The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-08-06
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went on hurriedly, lifting his hand:
whatever you say, l must tell you.
I've been trying to for months and
months!" Now that he had started,
it came with a boyish vehemence that
both chilled and thrilled her. Even
in her own desolation, and shrinking
almost unbearably from the avowal,
the hope and brightness in his voice
touched her with pity. 1t seemed to
her that life was a strange tumble of
unacceptable and incomprehensible
pain. And all the while, in the young
voice vibrant with feeling, her cring-
Ing ear was catching imagined echoes
OF that other voice, graver and more
self-contained. but shaken by the same
passion, In that iteration Of Il love
you! love you'll"
His answer came to him finally in
her silence, and he released her hands
which he had caught in his own. They
dropped, limp and unresponsive. in
her lap. Shirley" he said brokenly,
maybe you can't care for me-yet
But II you will marry me, I'll be
content with so little, till-you do"
She shook her head, her hair max
ing dim flashes in the freight. mo,
Chilly" she said. "It makes me
wretched to give you pain, but l must
i must! Love isn't like that. 1t
doesn't come afterward. / know. l
could never give you what you want.
You would end by despising me. as
should despise myself"
81 won't give up" he said incoher-
emily. Il can't give up. Not so long
as know there's nobody else. At the
ball l thought thought perhaps you
cared for Valiant-but since he told
me"
He stopped suddenly, for she was
looking at him from an ashen face.
He told me there was no reason why
should not try my luck" he said diff
ficultly. II asked him."
There was a silence, while he gazed
at her, breathing despair. Then he
tried to laugh.
All IlBul, he Sdlu uOdISGlys IL
it doesn't matter. Don't worry"
She stretched out her hand to him
in gesture of wistful pain, and he
held it moment between both of
his, then released It and went hur-
riedly out.
AS the door closed, Shirley sat
down, her head dropping into her
hands like a storm broken flower. Val
liant had accepted the finality Of the
situation. With wave Of deeper
hopelessness 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-
sible, her heart had been clinging to
this-as though his love might even
attain the miraculous and somewhere,
somehow, recreate circumstance. But
now he. too, had bowed to the decree.
A kind of utter apathetic wretched-
ness seized upon her, to replace the
sharp misery that had SO long been
her companion-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 curiously
heavy, but it did not ache. Outside
her mothers door, as was her custom,
she paused mechanically to listen. A
tiny pencil of light struck through the
darkness and painted spot Of bright
ness on her gown. 1t came through
the keyhole; the lamp in her mothers
room was burning. "She has fallen
asleep and forgotten II" she thought.
and softly turning the knob, pushed
the door noiselessiy open and entered.
A moment she stood listening to the
low regular breathing of the sleeper.
The reading lamp shed shaded glow
on the pillow with it's spread-out sill
yer hair, and on the delicate hands
clasped loosely on the coverlet. Shir-
ley came close and looked down on
the placid face. 1t was smooth as a
childs and a smile touched 1t lightly
as If some pleasant sleep-thought 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 the
enamel brooch that held her own baby
curl, and she saw suddenly that what
she had all her life thought was
solid pendant, was now open locket-
wise and that the two halves clasped
miniature 1t came to her at once
that the picture must be Sassoon's,
and a quick thrill of pity and yearn-
ing welled up through her own dejec-
ton. STOPPING, she looked at 1t close
ly. She started as she did so, for the
face on the little disk of ivory was
that of John Valiant.
An instant she stared unbelievingly.
Then recollection of the resemblance
of which Valiant had told her rushed
to her, and she realized that it must
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