Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-16

hangings of a small anteroom the large
inner studio looked like q picture in
frame-draperies and rugs from the ORR
ent, luxurious pillowed divan and win
dow seat. a coy 5 o'clock tea table,
statuettes and graceful bric-a-brac and
pictures, pictures everywhere. Near
the great north bay window she stood
at her easel. her back toward the door.
Simply gowned in black, her figure
looked young In spite of Its regal
crown of lovely white hair, which the
western sun touched softly with a
peculiar halo-like radiance. A singu-
lar little pain clutched at his heart.
She turned. and "1Ierciful heaven. 1t
is Sadie" he cried, springing toward
her.
She met him with hands out
stretched. placing them in his; then he
would have caught her up to him i'm
pulsively had not an undefnable
something forbade him.
Sadie! My wife, my wife!' he
cried, crushing her hands between his.
mo, not that. Sheldon, any more.
butt wanted to see you once more
forgive the subterfuge-and-I had to
keep one of your names; Vera is my
middle name 1t is the name, Mrs.
Vera Sheldon, that 1 have gone by
ever since 1 came here three years ago
to try to forget-that which is unfor-
gettable."
He stood there, looking at her in a
bewildered way. What had hap
pened? In one lightning fash he saw
It all. What a fool he had been-what
q fool! There was no other woman ike
her, and he loved her-yes, he loved
her; he knew now that he had loved
her through it all. And he had been
SO impulsive, so blind, SO unrelenting.
He poured it all out to her-passionate-
~, penitently, yearningly-all the pent-
up emotion of those five long, long
years. And she-she listened, very
gravely for a time; then she reached
up and laid her hands against his
broad shoulders and smiled.
He caught her to his heart with
long, low cry:
lob, oh, can 1 ever forgive myself?
And you-oh, of course, you will not
you cannot"'
You might at least ask and not
take everything for granted!' she
pouted, trying to turn away from him,
ever SO slightly.
"And Laddie," he asked, a few mo-
ments later, "our little Laddie, where
is he? Surely he"-
'Laddie is at school, but will be
home presently. He is quite a big
boy now. dear" And she smiled up
at him again. How very dark her
eyes looked beneath her wonderful
hair, far more beautiful, hair and eyes
both, than ever before, though at what
grievOus cost he shuddered to think.
Somehow as he looked at her he was
reminded of great purple-black pansies
caught under an untimely snowdrift.
He touched the fluffy wilderness rever-
emily, almost fearfully, as if it might
chill his fingers. he could not speak
some way, but his eyes did it for him.
Yes" she said gravely, looking
down, sorrow has made an old wo-
man OF me. l am sorry
Hush, sweet! 1t is not for you to
apologize
After a little he espied over by an
other window a second easel, quite
small, upon which stood a very credit
able sketch of a handsome Scotch col
lie dog. Crossing over, he scrutinized
If approyingly.
What have you here-the work OF
some pupil?"
YES" she answered proudly; that
IS the work Of my favorite pupil
Ladder
Indeed" he exclaimed. with en-
thusiasm. "What-our little Laddie?
Why. the dear little fellow couldn't
have done anything that would have
pleased me more"
When Laddie came in from school
an hour later he found mamma, with
such n happy look in her dark eyes,
pouring tea at the tiny table, and
yes. his papa standing by her with
his hand on her glorious white hair
ard looking just as If he did not know
whether to cry or be happy or both
at once.
The half hours sitting" was,
strange 10 say. forgotten. but Sheldon
McAllister proved his "leniency to-
ward the eccentricities of a white
haired woman by insisting on flying
visit to the county clerks Office. and
when he came back he brought a
minister with him.