The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-09-23
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ILLUSTRATED 81 LAUREN STOUT

llhc StOTlIl-DTOkPn llOWCT. val
liant had accepted the finality Of the
situation. With wave Of deeper
hopelessnoss than had yet submerged
her. she realized that, against her own
decision, something deep within her
had taken shy and secret comfort in
his stubborn masculine refusal.
Against all fact, in face Of the impos.
siblc, her heart had been clinging to
this-as though his love might even
attain the miraculous and somewhere,
somehow, recreatc circumstance. But
now he too. had bowed to the decree,
a kind Of utter apathetic wrctched.
ness seized upon her, to replace the
sharp misery that had SO long been
her companicn-an empty numbness
In which, in a measure, she ceased to
feel
An hour dragged slowly by and at
length she rose and went slowly up
the stairs. Her head felt curlousiy
heavy, but it did not ache. Outside
her mothers door, as was her custom
she paused mechanically to listen.
tiny pencil of light struck through the
darkness and painted spot of bright
ness on her gown. 1t camo through
the kcyhole; the lamp in hcr mothers
room was burning. "Shc has fallen
asleep and forgotten it." she thought,
and softly turning the knob, pushed
tho door noisclessly open and entered.
A moment she stood listening to the
| low regular breathing Of the sleeper.
Tho rcading-lamp she'd n shaded glow
on the pillow with its sprcad.out sill.
yer hair, and on the delicate hands
claspcd loosely on the cOverlct. Shir,
ley came close and looked down on
! tho placid face. 1t was smooth as
\ child's and a smile touched it lightly
/ as If some pleasant slccpthought had
/ just laid rosy fingers on the dreaming
! lips. The light caught and sparkled
from something bright that lay be-
! tween her mothers hands. 1t was tho
! enamel brooch that held her own baby
curl and she saw suddenly that what
she had all her life thought was a
solid pendant, was now open locket-
wise and that the two halves clasped
n miniature. 1t came to her at once
/! that the picture must be Sassoon'g,
! and quick thrill Of pity and yearn.
I, ing welled up through her own dejcc-
'tion. STOPPING, she looked at 1t close
ly. She started as she did so, for the
4 face on the little disk of ivory was
that Of John Valiant.
/ An instant she stared unbclieylngly.
Then recollection OF the resemblance
,of which Valiant had told her rushed
to her, and she realized that it must
be the picture OF his father The fact
shocked and confounded her. Why
should her mother carry in secret the
miniature of the man who had
killed
Shrley's breath stopped She felt
her face tingling and a curious weak
ness came on her limbs. Why, indeed,
mnlessand the thought was like a
wild prayer in her mind-she had
been mistaken in her surmise ?
Thoughts came thronging in panic
haste: the fourteenth OF May and the
cape jessamincs--these might point
no less to Valiant than TO Saseoon.
But her mothers fainting at the sight
OF the ,son--the eager interest she had
displayed In Shirley's accounts Of him,
from the episode OF the rose and the
bulldog to the tournament ball
seemed lfOw to stand out in q new
light. throbbing and roseate. Could
1T be? Had she been stumbling along
a blind trail, mislcd by the cunning
,dovctailing Of circumstance? Her
heart was beating stiflingly. If she
should be mistaken now! She dashed
her hand across her eyes AS though to
compel their clearness, and looked
again.
1t was Beauty Valiants face that
lay in the locket. and that could mean
but one thing: it was he, not Sassoon,
whom her mother loved!
The lamplight seemed to grow and
spread to an unbearable radiance
Shirley thought she cried out with q
sudden Hweet wildness, but she had
not moved or uttered sound The,
| illumination was all about her like
splendid cloud. The impossible had
happened. The miracle for which sha
hysterically prayed had been wrought!
When she blew out the light tho
| shining still remained. That glowing
! knowledge, like vitalizing a@d phys.
ical presence. passed with heT through
! the hall to her room. AS she stood in
! the elfish light OF her one candle, the
| poignancy OF her JOY was as sharp as
! her past pain. Later was to come the
| wonder how that tragedy had bent
Beauty Valiant's life to exile and her
| mothers to unful6llment and In time
she was to know these things, too.
But now the one great knowledge blot
ted out all else. She need starve her
fancy no longer! The hours with her
lover might again sweep across her
memory undenied. She felt his arms,