Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-10-07

| showed and what comprehension. This
high and mighty handling Of a most DIFF
fcult situation and a most difficult man,
had imposed on Brotherson, had almost
imposed upon himself Those letters so
beautiful so spirituelle Yet the odds
were that she had never read them, much
less distracted them. The mink the
ready resourcefuI, willy, daring mink,
But had she imposed on Brotherson?
As the silence continued. Sweetwater
began to doubt. He understood quite well
the Importance of his neighbors first
movement Were he to tear those letters
into shreds! He might be thus tempted
All depended on the strength Of his pres
ent mood and the real nature Of the secret
which lay buried in his heart
Was that heart az fiinty as it seemed?
Was there no place for doubt or even for
curiosity, in its impenetrable depths?
Seemingly he had not moved foot or hand
since his unwelcome visitors had left
He was doubtless stl staring al the
scattered sheets lying before him, posi-
bly, battling with uuaccustomed impulses
possibly weighing deeds and consequences
in those slow moving scales Of his in
which no man could cast a weight with
any certainty how far its even balance
would be disturbed
There was sound as Of settling coal
only at night would one expect to hear
so slight a sound as that in a tenement
fun OF noisy children But the moment
CHANGED to be propitlous, and it not only
attracted the attention OF Sweetwater on
his side Of the wall, but It struck the ear
Of Brotherson also. With an ejaculation
as bitter as it was impatient. he reused
himself and gathered up the letters
Sweetwater could hear the successive
rustings as he bundled them up in his
hand. Then came another silence then
the lirting Of a stove lid
Sweetwater had not been wrong in his
secret apprehension. His identification
with his unimpresslona BILE neighbours
mood had shown him what to expect
These letters these innocent and pre-
cious outpourings OF a rare and womanly
soul the only conceive bic open sesame to
the hard-Iocked nature he found himself
pitted against, would soon be resolved
into vanishing puff of smoke
But the lid was thrust back. and the
letters remained in hand, Mortal strength
has it's limits. Even Brotherson could
not shut down that lid on words which
might have been meant for him, harshly
as he had repealed the idea
The pause which followed told little.
but when Sweetwater heard the man
within move with characteristic energy to
the door turn the key and step back
again 10 his place al the table, he knew
that the danger moment had passed and
that those letters were about to be read
not casually but seriously, as indeed
their contents merited
This caused Swcetwater to feel serious
himself Upon what result might he
calculate? What would happen TO this
hardy soul. when the fact he so scorn-
fully repudiated was borne in upon him.
and he saw that the dsdain which had
antagonized him was mere device
cloak To hide the secret heart OF love
and eager womanly devotion" Her death
little "a BrotheTson would believe II up
until now-had been his personal, loss
the greatest which can befal "a man.
When be came To see this-when the mod
est tervor Of. her unusual nature began
to dawn upon him IN these sclf-revcla-
lions. would the result be remorse. or lust
the deadening and final extinction OF
whatever tenderness he may have re
tanned for her memory"
Impossible TO tell, The balance of prob
ability hung even. Sweetwater recognized
this, and chung. breathless. to his loop
hole Faiu would he have seen. as well
as heard
Mr. Brothersou read the first letter
standing AS 1t soon became public prop
erN. | viii give It here. Just as Il after
wards appeared in the columns of the
greedy journals
Beloved.
When | sit, as | often do, in perfect
quiet under the stars. and dream that
YOU are looking at them toe. not for hours
as | do, but for one fun moment in
which your thoughts are with me as
wholly as mine are with you, | feel that
the bond between us. unseen by the
world, and possibly not wholly recognized
by ourselves, is instinct with the same
power which links together the eteru-
ties
1T seems to have always been: to
have known no beginning only bud
ding, an enlorescence. the visible product
OF hidden but always present reality. A
month ago and / was ignorant, even, Of
your name Now, you seem the best
known to me, the best understood, Of
Gods creatures one afternoon of per
fect companiUship one flash OF strong
emotion with It's deep, true insight into
each others soul, and the miracle was
wrought We had met and henceforth
parting would mean separation only, and
not the severlng of a mutual bond one
hand, and one only could do that now
/ win not name htat hand. For us there
lis nought ahead but Ufe
Thus do / ease my heart in the ST.
leuce which conditions impose upon us
Some day shall hear your voice again.
and then '
The paper dropped from the readers
hand II was several minutes before he
took up another
This one, as 1T hsppeyed autedated the
I .,tI. v,