The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1913-05-26

Suddenly all was still.
By EARL MARBLE.

Suddenly all was still.
A CHASTITY whiteness settled over
the thin, yearning face on the pillow,
and peace took the place Of pain.
The end Of a life Of conjugaI mis-
mating had come at last,
Can you not forgive me all the
wrong you have suife ed at my hands
before you go?g he had asked.
"lf you have ever wronged me,
Henry" she said, Il forgive you as /
hope to be forgiven"
"lf have ever wronged YOU" he
echoed II certainly have, and it lB
30 noble Of you to say those words
But have need to be forgiven
also" she had said. "you win not
refuse?"
There is nothing to forgive Mary"
he had said but II there we're any
thing for me to forgive in you. It Is
given freely I am only sorry It Is
said now, at the close of our lives to-
gether, instead OF at the beginning"
The woman had caught her breath
feebly, and all was over.
Father" said The young man. the
evening Of the day after they had re-
turned from the funeral, "why did
you and mother always treat each
other So coldly?"
Because there was no love be.
tween us Let's take walk down the
road and ! will tell you about it The
trouble began from the very begin.
ming Of our married life-in fact, be.
fore our marriage
They had walked till they reached
the edge Of little wood by this time
= had presumed to think that
might make your mother my wife, bus
had little prospect Of success. a
young man came into the neghbor
hood from Chicago EIe was sum
mer hoarder at a neighborlng farm
house Ills name was Hubbard sid
ney Hubbard iIe met your mother
and she fell 10 love with him at once
None of US had any chance then
Practically we al gave It up. Bu.
one evening, toward the close of thu
season was passing the house where
he boarded and was astonished to set
him IN earnest talk with a girl whom
] had never seen before. They were
standing at the open window. and he
had an arm around her ! watched
them a moment and az ! turned tS
80, came. face to face with your moth
er We heard him use endearine
trrms % her saw him kiss her, ana
then heard him promise to go Will
her at once took your mother
home and left her almost completely
prostrated She did not say a word
OF what she had seen to any one. She
was very proud and high spirited. Tho
young man and young woman dlsap
poared that night and as soon as
your mother had recovered sufficient.
ly. renewed my suit. and che accept.
ed me, on condition that I should take
her away from the neighborhood
"Your mother never returned to the
old place. her family having removed
also a short time aiterward. They
had lived there but a short time and
had no intlmates, so none Of then
ever heard from the neighborhood
again. went ont ihere to settle Nr
some Of my affairs. and heard tha
Hubbard had been there learned the
story and inquired my address. a
few weeks afterward | went out dur
Ing the late afternoon. for walk, as
We are doing now and met him right
here. Tie accused me Of treachery tt
him. and said that the lady wnom We
had seen him in company with was
hts sister. who had come after him
10 ana her ia untangllrg some proper
~ natter which required their imme.
date attention. One word led to an.
other and finally he struck me re
turned the blow with interest and he
fell striking that rock there, point.
ng TO a large rock by the roadside
"after which he never stirred ] had
killed him but had not intended to do
So dug a grave over there, point
ing 10 a mound so slight as not to be
noticeable and buried him."
"Did mother ever know?"
"No. my boy
oDid any one else?"
mo"
"But that Is Why you and mother
we're always estranged from each
other?p
yes"
eOh. well. cheer up. father It
was not SO bad-the Killing. I mean
You did the only thing you could do.
The ostraneement was terrible. i
might have been better Il YOU mad
told mother"
It would not-under the circum-
stances"
Wen. don't dwell on it now. We
viii 30 home now. and make the best
Of f. dear old father"
.4r,.. 49, 80 ,-r,,- roifAat. ~