The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-11-12

"oNCE MORE" SHE BREATHED TO HER
SELF, only ONCE MORE"
day she tossed a letter into the fires
heart and watched while the passionate
flames consumed it
] AS she read her face changed from
the first faint flush of newly kindled
love to deeper recognition OF loves
neutrality-suspicious. perfect joy. and
then, with the last letter. awakening
and despair.
! When the last one had expired and
its blackened specter had flown up the
chimney, hot tears fell on the picture
in her lap. She looked on it once as
one looks on the face Of the beloved
dead and laid it on the pyre Ere it
was consumed in the licking flames
she placed the sandalwood box above
it and watched the ascending smoke
and crumbling embers through blurred
vision. When the fire glowed clear
and bright again her tears ceased to
flow.
For a long time she gazed into the
fiery Goals wherein her tokens of hap
piness had been consumed and hkened
it to the ordeal through which she had
passed. After it was all over. the
brief, feverish term of joy which had
Been allotted to her. she had with
drawn into the grateful shadow Of
Stephen Wade's friendship Friend
ship which had ripened into a love in
which she played the passive part Of
recipient. for she had no love to give
only calm affection-but it was affec
ton that would be lasting as life 1t
self-and perhaps would be more sat
isfactory than transitory love!
Stephen did not know this. He was
not aware that the offer of his shelter
ing love afforded a grateful refuge to
her bruised heart. He believed in her
love for him He believed her to be
too high minded and steadfast to come
to him with anything less than love.
Yet she had done it and he would
never know 1t would be her life's
purpose that the noble hearted man she
had promised to marry should never
learn that in return for his deep love
she brought him sincere affection-and
nothing else.
With a quick, graceful movement
she arose b her full height and shook
back the copper glory of her hair. It
was as n she had slipped of some
burden that had lain heavy on her
beautiful shoulders.
Now l can begin anew" she said
triumphantiy.
'T believe It is customary" solilo-
quized Wade, with a bitter smile. as
he drew a letter case from his pocket.
Then he stared into the fire absently.
A half hour passed. during which he
sat utterly motionless. the fine profile of
his face cut like cameo against the
dark velvet of his chair.
With sudden start he slowly open
ed the letter case. From an inner COM
partment he took small parcel wrap
ped in tissue paper and nnrolled it in
his broad palm. he looked down upon
an absurdly small fan with rich lace
and delicate pearl sticks crushed and
broken. His own hand had wrought
the injury.
All. the pain againl He had not
thought IT possible. for had not his
very soul died that night2 Yet there
was the pain, the terrible crashing
agony. Could men suffer like that and
live on?
Aye. man had done IT and would. He
drew a sharp breath. The pain dead
ened into apathy. and the broken fan
slipped from his fingers to the door.
He saw a full southern moon shift
ing light through honeysuckles and
roses while he watched with passionate
ardor the shadows fickering across a
beautifully dark face with soft black
eyes and rose leaf lips. There was
the rise and fall of her low toned con-
traIto as they talked. to the sound Of
whose music he could listen forever.
He saw a warm southern sun she'd
ding light on long delightful days
when life was intoxicatingly blissful-