The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-03-24
EMlzlEluEEunEEnllE
THE VALLEY I
OF DECISION. +
4 BY Miss Ella Kenney. In
Observation-Disclosures

- SBy&alts lEllin ftenliey.
Observation-Disclosures
The pale shado~s Of departing
day are-creepiug dger the earth, the
last lingering rays or the setting sun;
cast a golden light on church splre
and roof andsthe bluebird chants
forth In melodions voice the last
sweet notes otthis evening song
High up In her room among the
Stars face sitsFEia girl. whose face and
figure are thrown into strong relief
against background OF. scarlet and
gold. She sits at the open winiow,
and the soft mellow rays of the set
ting sun cast gentle shadows that
seem to 'nccentuate her ISOLATION. In
her face ID expressed the remoteHess
Sof the spirittthat will ever; see visions
and dream dreams. while In her
dwelt ia sweet accord all those,
qualities. those subtle elusive ele-
!ments OF perfection that we esteem
but can. never wholly fathon.
Az she raises her eyes her glance
takes In the room-rhe open fire. the
easy chair. the table on which rests a
bundle OF manuscripts. and a soft
smile creeps over her conntenance.
Children of the Mist" she MUIR
murs. and lays caressinS fingers on
the neat pile OF papers. Her fancy
waAderslin and out through the vista
of departed years and she sees her
self young and happy girl embark
ing on the sea OF literature. brief
and Woodworking period OF noyitiate
found her at the height of fame. Her
books became a household possession
and her presence vas sought at many
a gathering. not only for her fame as
a writer. but because her sweet. sym
pathetic nature drew humanity to-
ward her; and her. charity and sweet
helpfulness tchcered many an unsuc-
cessfull follower.
One window OF her room looked
QUITO Oh many a roof garden, but
one little opening that caught the
first sweet flush OF dawn and the last
lingering set OF sur She loved the
wide glory OF the purple sky. It's
loneliness and Its mystery. A Sleep
Ing princess, waiting for her prince"
she designated herself. This little
world had ut time a fairy brightness
that c%ontrasted with its occasional
loneliness and the dark hourSwhen
fr:pst and SNOW shut out her view OF
SUD ana moon and stars. It made
'bhe side Of her life. one part or her
existence. 7 The other half Of her
4toHseiblisness belonged to the world
outside, I'll. the oatentation md vani-
ties that characterized her fellow
men: She found that standing on
the outskirts of the dim m%ultltudes
She [couldt view here; as well MS in
1herbMgh window. rising cnostellni-
:Nons. fleeing eclIpses and intermit-
!Teiiktsilences,,
The view !fascinated her, and when
at last the prince came, her whole
heart had leaped' responsive to the
great happiness; she WAS carried
along In the whirl; utterly. swept on
her feet. robbed OF all vo!ition. There
seemed no leisure hours to spend at
her high window, and she felt blind
ed an4Heafened by the ,:lamor Of her
'heart!'f But ut last there came Ia
@Hh9e Ifoment when. seated in her
okHahnfong the stars. ner5thoughts
: resolved themselves from chaos and
She c6dfd survey calmly and !ogi-
'dallNherpositlon. AS she glanced at
1.-THE solitaire he had placed upon her
hnEelhsheS seemed to see in It's place
earrhAln that bound her in rivets OF
stetLlsrF
!f,ui1IAu wife" he would say In one
OF, hh4tr. plans for the uture,.must
mott be n+public womnn The lie Of
Il woman in the public eye Is utterly
d~istasteful to me-" That she should.
give up her. writing was the sum OF
his desires. At first In the polgnancy
of her grief she had trlel to elimin-
ate him from her life. but the long
stretches of loneliness and the insis-
tent cries OF her heart rendered fu-
tile all attempts ut separation, and
she rcnlized with n pang that she had
come to d parting OF the ways.
Now once more seated at her high
window In the clouds, her hands ca
ressingly, lingerlngly laid upon her
manuscripts, -she feels that some
thing she had begun to live for has
gone fors nothing;, something sweet,
ardent and keen must come to an
end.
She crosses the DON TO the open
fireplace, where the ftful darts Of
flame cast fantastic shadows on wall
and floor; and kneeling. she stfrs the
dying embers into a bright glow
Their gently, tenderly. she places the
neat parcel on the Goals. Children
of the Mist."@sf she whispers. fare.
we'll" As the papers catch the glow
they quicken into flame. then die
out: a. coal becoming detached from
It's securityfalls with q sibllant. hiss
Ing noise and in the rosy glare is re-
Elected a subtle change In the face OF
the %kneettng gtri-the old look OF
surprise in the brown eyes has gone;
the old air OF enchantment has de-
y ~ ~ aI- uhnF aor,yN ~ ttnSt, -, lraatt -