Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-31
CUPID, HYMEN & COMPANY
Conanasd from page 10

ConHn.isa from page 10
once her Cross and her Crown. Cared?7
She gave little, hollow laugh a laugh with
out one note of mlrth in it, and squeezed her
hands together until her knuckles cracked.
"If YOU could know of the long days, the
longer nights, the whole torturing madness
of caring But you can't-you're just a
Man and can't Oh, don't think am b1am-
ing you entirely. erred myself, know it
now, | erred; butt have paid. Dear
young-I was just an empty headed JOY mad
child but had seen SO little of the world =
so little, SO little God knows have grown
sick enough of it since; but at that time
AT that time you chose between it and
me-
Il did not! | did mott" she answered al
most vehemently. at was you who did that,
not l. How could | think you meant it
when you said it was the endo How could
believe that you were in earnest when you
said that if | did not go home with you-
leave it all, and 60 home with you that min
ute-I-1 never should? | thought l was
SO much to you that nothing on this earth
Oh, if you had but waited-if you had but
given me little longer! A month or two, and
/ should have been as sick and tired of it as
am today. But you wouldn't-vo wouldn't
You simply wanted to bury me in the coun-
try and to make woman of me before
had found out what it was to be girl!
I LOVED you so,' he said, very humbly,
! very softly. II didn't want to share you
with the world: | wanted you all to myself.
| always wanted you that way. Cricket,
from the very first day | met you; and"
A great surge of feeling, of almost womanly
weakness, swept up over him, and his voice
sank lower still-"and / believe-I want
you still! Stop crying, won't you? Please"
He reached over gently and laid a soft touch
upon her shoulder Cricket, do-for nv
sake! I'm not lump of iron, to stand this
sort of thing. Good God! Chuck it-won't
you?-or you'll drive me crazy!"
"Crazy?' she echoed with little sob. IL
wonder what you think you've done with
me? l wonder if you understand? wonder
if you care? l wonder if men ever do?"
She had moved her head 50 that her face
was turned toward his face, and her eyes en-
countered his; and, through the swimming
mist of them he saw that thing shining for
which a man may well give up all things that
this world holds. He sucked in deep
breath, as one drowning; he put out his other
hand, nervously at first, as though he feared
even yet that the effort would be repulsed,
and, finding it was not, caught her to him,
and, squeezing her up close to his breast,
held her there with all his strength.
3Don't ask it: just understand" he said.
II love you! love you!' and kissed and
kissed her till her breath was almost spent
3Let us go back, shan't we, Dear? Back to
the old rose time and begin all over again.
"May we?' she asked, looking up at him
with eyes of infinite tenderness, and that
forgiving love which only dogs and women
know. Nothing matters but just that-if
we may. We we're SO silly once, Dick; but
if we can profit by it and learn to be wise
There's no such thing as wisdom in love, >
he made answer, with a happy laugh ats
just mad thing that happens; and do
love you Cricket. Dear little woman, dear
little wife-I do! / do! do" Then he bent
and laid his lips on hers, and for long, long
time there was silence.