Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-31

numbling sentence here and there, before
deciding the fate of each.
TEAR Chatterbox-' Oh, that's from
= Kitty Morlands-I sha'n't want that.
Dear Miss Katharine, hope | may have
the privilege of calling round this evening =
Oh that's another from you. How well re-
member it! 1t was the first time you had
made use Of my Christian name, and was SO
excited | read the thing over seven or eight
times, and finally carried it to bed with me.
You remember the time when this letter was
written, don't youo You wrote to ask if you
could call the next evening about eight for
few minutes stayed until quarter
past one in the morning.
"Rather!' said Cardyce, with a sort of
smile. Il had to foot it the whole way home,
because missed the last train. You had on
thin white dress, and gardenia in your hair
Eyes: and you begged for it SO hard had
to pin it in your buttonhole. And was SO
nervous and excited pinned the lapel to the
coat, and you began to laugh SO much that |
had to quiet you for fear of waking Mother.
Oh l simply must keep that letter! What's
this one? Dear Kathie you'd dropped
the Miss by that time, you see Dear
Kathie, if it won't be too much of a bore for
you and your mother to join small party
on Wednesday next Oh, know! That
first really and truly suspected No mat
ter. I'll keep that. Dearest little Cricket
Yes, and this one too; for it's the first time
you called me that. Precious little Girl
Oh, | wouldn't part with this one for the
world Precious little Girl, if you can spare
Just half minute, to meet me under the big
elm tree at the bottom of the garden this
afternoon at three" A rush of sudden feel
ing Redeemed her cheeks and chokedher voice.
"Oh, Dick! Oh, Dick! That-that was
the day, the one big fateful Day!" she said;
then switched round little, SO that he
might not see her face, and sat with the
open letter in her lap, and her shoulders
moving convulsively as she went on reading.
@H anything should happen that you
could-couldn't come at just that-that
hour, I II wait until night-I'll wait for days
and days-if only you will give me-a sign
that there is one solitary chance that Oh,
Dick! Oh, Dick! Oh, Dick!"
SHUT up, will your raped in Cardyce
~ sharply, note of pain in his voice,
blur of pain in his averted eyes, u mean
IL That is Look here! Chuck it,
won't you, Cricket? It's too dashed silly for
grown woman-and after all these yearsp
ayes, IL suppose it is, she said, with a
catch and little husky waver in her voice.
@But sometimes you go back over all the
years in just one little minute And if you
ever really did care-if dreams that once
seemed real-and promised to last Oh,
well, you know what mean. 1t does hurt,
IF you're not stone. And to read things
ike this, and realize that they really meant
nothing, after all,-'My hearts treasure
think you must know why l am asking you
to do this thing II think you must
understand that want to tell you -or-or,
if you don't But will not go on in that
strain. You dol feel that you do! YOU
you have seen how, every day, you are
growing into my life, until II cannot live
that-life without you-until the thought
of day when-when it might be possible
for us two-to be divided-to live separate
lives" Her voice snapped, her shoulders
gave sudden heave, and her head sank
weakly. ooh, Dick! And after that-after
all that Oh, Dick! Oh, Dick!'
Cardyce sat silent for a moment; deep
ening ridge between his eyes, deepening
pallor on his face; the whole soul of him
echoing to the anguish of some Inward
Thing that cried and cried and cried, until
the tears of it seemed to get into his mouth
and choke him. Then:
@Don't!' he said in voice like thick
whisper Cricket don't! | can't stand it!
You ought to-you know can't! And to
have you speak as though it was all my fault,
as though [ didn't mean it when | wrote