The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-08-28
The Evening Story
ITALIAN LILACS.

Copyright, 1913, by w. Werner.)
In Westnore the name Of Currence
Clay was instantly associated in ev-
eryhody's mind with Italian lilacs, es-
pecially on A May morning. For in
May the lilacs came to rich. odorous
bloom n lasted amazingly. You
could not walk past Caper street with
out getting a Whit of their delightful
fragrance. That fragrance permeated
the air as ~delicately vet decidedly as
the influence of Currence permeated
the ]anguid atmosphere of her par
.ticular locality.
The lilac tree was very old. It had
been planted when the house was
built. in the bride-days of Currence.s
high; its trunk was thick ana solid.
and 1t dropped its long branches like
protecting arms over the quaint porch.
Its towering had the purity of snow,
the delicacy of lace. 1t was the one
valuable. luxurious thing about the
little old house and in Currence's life.
Currence had lived in that house all
her days and she was now fifty years
old. She had V been beautiful, but
She was girlishly immature of shape,
and her faded face under its gray hair
was very gentle and sweet. She
showed that she had lived with lovely
thoughts all her life. She also showed
that she had lived with a great sor-
row
Currence's sorrow had come Of her
first n only romance. She was
eighteen when it happened, and SUI
sannah. her sister. was nineteen. SIT
sannah was a wonderful young heau-
ty. The gift had come to her from
some far off strain of ancestry. She
was dark. flashing. opulent in color
and vieor. She put out Currence's
pale grace as the sun puts out a can
die. and h gloried in it. 1t CHANGED
that Susannah was away from home
when Hugh Lent came that spring
time to Westmore. Hugh Lent was
the favored grandson Of Mrs. Land
ford-Lent, and it was generally sur
missed that. since he had just come in
to his money. he was ookfng FOR a
wife. Mrs. Lanford-Lent introduced
him to all the nice girls, and among
them was little Currence Clay. There
We're vastly prettier girls and smarter
girls than C~urrence. but somehow
renee liked him-oh, sc much! When
she sat with him on the low. white
steps under the lilac tree, which
hreathed in wave of scent. and saw
the moonlight in his eyes and heard
his voice she was so happy that she
was afraid. She was under the magic
spell of her youth. and her first lover
and the springtime.
One night as they sat thus the gate
opened and Susannah came nut of
the shadow into the white moonlight.
facing them. She had come home
unannounced. unexpected - "hecause
I wanted to see what was going on"
she laughed. You haven't written a
word to me in ten days"
h was %arrogantly beautiful there
in the moonlight. Currence saw
Hugh look at her startled. heard him
draw his breath in sharply and her
heart turned cold. She knew then
why he had been afraid all the time.
1t took Hugh Lent the space of ten
minutes, perhaps, to fall out of love
with one girl and in love with the
other. He was not to blame. for,
though she was only nineteen. SUI
sannah had already turned several
heads besides his. She made up her
mind to marry Hugh Lent. Not that
was somebody where she had been
visiting that she cared for more. nut
Susannah was not one to let love spoil
her chances. Moreover. she was not
one to let such a slight object as her
sister prove an obstacle. She set Cur
renee out of the way gently but eff
fectively and took Hugh for herself.
And at the wedding. where she had
once dreamed of being a bride. Cur
renee was merely a bridesmaid. And
nobody looked at her in her broken
hearted pallor. because Susannah was
there, radiant and eye compelling.
Hugh took Susannah far away and
never brought her back. They e