The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1913-02-02
n re.eu On this trip when 1 tell you I'd
never been outside of Deadwood since

asked IL or me if he'd been real clear.
ne always took thought for me and
lrled to make it as easy for mo To hear
as possible, but when if come f. diving
l reckon everything else seemed little
Alongside OF letting you know, SO he
asked me. and I've come. I'd have
come sooner, but | Couldn't lust
couldn't. But along about q month
ago see piece in a paper about you.
1t said you hadn't wrote any since your
husband died. Everybody was pushing
you Tor stories and poems, but you Just
couldn't get started to work again
1nere was picture of you too You
looked kind Of sad and sweet. as if
you didn't see much in life, and all at
once my heart softened to you-all at
once! l fell down on my knees along
side the little girls crib. and cried
Oh. my God. how cried! And l prayed
TOO. And somehow it got easy for me
to start. So I'm here"
Mrs Grandon was pale and trembling
with emotion. Il am distressed at your
pain. 1 cannot imagine what you have
TO tell me, but ii he wished it SO
much
Yes, he wished 1t. didn't think
you'd know or that you ever cared foR,
him. but he-he just worshiped you
like he did the little GIRL
But that was a great many years
ago. r.
ut lasted as long as there was life in
| him That ~ 7
should tell you. He said he couldn't
lie In his grave without your knowing
1t. He-right at the last-he asked me
to swear I'd tell you-tell you that
there hadn't been a day in fifteen years
that he hadn't thought of you ard seen
! you just as plain-just as you used to
| look and dress. He spoke particular
! about white hat you used to wear. 1t
, had wide brim, rolled back and faced
: with white silk. There was a wreath
of green holly leaves and red berries
around the crown"
"Oh, this is terrible! l pray you say
no more"
1--WE come all the way from Dead
wood to say more. At first. of course.
l hated you awful. l could have put
my hands around your pretty slim neck
and crushed the life out of you. l
didn't find it out till after the little girl
was born. He just would name her
Carella. 1t was such a queer name l
wanted to know where he got 1t, but
he wouldn't tell. Well. one day an old
friend OF his family come to see the
baby when she was six months old.
She was looking over the album when
she come to your picture with your
hair down in one braid and your face
all dimp1es and mischief, and she cries
out: Why. good land, here's Carella!
Do you let Valentine keep her picture
now? That's the way. She couldn't
make bread. and yet every young man
In town would have give all his eyes
for her. I never see her beat. She
could have married all Of 'em at once.
She couldn't make bread. Her names
Grandon now. and they do say she's
handy with her pen-writes pieces for
the magazines. That's the way. A
woman can be q good housekeeper and
wife and mother and work like slave
adding her duty, and along comes an
empty fool head Of woman and gets
all the men. Carella. she couldn't
make bread"
well, my heart just opened and
shut I saw everything then. When
she was gone l went at Valentine like
wild panther, guess. He didn't
deny a thing. He said he'd as soon
DENY Christ as to deny he loved you.
He said he always had loved you and
he always would love you. but that
you didn't care for him, so he didn't
think it was wrong to marry woman
he liked and be a good and faithful
and affectionate husband to her. |
suppose"-she laughed drearily-'there
ia a difference between love and affec-
tion?'
Mrs. Grandon said gently: Il think
there is. But, I implore you. tell me
no more"
.There amt much more to tell.
You'll see more in it, maybe, after I'm
rome and you set down alone and
think It over. Get 1t clear that l wor-
shiped Valentine from the minute
frst saw him and never had thought
OF any other man. Well. it nearly
killed me. l used to set and look at
your picture till my eyes would al
most Jump out Of my head-and hated
vour' She arose and walked up and
down the room. "But after year or
two / conquered 1t. He. was so good
and gentle to me! / reasoned 1t out
that love isn't love unless It's willing
TO 90 along without eternally thinking
Of itself. I made up my mind to go
on allowing Valentine just as unselfish
and silent as he'd been loving you
and / did. After the little girl died
he seemed to get closer to me and
fonder Of me- He couldn't bear me
ont of his sight. and I used to lay
awake nights and listen to him shak-
iny the crib and saying. There, there.
little girl and l got the notion that
all thought Of you had gone out of his
head. But when his last sickness
come on so all of a sudden he was out