The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-01-21

She could not contain herself any
longer. 81 would rather even not
have been happy and seen you great
and doing great work, !" she said.
He stretched out his hand and took
hers, which he held and caressed
softly. They have been happy, little
enthusiast" he said.
Don't say that, Edward" she
said, quietly; that was all very well
in the old days, which you say were
nonsense. was only a girl then,
but now am middle-aged and not to
be put on In that way. am not .
little enthusiast, I'm an anxious wo-
man. You should not put me OF
with phrases of the past"
! "You are always a girl, Carry, II
you should live to be thousand, =
he said, with faint laugh. ST you
Eere middle-aged. as you say. you
would be content with results as we
have them. Here we are, we two to-
gether, with all the happiness we
once so eagerly looked forward to.
and which seemed for a time hopeless:
Very well OF, thanks to you. Able to
surround ourselves with everything
that is delightful and pleasant, be-
sides the mere fact of being together,
able to help our poor neighbors in a
practical way; thanks to you again.
Not so much as a crumple in our bed
Of roses-not thorn. My dear, that
Is what you would think of If you
n No "
Then let me be silly girl as in
the old times" she said, though it
was all nonsense, nothing but nom
sense, as you say"
Softly, softly he said, taking
her hand again; ''let us discriminate,
Carry. Love can never be nonsense
which has lasted like ours. My love,
you must not blaspheme."
"Love!" she cried. Carry's whole
frame was trembling; her heart beat
Ing to her feet, to her fingers, in her
throat. She seemed to herself only
to be slim sheath, the nearest WOO
ing to that convulsive heart. There
was something like-could it be,
scorn? in the infection of her voice.
He took her by both hands, now,
throwing down the cigarette which
had betokened the entire care of his
mind. and drew her toward him.
Something like alarm had come into
his tone. and something like indig.
nation, too. 4
Carry" he said, holding her fast.
Garry, what do you mean? Not
that my love was nonsense which
was wooed from you, notwithstand-
ing everything mot that you dis
trust me?"
The darkness is an advantage in
many an interview like this. 1t pre-
vented him from seeing all that was
in Lady Cars face, the impetuous,
terrible question, the impulse of wild
skepticism and unbelief, the intoler-
able ifnpatience of the idealist not to
be altogether restrained Her eyes
asked what her lips could not say.
Why did you leave me to be another
mans wife? Why let me be stained,
troubled, trodden under foot? Why
expose me to all the degradations
which nobody could impose on you
and why, why? But Garry said none
of these things. She could not.
There are some things which the re-
ligion of the heart forbids ever to be
put in words. She would not say it.
He might have read it in her eyes, but
the darkness kept that revelation
from him which would have been
more startling than anything Beau
fort had ever encountered in his life.
Finally, Carry, who was only a wo-
man and sensitive and delicate one,
fell into the universal feminine anti
climax-the foolishness of tears.
How often do their irrestrainable
tears put the deepest reasons out of
court, and turn the most solemn bur-
den of the soul into apparent foolish
ness!-a woman's tears, which often
gain foolish cause, but as often
lose strong one, reducing the deep
grief to the level of the shallow, and
placing the greatest offender in the
delightfully."- superior position of the
man who makes allowances for and
pardons. Beaufort gathered her in
to his arms, made her have her cry
out upon his shoulder, soothed and
Gained and caressed her out of her
passion of feeling. II anyone had
whispered in his ear what was in the
passionate heart that throbbed on
his shoulders! But he would have
smiled and would not have believed.
She was little enthusiast: still the
same young ethereal poet as ever, a
creature made up of lovely impulses
and sympathies and nerves and feel
ings, his sweet Carry, his only love.
After this evening Lady Car had a
little illness. nothing of any conse-
quence. chill taken sitting out too
late on the lawn, headache, prob
ably neuralgia. A little ailment
quite simple, such as ladies often
have, keeping them in their rooms
and dressing gowns for a day or two.
A woman scarcely respects herself