The Washington herald., 1914-03-30
FORGETTING

Ethel glanced at the face OF the man
beside her. II was tender. impetuous,
strong and masterful. the kind of face
she had glimpsed dimly in dreams. Be-
yon6 soomed the future. frozen and hor-
rlble.
She felt the words that trembled on
her lips-~5rds that she must utter
would blot out life's meaning for her
and make the days that were to come a
dismal. aching void. In a few brief mo-
ments she had learned the meaning OF
'ave; IL had been a swift. dazzling mad
eealng glimpse that had revealed life
IN Its fullness and ecstasy. Now she
must shatter that brief happiness
Hobart Henley was pouring out his
love in her ears and pointing the way to
a life that had existed only in her
dreams. Each word made her nerves
ungle and :hrob with a sensation as
delicious as IL was excruiciating. She
tried 10 speak. to stop him, but the
words caught and broke. She had never
imagined love could be like this-potent
as the ,mperious call OF early spring and
intoxicating as the breath Of jessamineA
And We will go away, little girl, and
Just live out our lives for each other,
murmured the man. Ethel scarcely
heard She only knew his words were
touching soft. tender chords somewhere.
They were like a melodious invitation to
Arcadia. She wanted to yield, to
strangle the warning voice within her
10 choke back her scruples.
Because you will marry me. won't
you. little girl?'' His strong arm
clutched her to HINT was all like a
living, scorchinS flame. She broke from
him with a little gasp.
Il can'tr' she cried. I
Must she tell him? Must she bury her
self forever from the new life that had
just burst into blossom about her? She
struggled and faltered. striving to wiring
from her lips the words that would exile
her from happiness and Hobart Henley.
Perhaps you think you love some one
else?" he asked boyishly. Never mind
i will win you-force you to love me.
think you love me now. don't you, dear?''
She stood trembling beside him, pitt
full thing whose soul fought for suprem-
acy over the greater law. Again the
future loomed frozen and horrible. dis
NAL heart-chilling waste, before her.
And the melodious invitation grew more
insistent. A tempting whisper reached
her ears: Follow him." il said. You
never knew love before. Perhaps you
never may again. There is love and
happiness in store for you il you will
but throw foolish conventions to the
wind. And 1t isn't your fault"
II was not fODdTl NOlCG- was hOO
manly, too honest, to tempt her II he
knew the reason why she could never
marry him.
1T wasn't your fault continued the
tempter. that your husband pushed you
aside and told you to go alone when you
asked him to go with you to Mrs. Hamp-
toms weekend party. 1t wasn't your
fault that Mrs. Hampton in spirit o.
diablerie substituted the prefix Miss for
that Of Mrs You know your husband
has been faithless-probably he is at this
very moment joy riding with one Of his
interesting chorus girl friends. You love
Hobart Why not
why not?" she echoed brokenly- Ho-
bart was pleading with her. begging her
TO be his Her face was white and tense
with the fierceness of the struggle be-
tween love and a woman's soul on one
side and the greater law. on the other.
And the -tempter was right There had
been no love in her marriage; she had
married in dutifuI obedience to parental
decree, and if Hobart Henley had not
come into her life with his masterful
ways and sorcerous pleadings she might
have lived happily and never known the
meaning of life and love, never eNpe-
rienced this splendid. all-revealing flame
that had rushed into her being.