The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-10-01

my sudden momcntous step was not the spectacle
OF Constance Larcher's love, shining always more
and more wildly through her convcntionality's
light, lustrous she'll but the fatefu sentence that
the doctor had let drop. when tortured by my fears
Tor her, had gone alone to sec him. IT'S of no
use for me to suggest anything further he had
told me impaticntly. almost angrily Nothing can
help her now. she has neglected herself too long
The horror with which this smoe me- and the
almost intolerablc sense OF guilt that ii aroused.
seemed 10 give me the energy to do something
decisive at last So sent that very night for Sidney
lie came in, looking young and serene and
trustul that / could have wept for him. But I
could not spare him. Or so / bclievcd-ior | had
not given myself time to think it over. | made
HIM sit by me so that ] could look straight into
his eyes-and told him everything. put the case
TO him as hardly and squarcly though the poor
womans inatuaton logically imposed obi-
cation upon him; though she were the hrst
woman who had loved HIM vainly as though there
were not, to my own knowledge, a OF others
And then, with all tho fcryor that was in me-
begged him to take pity on her
He waited silently until at last I had Finished
then he asked ii | were entirely sure.
i can swear 1t to you, ! said. "Shc is dying
and she loves you unspeakably. Dear boy. you
have your whole liie apart from this, to do what
you like with. After all, 1t isn't much for you to
do and 1t involves such beautiful thing. You
remember saying that she made Tor happncsso
oh give it to her, Sidney, before She dies
What had said seemed to have sunk to an uu-
probed depth in him He looked old and strange
as he sat there his head turned away. AiJer
long silence he turned to II believe you care
very much about this Adcla 1t would be doing
something for you. would it not?"
told him
"In that case" lie said still very sobcrly. you
may he content But I'm weak enough 10 want
you to understand Just once-you may forget 1t
again when l am gone from the room-why it is
that do It ] mean. that it is all for you" lie
paused, and his look burned me. Then he turned
away. I'll 1t had not been for this, | should never
have let you know Adela-you must believe that"
| understood; and in the one instant that I had
met his look wondered THAI could ever have
thought hIm a volatile boy. | rose, and was
stumbling out OF the room when he stopped me.
Don't Adea." he said, calmly. 81 shall never
say 1t again And shall not ask you TO forgive
Am not doing the only thing you ever asked
of me-" Then he smiled curousy. and left
An hour passed. two-I do not know how
long it was. But | know that sat trembling,
thinking OF the two who knew were upstairs
together. and OF tho thing that had brought about.
| thought, too. OF the ugly things that people would
say OF me if they knew all that had done-and had
not done And tried to Judge myself but could
not for the panic that was upon me lest alter all
l had done evil-evil TO them both. But before
she slept knew that Constance would come to tell
me; and at last she came.
She seemed almost mystically radiant when she
came into the room but She said nothing until she
had come to sit by
"I thought it would interest you" She smiled
quietly TO know that | am absolutely happy"
could not forbear a cry of delight that she had
put it SO; and for moment l fet,absoved
Isn't IT unheard-of thing" she
] am rather stupid and ] am ILL., And yet this
wonder has about We be married
Sidney Fennell and l.
And you ore happy | pressed her super
huousy, hungry for her recration.
Tonight I feel that all the happiness OF tho
world is centred in me. ] hardly bear it"
As | looked at her. what she had said seemed
scarcely eXaggeration. The years with their
anxieties and fears seemed have slipped from
her and the withercd petals Of her youth seemed
again freshly 10 cnfold her Yet what she had was
bryO he luoNy NylpIg of for dce1p her
bliss was the of contrast tina, life had taught
her the mature knowledge OF pam. looked at
express Whatever might happen aiterward, could
1t be crime that had won for her this inefablt
thing7 1t may have been that, being woman !
scntimentast, or it may have been that had
A strain of essential wisdom At all events the
thing that did is long since rreparabe, and shall
never know.
/ little of Sidney Fenncll after this had hap
pencd But Constance. when Sidney was not with
her stayed with me almost all the time. Her
whole being seemed bathed in delight now that the bonds
looscd that she had so long. She could
talk frankly. OF Sidney now and eNtol him. and a
mere acquescence on my part quite oontcntcd her
1t is my solacc to remember that She was
during those few wecks-and. ot course. aftcrward
also. though did not see her thcn-thc happiest
woman ! have known. The two things that
| feared would trouble her, a doubt of Sidneys
love and too depressing consciousness OF her own
physical condition. seemed not at all TO enter into
her state of mind This was, | knew, because 1t
not in her nature TO resist happiness; JOY hav-
ing entered in. was IL home with her. She did not
fear anything that was to come. far less lament
anything that past; she in ccstatc
present 1t carly i'll May when they were mar
RED, and Sidney to take her to some warm,
dry mountain spot where pretended to hope she
would get we'll few moments before she LETT
she took apar, and kissed me-
81 wish you would always remember, She said.
that feel toward you I feel toward no
else in the world You have been so good friend
in some mysterious way it seems though
owed my happiness to you And | shall always
bless you
So with the memory of that. and Of the gladpcss
| had so abundanty seen in her, have TO be con-
tent And in the moments when can recall them
most vvidy, cannot be sorry that did her
life
1t was year later that Sidney Fenncll came back
to town He has become OF musician than
VIC had thought in him But [ see him very
seldom now. And we do not speak OF her