sometimes
that his dumbness was uncomfortable.
If only he would speak. Evening aft
er evening he came to sit with her in
the same way.
Jane had always had hope until to-
night. A man who could sit beside a
girl-a fairly pretty girl, too-on such
a night and not make love TO her was
certainly as near being without heart
as man could be.
Jane gave him up. And In giving
him up she gave up also many of the
dreams and Of her longings. her youth.
Slowly her eyes filed with tears.
Slowly she forced back the tears and
swallowed the choking lump in her
throat But she could not keep back
one rncking sigh. and Rodney heard It.
He rose instantly, reminded OF the
hour and apparently OF her.
81 must go" he said, looking for his
hat
Jane rose. too, with apparent calm
He looked forth at the moonlight
again, not at her wlstfully.
1T is wonderful" he said. Moon.
light like that always makes me forget
myself. Good night. Jane"
"Good-b-by." Jane answered strange
ly. but he seemed not TO notice.
Her father stood before the lamp
reading q letter as she entered the
house
He looked up at her over his glasses
Rodney goneT' he asked
Yes" James tone was tense.
Anything the matterT" he inquired
anxiously.
She shook her head. with a hard 1T
tie laugh
Nothing at ALL" she said.
This letter is from your Aunt Jane"
no said. "She wants us 20 come TO sec
her. II has been nine years since she
was here-the same year your mother
died. I've never been TO see her since
she went to Boston TO live. But | am
going nowhere going. Jane, what's
to hinder us from going tomorrow
Tomorrow" Jane gasped. And to
Boston! She turned pale with the sud.
denness OF Il all.
BY noon next day they had gone,
bag and baggage. And that evening
when Rodney came walking up in the
moonlight he found unlIghted win.
dows and locked door. He sat down
upon the steps and waited. How
strange Il wasl Jane had not told him
she was going away. He sat there
wondering until Mrs. Clancy, who lived
next door. came trundling her baby
past on her way home.
'"That you. RodY' she called In her
sweet Irish voice.
yes, Mrs. Clancy. Where are the
folks that belong hereT'
why, don't you know? Hush, Ted
dy, while mamma talks to the gentle.
man. They've gone to Boston--left at
noon today. can't tell you how long
they intend TO be gone"
To Boston, And without saying u
word to him. Rodney could not speak,
and after Mrs. Clancy had waited a
moment for him to do so she went ON
with her baby, leaving him to figure
1t out by himself
Jane did not write to him from Bos-
ton. and he did not write to her be-
cause he did not know her address.
And he would not ask for IL from any
one Of the girls to whom he knew she
was writing. But he heard things
about hcr-how she was going about
with her fashionable aunt, having new
clothes made aud enjoying herself gen
orally.
The hot summer dragged on slowly.
Rodney grew thin and looked pale. He
was working too hard, they said.
Cut it out. Rod" they told him
cheerfully you've got money enough
and are making more. Why do you
want to kill yourselfP'
Rodney smiled patheticalIy and kept
on working.
One day Edna Trayers told him that
she had just received James picture
and she looked dandy" Jane had
also written to say she had three
strings to her bow"
After that Rodney literally dropped
He began to walk past the house and
as he grew more desperate. to sit upon
the veranda in the chair where he had
spent so many silent hours. James lit
tie chair was beside his and be liked
to keep his hand upon 1t. rocking II
gently, while me thought of her. Some
times he fell asleep sitting there, for 1t
was hot weather. and night always
found him tired