The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-07-11

a.
and the friyollty of things
: Yes, but we men forget easily,
interrupted Davids, checking what
promised to be a voluble discourse
on the philosophy of romance as inter
preted by Forde-"its the women who
feel the iron in their souls, and who
live on and love on. and die with the
wonder of 1t undiscovered"
Quite true remarked Deming
who had hitherto been silent and alb
stracted; "and will tell you of JUS,
such a case
Somehow all present felt that some
thing was forthcoming.
Boys" he continued quietly and
with an odd depth to his voice. we've
been good pals, all of us, and l alone
have been reticent and secretive-now
I'm going to show my hand.
When | was twenty-five l was
rather unlike most men at the same
age. My life had been, and was, com.
posed of outdoor sports, and getting
ahead In my fathers business-ma
king good the name he had left me.
Women to me simply did not ex
list. Just about then came my one
serious illness-typhoid-and l was
beastly low, nurses and specialists
and vile treatment, and all that. and
finally a tedious convalescence, bright,
ened only by the unobstrusive but up.
tiring attentions of my housekeeper
One day when / was learning the
use of my limbs again, was saunter-
ing about the house, and in the II.
brary | chanced upon a book left
there. Presumably the housekeeper
had been reading 1t.
The book contained some closely
written sheets of paper, and how
came to read something not for my
eyes / shall never know, but read
them did. 1t is that letter that
makes the love Of woman forever
impossible for me. carry 1t with
me always" his hand rose tentatively
to his breast pocket That letter,
he resumed. 'laid bare a woman-soul
the very quintessence of woman.
hood-all the fierce tenderness, the
sublime unself1shness, the glorious
self-abnegation of the love of a wo.
man for the undeserving man. AS l
read | knew that the writer of that
letter was the one woman in the
world for me.
And felt, for the first time in my
egotistical. selfsufficient career, a
strange doubt, a curious abasement. |
The following week l was to de
part south further to recuperate, and |
you may believe my departure was a
reluctant one
In the interval my housekeeper
was slightly indisposed with what
eventually developed into typhoid, and
she must have felt some slight amaze
at my assiduous attentions and de
lightful affability. l was positively
with my floral donations.
Well. as | say, | went south, and
had been gone nearly a month when
was called home by a telegram
saying that my housekeeper had con.
tracted typhoid and had died AS
she seemed to have no one to make
the necessary arrangements, would
come at once and attend to things
myself?"
Deming paused. and selected fresh
cigar with punctilious care.
Il arrived home.' he resumed, "and
'ound that the old doctor had done
everything. and that the funeral was
hat night. l disliked death as being
morbid, and therefore an undesirable
actor in my thoroughly well-balanced
However. / decided to go in and
'ay my last respects to one who had
served me we'll She looked quiet
md quite at peace. Around her throat
vas slender gold chain with a me-
allion attached Careless hands had
aid 1t wrong side up, and bent over
Ter and turned It over" 4
The cigar glowed f1ercely red for
N instant, then Deming said very
ow:
MY picture was in 1t, and under
cath the name and the date In her
andwritfng.
That's all. boys. All night | sat c
azing at her, this woman who had (
we'd in my house for seven years, on I
HON had bestowed some brief
matches of conversation or an occa-
onal appreciative gift; this woman
loved too late, whom might never s
1uch-who would never know-try- t.
lg to make reparation to the dead 8
" the blind stupidity | had shown S
le living. \
In her dear. still face | read the
tiful story-her hopeless love-her :,
neliness-I vowed then that as she =
nd lived and loved and suffered, so d
7 Gods mercy should too. Next u
orning they took her away fe
A long. vibrant silence followed
hen the boys departed quietly. q