Mexico Missouri message., 1910-08-25
CHAPTER XIV.
Past and Present.

Past and Present.
How long do you think It will be
before they will be here?" asked the
man, after they had sat silent on the
hill to windward of the fire watching
the trail of smoke.
Il should think that it would be per.
haps an hour or little more. Why?"
she returned, after a moment pause.
Are you anxious to have them here?"
For the life of her she could not
keep the bitterness out of her cues.
tion. The man looked at her in sur.
prise. She had never lost her temper
before him in the years they had been
together. There had been something
singularly simple, free and unre,
strained in their life. Nothing had
ever occurred to vex her, at least not
after the man had known enough to
notice it. She was a woman of sunny,
even temper under any circumstances,
and she had felt 1t incumbent upon her
to be as nearly perfect as possible,
since she represented humanity to
him, nor had it been a difficult task
for her to be gentle. This flash of re-
sentiment, therefore, struck him as
something entirely novel In his
amazement for moment he forgot
the injustice of 1t, the unl1indness of it,
He looked at her strangely and Eaid
to her, with little touch OF ps-
verify:
"You know that it is not that,
Woman"
He had no terms of endearment.
He had never heard the words that
lovers use, and although he knew that
her name was Katharine, and he b,.
lieved that his was John, and though
sometimes they made use of these
names, generally they called each 9th.
er by the broad generic terms which
stood for sex. Names are only for
differentiation and Identification in
any event, and here was no need for
such appellation. She loved to cali
him Man." and she loved to hear hin.
call her Woman"
"You know" he said, that It's not
who brought the world upon u.s."
81 was unjust, unkind," she an.
swered quickly enough, stretching out
her hand to him. you must forgive
me. You see even the approach of
yonder ship brings bitterness into our
hearts and into our speech"
81 guessed that it would be so when
l saw you weep" said the man. 81
wish now that had not given you the
flint and steel; that had not allowed
you to light the beacon"
my friend, it had to be. Don't re.
proach yourself for that. Sooner or
later this island would have been Wis.
tied by some one. Sooner or later the
ship would have come to fetch us
of"
But we were SO happy here" he
protested.
"Yes," she answered, but not since
yesterday"
Are you unhappy because 1 love
your"
Because" she made swift to reply
81 am no longer sure that you will
love me always"
But you love me, do you not?" he
questioned, eagerly.
Eyes"
Are you sure of yourself?"
Absolutely"
'Why not of me, then? Am I less
/ true? Do love less than your"
mot now"
what is the difference between us,
them"
81 have seen the world and you have
not"
But tell you that will make no
difference; that"
mo man can say that who has no
experience to draw upon"
you are my mentor" said the man,
gently. "You have taught me all I
know, but sometimes l think that
about some things 1 know more than
you, and this is one thing of which
am sure"
YES" said the woman, you can
be sure 80 long as conditions remain
as they are at present, but other
times, other manners
you have something to tell moT'
interposed the other, swiftly.
The woman nodded.
''You said yesterday you would ten
me to-day. Why not tell me noWIS
/