El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-08-18
= One WOman's Story :
BY Virginia Terhune Van de Water

M she had 1I- jus. t. received &c, in into her
bag and climbed the stairs to
her apartment. She clung to the ban
listers for she felt weak and giddy-
Softly she let herself into her own
front door, but not so softly that her
mother did not hear her and come out
into the hall to greet her. The daugh-
ter forestalled any question by saying
as soon as she had kissed the elderly
woman;
Mother, dear, I am tired If do
not stop to talk with you now I will
have a Quarter-Of-an-hOur in which 70
rest before supper So 7 viii go right
10 my room and lie down. viii see
you later, dear"
Without waiting for a reply the girl
hurried to her own room Here she
locked her door noiselessly that her
mother might not hear the click OF
the bolt and suspect that something
was wrong She wanted to be alone
to read her letter slowly and carefully
She had read it rapidly down stairs,
after taking it from the Vestibule let
ter box
Gordon Craig wished to inform him
OF his engagement to a girl in san
Antonio, a girl he had met six months
ago. He had not forgotten the promise
he and Mary had given each other that
IF they continued to care for each
other" until he had made good they
HQ4Au ACIg4AAG LN4 A4laA-E G1AEeH Gu Ut
neither had he forgotten that other
promise that they were not to con-
slider themselves bound If any other
love came into the life Of either The
/ ''understa ng'-that is what he
called it-had been. after all but "a
boy and girl affair."" vet they had been
such good friends that he wanted her
to know Of his new found happiness +
If he thought for a moment that she
would be hurt by his action in this
3
he was sure that She, like himself,
/ had oUtgrOWn what was. after all, but
a passing fancy. She must have no..
( ticed the change in his letters and that
for months, they had been those Of a
friend, that he had taken il for granted Z
that now that each had seen more Of
I life, and had been absent from the
other long enough to shake off
youthful infatuatiOn, friendship only,
existed on either side.
The change in his letters! Mary
almost laughed aloud at the irony OF
the situation as she remembered the
construction she had put upon his 81
lence- She had been so sure Of him,
/ so certain that he was silent on the
topic Of their love only because he was
planning TO surprise her with the news
that he would be soon able TO claim
membered her thoughts, her musings
membered her thoughts, hr musings
/ how she had whispered TO herself each
/ nlS4L-- he VIII write the LEuLu 10 NE
sOOn,' how her heart had beaten high
Z at the hope, and how, only this after
/ noon, she had said to herself that her
practice as stenographer and type
I writer might make her Of assistance
to him after they were married She
had even thought that If she could help
him in this way IL might spare him
the expense Of a private stenographer
later on, when his business had grown
large, and that would help pay for
-
home. Not that Gordon would think OF
that. she had unused, he was so good.
so generous. Oh, what a blind fool she
had beenl What a blind fOoI!'
Sinking into chair she buried her
face in her hands The window
in her tiny room was open, and
the people in the apartment across
the way were talkin. What harsh
voices some women had, Then
she remembered what disabreeabIe
intOnatiOns Elizabeth Preston had
and how patrOnizing she had been
What was 1t that she, Mary Danforth.
had admitted to Elizabeth only a few
minutes ago. Oh, yes, that she was
going TO. give up her work. that she
was. perhaps. going to be married. She
started to her feet and Wrung her
hands. Wounded love, aching heart.
shattered hopes, all were overwhelmed
IN this supreme moment by tortured
pride.
door, tried the knob. said. "Oh. please
excuse meF' and went back down the
/ hall to the kitchen Mary knew from
the tones Of the eldefIy Womans voice
that she was hurt or offended at find
ing her daughters door closed against
her. This knowledge added sense OF
annoyance and almost of guilt TO the
Wretched girls misery. From her
childhood IL had worried her to know
that she had displeased her mother,
n1 nrF- - ~ I'D
The daughter must summon all her
strength to face the catastrophe that
had befallen her, and vet TO spare the
parent whom she loved
Mary Danforth thrust Craig's letter
into her desk, and. as she did so, her
eyes fell upon a postscript on the back
OF the sheet The words stood out
clear, yet the fingers that penned them
must have been a bit unsteady. for the
chirography wavered somewhat. Per
haps the writer's heart had failed him
Tor a moment The girl read: send
me a line, please when you can I
want to be assured that you under
stand the situation I would not hurt
You for worlds"
Mary uttered an exclamation. half
sob half laugh Her hand shook with
anger as she held the letter to the
gas flame and watched II burn, put
ting her foot upon the charred frag-
ments as they fell to the floor.
Il will write TO him. she muttered-
But not until I have some news OF ny
own to tell hfmIT
She remembered that she had not
taken off her hat and she started TO
draw out her hat pins, then paused, a
sudden look of almost savage triumph
flashed across her face She unlocked
her door and hurried down the hall to
the kitchen where her mother stood
waiting for her.