The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-08-02
Copyright LOO By the Bobbs- MerrlII Co.
Illustrations by
Do m. j. LAWN

/ the tetLeF IN MS ndnOS sui unopened
why" she cried, what an extraor-
binary sight! You haven't opened it,"
NO." he answered, turning it over,
81 haven't"
1--WE always heard that curiosity
was feminine weakness but never
knew till now" she said. Please go
on and read it, because If you don't
I'll feel that I'm preventing you and
I'll have to go up stairs to my own
room, which is as cold as rafriger-
ator. Don't make me polite and con-
siderate against my will"
Without answering her he tore open
the letter and, moving to the light Of
the window, held the sheet up and
began to read.
There was silence for some min
utes. The fire sputtered and snapped,
and once or twice the crisp paper
rustled in Dominicks hands. Rose
held her fingers out to the warmth,
studying them with her head on ore
side as If she had never seen them
before. Presently she slid noiselessly
out Of her coat, and dropped it,
heap Of silky fur, on a chair beside
her. The movement made it conven-
lent to steal a glance at the young
man. He was reading the letter, his
body close against the window-pane,
his face full of frowning, almost fierce
concentration. She turned back to
the fire and made small, surreptitious
smoothings and jerks of arrange
, ment at her collar, her belt, her skirt.
nnrpirin< t1,ry h.
was something aggressive in the
cracking of the thin, dry sheet.
"Perley got a letter from your
) mother" she said suddenly, that he
was reading in a corner of the post
office, and 1t nearly made him cry
There was no answer. She waited
) for space and then said, projecting
the remark into the heart Of the fire.
) yours must be a most interesting
letter."
) She heard him move and looked
quickly back at him, her face all gay
) challenge. 1t was met by a look so
somber that her expression changed
as If she had received a check to her
gaiety as unexpected and effectual as
a blow. She shrank a little as he
came toward her, the letter in his
hand.
1T is an interesting letter." he said.
tits from my wife"
Since those first days of his illness,
his wife's name had been rarely men
toned. Rose thought it was because
young Mrs. Ryan was a delicate sub
1ect best left alone; Dominick, be-
| QnuthfnU ho+ cd oP
Berry was painful. But the truth was
that, from the first, the wife had
doomed before them as a figure of
dread, a specter whose presence con-
gealed the something exquisite and up
lifting each felt in the others heart
Now, love awakened, forcing itself
upon their recognition, her name came
up between them, chilling and grim
as the image of death intruding sud-
denly into the joyous presence of the
living.
The change that had come over the
interview all in a moment was start
ling. Suddenly 1t seemed lifted from
the plane Of everyday converse to a
level where the truth was an obliga-
ton and the language of polite sub
terfuge could not exist. But the WON
an, who hides and protects herself
with these shields, made an effort to
, keep it in the old accustomed place.
"Is-is-she well?" she stammered
framing the regulation words almost
unconsciously.
She's WELL" he answered, She's
very well. She wants me to come
home"
He suddenly looked away from her
and, turning to the chimney-piece
rested one hand upon it and gazed
down at the logs. A charred end
, projected and he pushed it with his
: slippered foot, his down-bent face
$ the lips set and brows wrinkled, look.
ing like the face of a sullen boy who
has been unjustly punished An icy
invading chill of depression made
Roses heart sink down into bottom.
less depths. She faltered in faint
: tones:
We'll, you'll be there soon now"
b II don't know he answered with
out moving. 81 don't know whether ]
shall"
You don't know whether you'll be
= nome soon! Inc ROADS are open; the
!. postman has come in"
81 don't know whether I'll go home.
he repeated.
The swapping of the fire sounded
z loud upon the silence that followed
-, The thrill Of strong emotions rising
' toward expression held them in q
breathless, immovable quietude.
Don't you want to go homer" said
the young girl. Her voice was low
;, and she cleared her throat. In this
. Interchange Of commonplace sentences
q her heart had begun to beat so VIC
2 lently that 1t interfered with the ease
!, of her speech.
Q Dominick leaned forward anC
dropped the crumpled letter into the
fire.
mo, 1 don't want to. l hate to-"
To this she did not reply at all, and
after moment he continued: "My
: home is unbearable to me. 1t isn't
home. It's place where eat and
sleep, and I'd prefer doing that any
where else, in any dirty boarding
house or fourth-rate hotel-rd rath.
er-"
He stopped abruptly and pushed the
log farther in. The letter was caught
up the chimney in a swirl of black
ened scraps.
"Put vour V,ifa %, sajd Rosa