River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-12-04

man, the man L tnOught he was. IOU
know, Mrs. Hayes, he seemed 70 me
to be very much like my father"
For a time she thought 1t over tt
herself. Mrs. Hayes did not press her
and continued to show her sympathy
by holding her hand.
Yes, it would have been a lot better
had he died before / ever knew. What
would have been a beautiful dream is
now only a hideous nightmare And
| believed in him SO! You who have
seen just little of him can't know
how / loved him. 1t wasn't exactly
love when we were abroad in the same
party. Yes, it was; only l didn't know
1T. 1t wasn't until he had gone away
and no word came from him that
knew how much he was to me. And
then | met him here. Heaven seemed
to open for me that night"
She turned her head for a minute
and the tears began to flow. When
she began again her eyes were still
blurred with tears.
Il can tell you, and ! could tell
Mrs. Gilbert, that it's going to hurt
me lot. It's going to hurt to think
how l was deceived. l thought was
building my house of life upon rock,
and when the rains came | awoke to
find the foundation was only shifting
sand"
I'VE all have our troubles, dear"
Mrs. Hayes told her Yours may seem
hard to bear, but you must know that
oil inn ir how
hues. I've taken you with me into
Belmont's unhappiest homes, and what
you have seen should teach you to
bear your own trials with resignation
and fortitude as a Christian should.
Perhaps it's not well to think how
much better off we are than other
people, but when we do think Of it we
see that God has shown us abundant
kindness compared to that given to
others, and then our crosses are
lighter"
@But l loved him sol" cried Gloria,
burying her face in the pillow.
Mrs. Hayes could only clasp the
girls hand. The attempt to comfort
her was Improbable Her grief was
too new, her wounds too fresh for com
fort. Longer and longer grew the in
teryals between her sobs. Finally Mrs
Hayes thought she had fallen asleep
but Gloria was only thinking. 1t came
to her that she was still young. Love
would never be hers, she was sure of
that; but long years stretched out be-
fore her She couldn't be coward
and shirk those years. Once she had
built her house of love and life upon
the quaking sands, now she would
build her house of life upon the firm
rock Of service. In ministering to the
unfortunate, she might find surcease
for her own sorrow.
Mrs. Hayes"
What, Gloria?"
I'm not going to let anything that
happened today spoil my life"
'Of course not, dear. Rain today
means sunshine tomorrow for us"
II don't know about the sunshine,
but l do know that / want to go along
just as if nothing had happened To-
morrow let's do just what we planned
to do. and the next day and the next.
| want to keep busy. Can't you under
stand?"
Mrs. Hayes did understand, and adj
mired the girl for her bravery.
"All right, Gloria. I think that is
best We weren't put into this world
to have only the good things of life
and shirk the bad things. We must
take them as they come, the bad with
the good You are doing just what
Mr.. Wright would have you do if he
were the man you thought him and
he had died before your wedding day.
Perhaps all will come out as you once
had planned"
The daughter of David Kerr shook
her head.
THAT can never be-"
She said no more, and after a time
seemed to fall asleep. Mrs. Hayes un-
c1asped her hand, turned out the light,
and left the room.
Through the windows streamed the
moonlight. The girl, assured that she
was alone, turned on her side and
watched the beams creep slowly across
the room.
What a food of memories the moon
light brought!
Those first nights on shipboard had
been under a silver moon that shed
its rays upon silver sea- Those nights
in France month later had been un-
der moon no less gorgeous Then
had come the Rhine and there. TOO,
had been moonlight.
She tried to think of him as be had
been and not as he was. In him she
had found every good trait a man
should have. She was chagrined to
think how easily it now appeared she
had been won. How much she would
have been spared. she pondered. had
she not been so eager for his love as
to show him so soon that she cared
for him.
Every familiar gesture which was at
all part of him she knew would call
him to mind when another man might
make it. The way he held his cigar
when he smoked. the odd manner in
which he would lock his hands togeth-
er whenever a knotty problem both
cred him. these little things and a host
Of others would come back to plague
her.
All the dear, dead past crowded into
her mind. 1t was not of the man
whom that afternoon she had spurned
that she thought, but of the man
whom in her heart she cherished-her
IDEAL