El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-06-12
Her Secret
A short Story.

z NET her every night on the prone
made between the harbor and the
= park After a while began to count
on her coming. Her straight. tall slen-
der figure and her gliding nOiseleSs
walk harmOniZed wonderfully with the
dark promenade and the fragrant sill
ent evening air. We never talked. but
exchanged a greeting as we passed
But in such small communities people
cannot remain silent when they meet
every day for two weeks.
I no longer remember how we got
into conversation, bat one evening she
raised her veil uItd spoke Her face
was no longer quite young with its
dark eyes and the mouth which dropped
a little in the corners. There was a
dimple IN her chin She spoke in
low voice with an undertOne of sup
pressed sadness, though what she said
was cheerful and natural
We talked about the people Of the
town. She associated with nobody she
said, since her mother died. During
the last four years she has seen no
body but the doctor.
Dr. Brandt is a very charming man.
she said, but he is a free thinker"
And that is very badE"
Yes" she said, 1T is very bad. What
can you give US instead of religionZ
In a small mOnOtonOus place like this
you need something 10 look forward to
in the life beyond. That is why we
must have immortality"
But a person may believe in immOr-
tality without being Christian"
Not in our immortality. I have
nursed many dying people who have
died peacefully because they believed
in forgiveness. And we all have some
thing we want forgiveness for
1 admitted this and we walked on,
while the Sound Of the waves against
the beach was like music
But I like Dr. Brandt very much.
do not think 1 could be as amiable as
he is if L did not have my faith"
/ laughed little
You must not laugh" she said SER
iOusly. 1T is true, without my faith
all that is wicked in me would come
TO the scSface."
Sometimes we met DR.. Brandt who
seemed as much under the influence
of her wonderful charm as I was,
though he often teased her with para
dOxes.
one day we were talking about
Chopin.
1t is late she said. Come and
have tea with me, and I viii play to
you"
After tea she played. The room was
dark but for the candles on the grand Z
piano / stood at the window where I
could see her noble profile. Brandt was
sitting in a corner
She played something By Beethoven
calm tones like the waves OF
the ocean calming down after a storm.
which has beaten the waves into foam.
but il is quiet now.
Sing a little" begged Brandt
Il would rather not" she said, but I
TO sing in her deep contralto voice. iii /
was a sad song. She begged him 10 I
remember what she gave him. her
heart, her honor, her life. And the ]
song ended with his name, almost a I
cry and discord-
She arose abruptly and went to the
open door
Wonderful music" said Brandt
and wonderful words I said.
Yes, q pity that such a great poet
should be an even greater scOundreI." ]
and down.
Froken simony turned around quick [
-y. she was pale. almost white
DO YOU know him. she WHISPERED
slightly" ,
slightly. You must never judge a |
man you know only slightly. Brandt" 4
Her voice was sharp and cutting
She sat down and played a concerto I
by Rubinstein, q fireworks Of tones.
Then we left Brandt was silent as I
he walked up and down the promenade .
How long has Froken Simony. been /
living here" I asked.
Six years ago she came here and
bought the villa. She has been a great |
1emic Of smallpox she took charge Of ]
the nursing. She is trying to forget a /
melancholy past I think. Listen now.
she Is playing ChOpin's Nalse Opus 81" 4
The tones swept through the night. :
A rev weeks later / received o. IH+-
ter from Dr. Brandt It was briefly .
written IN trembling hand.
She IS dead" he wrote, " she died .
from spotted fever contracted while I
nursing poor old woman. 7 expect ]
you at her funeral at noon on Satur- I
lay"
inside the little church The whole
town was there. A hymn was sung. the
coffin was carried out and we all fol-
owed walking to the cemetery.
8randts eyes were red.
We stopped at the grave. The min
ster stepped forward bareheaded
There IS TO be no sermon at this
grave" he said. 'She who has left US
wanted to be judged only by her God
out know that / can truly say that
she was woman who fought a great
55lIugsie IN silence and conquered.
And he prayed the Lords prayer.
walked toward the gate with Brandt
"nen all the rest had lert dared not !
ipeak 20 him, because knew that if (
Qlq ne would burst into tears. At
asst he controlled himself
There was a past" he said "Sba
asked me to arrange her affairs.
vent TO her home last night and found
-hls-a letter 10 him whose song she
sang that night"
THE pOet2'
yes. And then this envelope"
took IL and saw some flowers in #
They are from the grave Of her
mid he said turning his face away.
Let US go"