The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-06-14

that came into her face, like the
startled attention Of a wild thing
poised for fight, whenever 1 touched
upon the personal note. Not that l
ever questioned her That was the
understanding between us; that l
should leave to her her incognita with
out effort to penetrate 1t.
While talked. sketched her and
studied her. Young as she seemed,
she had been much about the world,
knew her Europe, had met and talked
with men of many pursuits, and had
taken from all sources tribute for her
mind and color for her Imagination.
She had read widely, too, and had an
individual habit of thought Com
bined with all her cosmopolitanism
was quaint and profound purity of
standards. l remember her saying
once-it was one of her rare flashes
of self-revelation-'T am an anomaly
and an anachronism, Puritan in mod
ern society" After her first visit she
did not ride on her horse; but came
across lots and through the side hedge,
swinging down the hillside yonder
with her light dipping stride that al
ways recalled to me the swoop of a
swallow, her gloved hands usually
holding a slender stick.
All those sketches that Won saw
were but studies for a more serious
attempt to catch and fix her person
atty. Comment by C. K: Couldn't
he have given me in two words her
height and approximate weight) I
did 1t in pastel, and, If I missed some
thing of her tender and changeful col
oring, [ at least caught the ineffable
wlstfulness of her expression, the look
of one hoping against hope for an un-
confessed happiness. Probably l had
put more of myself into it than l had
meant. A man is likely to when he
paints with his heart as well as his
brain and. hand When it was done
| made little frame for it, and let
tered on the frame this line:
"And her eyes dreamed against a
distant goal"
1t was the next day that she read
the line. saw the color die from her
face and flood back again.
why did you set that line there?"
she breathed, her eyes fixed on me
with a strange expression. Comment
by c. K: Rossetti again. The dead
woman of the beach quoted The
House of Life" also)
why not?" l asked. ut seems to
express something in you which I
nave tried to embody in the picture.
Don't you like it,"
She repeated the line softly. making
pure music of it. Il love it," she said.
AT that, | spoke as it is given to a ,
nan to speak to one woman in the
world when he has found her. She
lstened, with her eyes on the pic
ured face. But when l said to her,
You, who have all my heart, and
7hose name. even, have not-is
here no word for me-" she rose, and
brew out her hands in a gesture that
ent a chill through me.
"Oh, no! MOI" she cried vehement
y "Nothing-except good-by. oh,
Thy did you speak?"
| stood and watched her CO. At the
nd of the garden walk she stopped
nd picked a rose with her gloved
ngers, and as she disappeared in the
llcket at the top of the hill l thought
he half turned to look. That was
We interminable days ago. | have ,
OF seen her since. l feel 1t is her !,
ill that | shall never see her again.
nd l must! You understand, Kent, >
on must find her!
| forgot to tell you that when I
as sketching her asked if she could :
ring something pink to wear, pre- =
'rably coral. She came the next time c
18th a string of the most beautiful r
'se-topazes l have ever seen, set in
most curious old gold design. 1t T
as that necklace and none other that /
lie woman with the bundle wore, half
'ncealed, when she came here. q
Today-it is yesterday really, since \
am finishing this at three a. NJ S
lie messenger boy brought me tele-
ram. 1t was from my love. 1t had t
zen sent from Boston, and it read: :
Destroy the picture, for my sake.
tells too much OF both of u.s."
The message was unsigned. 1 =
ave destroyed the picture. Help
ei F.s.