Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-09-30

made her lips like an opening bud
Then slowly she said,-
"I-love-you,-Sidney."
The last syllable was in the merry
ring of her laughter.
l saw him often teaching her Eng.
lish and French. In those happy
hours he looked like a male mother
mad with ecstasy over the first falter
ing words of his baby. He was very
proud of her; and day by day she
rewarded him with the discovery Of
the hidden treasures of her simple
heart.
Twice winter chained water; twice
spring set it free and gave it songs;
twice chrysanthemums decked their
little garden; and they famed away
two summers. They were too much
in love to think of marriage-if that
were possible.
Those were happy days for him
for her.
Then there came little piece of
paper into that studio-to that nest
to speak more correctly, of Art and a
couple of spring buds. Upon that
paper was a message that came from
the other side of the world. Since
the receipt of it Sidney White was
never the same man. And poor o
Tome only wondered. 1t was rude,
to her Japanese way of thinking, to
ask many things of man, and then,
if he loved her, he would tell her all
she ought to know without her ever
asking. So she was silent-sad, be.
cause he was sad.
Come with me, o Tome-san," he
said to her one morning.
Where are we going?"
Il have found a nest. for you. And
l want to see if you like it or not"
And they walked up the hill side of
Kobe City.
you see, sweetheart he ex-
planned to her. 81 have always thought
that you would like to have cottage
all your own. And I think I've found
it. Well furnish it as you like, and
there you can do whatever you want.
l will come and see you there very
often, and we won't be bothered with
people who come to my studio; for
am going to keep my studio as it is"
They saw the cottage, whose YER
anda laughed full-mouthed towards
the entrance of the famous inland
Sea of Japan.
O Tome was delighted with it. 1t
was arranged that everything would
be put in order within week, and
at the end of that time o Tome was
to move into it.
"But why don't you move your
studio, too? l miss the pictures so
much" she said to him.
"Oh, sweetheart, you will have all
the pictures you want. You see,
don't want any Of my studio friends
bothering us at the cottage"
1t was about seventeen days since
Sidney White received cablegram
stating that his parents would bring
out his wife with them to join him in
Japan, where he seemed to be MAX
ing such prolonged study. Sidney
expected them seven days ahead o
Tome was to move to her new cottage
four days hence.
She could speak English fluently
now. and nothing charmed the artist
as the honey words from her lips.
Her head nesting in his breast, her
left arm around his neck, and the
fingers of her right hand going astray
in the maze if his hair, making the
long, wavy locks ripple like the golden
surface of sunlit sea, she was MUIR
muring:
Dear, you have such pretty hair;
It's like the halos of saints you paint"
There was the sound of many steps
in the hall. The housemaid never al
lowed anyone to enter the studio
without seeing if the artist were ready
to receive visitor But this time the
steps came steadily towards the door
of the studio. Just as o Tome leaped
off the lap of Sidney the door flew
open.
There was vigorous swish of
skirt
Sidney" exclaimed a stronger
voice than the dreamy melody of o
Tones throat. And he was lost be-
hind the flutter and whirl of foreign
millinery. A resounding kiss.
Great Heaven, Kate!" gasped a
husky voice.
A surprise party, my boy!" shouted
his father in the doorway. 1--WE did
surprise you!-ha! hal hal"
Mrs. White released him at last.
She turned round to signal the old
people to follow her example. The
slim figure of o Tome stopped her
eyes. At once they flashed back at
Sidney and found him ashy, all in a
tremor. Something hard entered the
blue of her laughing eyes.
Pray, who is that, Sidney?" Her
voice sounded like the breaking of an
icicle.
Sidney was human flame in an in
slant. He stammered.
Husband, for Heavens sake"
cried the lady, and then, turning to
o Tome roughly: who are you?"
81 am inst his model madam she