Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-02

taking our things for debit she walled
| I'm going to have them all brought back
I'm going to tell John to have those
wagons turn around and bring every one
OF those lovely cages home again where
he can have them as long as he lives
Oh, dear, I've been planning for such a
happy trip and such good Christmas at
! sea. and l know now 1 shall just hate it.
and the voyage and Italy-and-and may
be John will die there! Oh why was
| ever born, anyWay?'
| But she did not call the wagons back
! Perhaps she knew they would not come
| even If she did call-that the matter had
| gone too far to retreat now. Perhaps
she never really meant to do SO. but only
| found comfort in giving vent to her self
abasement in that form. hoping to ap-
| pease the gods by SO vigorous a simula-
! ton of good intentions. We poor humans
are likely to do such things.
Chatwood left the house early on the
morning of the sale. He kissed his wife
goodbye with sufficient heartiness. But
| Mary remembered the night when he had
/ found the old Delft cage during one of his
| many nocturnal rambles in the Jewish
| quarter, how he had walked three miles
| to bring 1t home, because he had paid
| out every cent In his purse. even to cal
| fare, and how he had grabbed her al the
| door and danced her around and around
| in the joy of his new treasure and kissed
| her so loudly that the servants had
ii
| difference between his salutes now and
then indicated the change in his regard
! for her, she felt that the world-their
world-without Delft cage. and all the
other cages, was pretty poor excuse
| after all
| She turned back into the house to busy
herself with her preparations. She felt
that she must put by all regrets and
| make the best of the journey for which
so sad price was being paid. Yet, try
as she would, she could not forget. In
fancy she saw the crowd of bidders at
the auction rOOms-Saw Johns treasures
| being put up piece by piece and competed
for by those who had been always his
rivals and had envied him his rare pos
sessions. Then suddenly she, too, was
seized with cold fear. Suppose, after all,
the bidders did not come. John had said
himself that the fancy for cages was still
young. Suppose nobody that really count
ed came to buy, and that Johns treasures
were knocked down, given away. for a
trifie. Suppose they brought only a few
cents each. What then of their winter
voyage to the south, of their happy
Christmas at sea? After her husband S
noble sacrifice for her, after all his pa
tient martyrdom. suppose it should be all
to no purpose, except to benefit lot
of poor fools who buy priceless cages for
q song because, forsooth, they might
some day have the singers. The thought
made her weak and trembly. She dropped
into a cnalF 10 SdtueT ilItie strength.
| The ringing of the door bell just then
made her jump. But 1t was only the post
man. and a moment later the maid
brought the letters.
There were two-one for John from the
steamship company, one in large official
envelope, for herself. This she tore open
and some papers dropped out. When she
had examined them once Over-then twice
she leaned back in the chair again try
ing TO think. 1t seemed to her that the
air had become rather close. Presently