The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-19

able career of connubial bliss. and yet
at the same time one cah't help feeling
just a little sorry, for the finger of
fate seems to have pointed to something
of this tragedy when Mr.. Barrie fore
Swallowed in his novel, when a Mans
Single this very condition.
Do you remember the situation
Rob went down to Simms' rooms with
joyous step and light heart. The
outer door stood ajar and as he pushed
1t open he heard a voice that turned his
face white. From where he stood par
alyzed he saw through the dark passage
INFO the sitting room. Mary Abinger was
standing before the fireplace, and as
Rob's arm fell from the door, Simms bent
forward and kissed her.
Rob turned from Simms door and
went quietly downstairs. looking to the
beade who gave him a good evening at
the mouth of the inn like a man going
quietly to his work. He could not keep
his thoughts. They fell about him in
sparks raised by a wheel whirling so
fast that 1t seemed motionless. 1.
by and by he was walking slowly.
laughing at himself. Since he met Mary
Abinger she had lived so much in his
mind that he had not dared to think of
losing her. He had only given himself
hts of dependency for the pleasure of
dispelling them. Now, all at once he
saw, without prejudice, the Rob Angus
who had made up his mind to carry off
this prize, and he cut such poor figure
that he smiled srlmly at it. He realized
| z
couth young man, who was himself,
rnusr have fancied that he was on the
Whole, less unworthy of Miss Abinger
than were most of the young men she
was likely to meet. With the exagger-
ated humility that comes occasionally to
men in his condition, without, however,
feeling sufficiently at home to remain
lcng, he felt that there was everything
| In Simms a girl could find lovable. and
nothing In himself. He was so terribly
open that anyone could understand him,
while Simms was such an enigma as a
girl would love to read. His own clum-
siness contrasted as disastrously with
Sinims' grace of manner as his blunt talk
compared with Smms' wit.
Most men are hero and villain sew
eral times in day, but Rob went
through the whole gamut of sensa tions
In half an hour, hating himself the
one moment for what seemed another's
fault the next, fancying now that he
was blessing the union OF Mary with
the man she cared for, and, again, that
he had Simms by the throat. He fed
from the f1eeting form of woman and
ran after it,
Rob saw his whole future life w.
ing before him. The broken-looking
man with the sad face aged before his
time, who walked alone up Fleet street,
was Rob Angus. who had come to Lon
don to be happy. Simms would ask him
sometimes to his house to see her.
but 1t was better that he should not
CO. She would understand why If her
husband did not. Her husband! Rob
could not gulp down the lump in his
throat. He rushed on again, with moth
ing before him but that picture of
Simms kissing her.
Stmms was not worthy of her. Why
had he always seemed an unhappy,
disappointed man If the one thing in
I'll, world worth striving for was his?
Rob stopped abruptly in the street with
the sudden thought Was 1t possible
that she did not care for Simms? He
had once heard Simms himself say that
you never knew what woman meant
by anything until she told you. and
probably not even then. But he saw
again the love in her eyes as she look ed
up into Simms' face. All through his
life he would carry that look with him.
They took no distinct shape, but wild
ways of ending his misery coursed
| through his brain, and he looked on
calmly at his own funeral. A terrible
stolidity seized him, and he conceived
nimsel1 monster from whom the ca
pacity to sympathize had gone. Child
| rem saw his face and fled from hin,
ne mad LETT England far behind and
owelt now among wild tribes who had
not before looked upon a white face
lneir SICK came to him for miracles
anu ne elther cured them or told them
to be gone. He was not sure VIII 9Th -
ne was fend or a missionary.
FOR the last time that night Rob
dreamed again. and now it was such
a nne picture he drew that he looked
upon 1t with sad complacency. MANY
years had passed. He was now rich
and famous. He passed through the
wynos OF Inrums and the Aud Lich is
| turned out to gaze at him. He saw
himself signing checks for charitabla
objects. His walls were lined WITH
books written by himself, and Mary
Abinger (WhO had not changed in the
least with the years. read them proud.
~, knowing that they were all written
for her (simms somehow had not full
niied ms promise.) The papers were
full or his speech in the house OF corr
mons the night before, and he had de-
clined seat in. the cabinet from con-
scientious motives. His Imagination
might soon have landed him master I'm
the mansion house, had 1t not deserted
him when he had most need of a.
He fell from his balloon like a stone
Before him he saw the blank years that
had to be traversed without any Mary
Abinger. and despair filled his soul.
All the horrible meaning of the scene
he had fed from came to him like
2 rush of blood to the head. and he
stood with 1t. glazing at it, In the
middle of a roaring street. Three ham
SONS shaved him by an inch. and tho
fourth knocked him senseless. ="
| Alas! Poor Barric's experiences will
furnish a page to the philosopher when
The writes his 'msmoirs pour servir Z
ll'histore de mon Temps" ~ did Guizot
lif ] repiembed right