Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-04-28
. M BE s
LEIGH GORDON GILTEER
Copyright. BY Daily Story Pub. Co..

Time and suffering had carved sharp
lines about his lips and eyes and
touched his temples with gray; while
the woman's opulent beauty seemed
but to have Powered into fuller per
lection. Her face was unfurrowed !:
her eyes as lustrous as when they had
last met his-but something had gone
out of them. Her voice, her smile,
were kind, but somehow their very
kindness struck chill to the Joy
at his heart
lone" he said, Il came as soon as
! decently might-to ask you to for
give me and help me bridge over these
six wasted years"
Forgive you," she interrupted,
why Will I've wanted always to own
myself in the wrong and to ask you
to forgive mel"
He made a movement toward her,
but something-or the lack of some
thing-in her eyes restrained him.
The fault was wholly mine," she
went on quietly 1T was such a
little thing-but / often think life's
greatest tragedies grow out of trifes.
A word from me would have sufficed-
but my foolish woman's pride would
not let me speak. II / had been-less
uncertain-but il was at a time when
everything was still indefinite. was
not sure Of you-or even of myself.
Yet think you must have guessed
that cared; and / used to fancy
you did love me, WHIP"
Love you! In the years I'VE spent
away from you I've sounded the
depths Of despair. don't quite under
stand what kept me from being
brute to her; some inherited instinct
OF decency perhaps-my forbears were
gentlemen, I'm told-though had only
myself to blame. She was an acct.
dent of Fate. 1t might have been
any one else. ! was mad enough for
anything.
She drew a long. deep breath.
1T would have spared me something
II ! could have made myself believe |
that, VIII, but / couldn't. kept tell |
Ing myself that you did not love me,
that you never had and that my fool
ish vanity made me fancy It, When | /
heard of your marriage"
Don't speak of it. dear. was des.
perate-half mad, l think. / thought
you had been playing with me, that
you had planned it all to show your
power-ah, what a fool what a mis-.
cradle, blind fool l was! And then to
drag that innocent girl into my misery
1T was brutally unfair to her. But
| don't remember that / thought of
her. Suffering makes men selfish and
was wild with rage and pain.
married her with some mad idea of
proving that your Wanted powers had
lone. If | alone could have
suffered for my folly! | tried not to
act the cad, lone. Upon my honor /
did my best | tried with all my
strength to keep the truth from her,
but | think she guessed almost from
he first"
Poor child" lone said softly. Poor
,hild,"
lone" he said wistfully, have you
10 pity for me? It is the erring al
ways who need piy-not the limo
,ent"
She turned her eyes upon him.
WILL" she said slowly, lit would
,nce have been balm to my hurt to
Know that you needed pity-but I'm
,ast all that now. / used to feel that
could have given you up to her al
most resignedly, if | had been sure !
hat your heart was mine But the
inc came when conquered that feel I
ng and tried TO hope that you loved
Ter l think mine was not wholly a /
elflsh love, VIII. All through those /
rst awful days after | conquered my 3
bitterness, / kept saying to myself {
ver and over. He loves her: he Is 5
appy. That should be enough for {
ne, But 1t wasn't, Will I'm very {
uman and after little | grew hungry '
or the sight Of you, for your voice, &
our smile-why VIII, could willing 4
, have been a servant in your house c
her servant-only to be near youi" e
lone" he cried passionately. G
lone but she stayed him with a b
lance. =
What I lived through that FIRST 1
ear and the years that followed you
ill not care to hear It is not .
leasant story. But always the Y
ercest fame win burn itself out in D
pain spent itself. Peace b
anne TO me-the calm Of the lotus G
ater. At first, a chance word, the cas-. s
al mention Of your name. brought Il s
i back to me and made me wretched
1r days. But it is not SO now. The q
anne has burned itself to ashes.
The mans face was drawn and mis- !.
rgble i
Il might have known. / might have
Jared this. he said duly, III deserved d
othins less" h
She id not seem To hear. B
Will she went on. ii used to ten IL
cd that Il re would let me feel for Il "
sy-for an hour-that you loved me h
could bear anything that came after.
seemed To me that If ] might feel n,
he toach d your lips On mine for one
nc moment should ask nothing !
lore Of Fate a.