The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-11-10
THE SPRING SONG
BY ALLISON GRANT.

Her four years of married life had
been free from friction, but respect
had been the strongest feeling she
had left for her husband. She shiy-
cred as she recalled that she had
married steady Justin Moore, who
was twenty years her senior, because
1t seemed the only solution Of all the
difficulties which piled themselves
before her when her mothers Illness
was pronounced incurable. Justin
Moore had long begged for the priyi
lege of being Elinor's husband and
brother and father all in one, and al
though she told him frankly that she
did not love him as she felt she ought
she allowed him to claim her, anc
now that she was his widow she
was grateful that nothing in hel
conduct toward him could have LEI
him know that each day of their mar
ried life was a day of bondage to her
On a springlike day in late Feb
ruary, she went out to theater where
she could see a good old-fashioned
play with happy-ever-afterward end
ing.
Between the third and fourth acts
the orchestra began a soft rendition
of Mendelssohn's Spring Song" Eli
nor's thoughts flashed back to the
springtime day, five years before
when she and Barry Elliott had stood
together on the pier at Old Point Com
fort watching the ships pass in and
out of the harbor. She lived again
through the evening of that day when
she had stood on the moonlit deck OF
a South-bound steamer and had hidden
good-by to Barry, thus bringing to an
end their acquaintance of month
while visiting at the Virginia planta'
ton OF Barry's cousin Alice, Elinor's
school friend, who had married short
ly afterward and gone to India with
her engineer husband.
All the long, hard years that had
intervened seemed but a troubled
dream to Elinor AS the final curtain
rose to show the hero and heroine
united after having bridged the chasm
which kept them apart during the ear.
ly part of the play, she felt curious
personal sense of having bridged the
empty chasm in her own life and
heart.
She remembered having heard
shortly after her marriage, of Barrys
engagement to a beautiful Southern
girl, but that did not spoil her mem
ory of that one perfect evening with
him. He was then penniless, EN-
bryo lawyer, just out of college, and
he felt that he must attain some sort
of professional standing before offer
ing himself to Elinor, but each had
understood that underneath theiI
formal good-by was heart cry that
even the long hand clasp could not
fully express or suppress. She hoped
he had been happy, was happy now.
AS she went from the theater she
stopped to look at a window display
of blossoming plants, and uncon
sciously as she looked she hummed
the opening bars of the Spring
tracted a passing man, who was TAX
ing hasty glance at the window. A
glance at her brought him to a sud
den stop. A second glance brought
him to her side. That brought hei
eyes upward casually to regard sc
close neighbor, and as her eyes met
the clear brown eyes of Barry Elliott
she brought her hands together with
an impulsive movement that let the
violets she held fall to the sidewalk
Somehow, words were small part OF
their greeting, of replacing the VIC
lets in her hands, and of their walk
ing off together down Broadway.
"And your husband?" ventured
Barry. He is with you here?"
MY husband died six months ago;
my mother-seven. l came away tc
try to forget some OF the cares of the
last five years." said Elinor quietly
but tell me of your own life, Barry
Is the lovely Southern girl good tc
your"
why, didn't Alice write you about
my fiasco?"
"She never mentioned you after
telling of your engagement"
TITS easily told" began Barry
bluntly. The lovely Southern girl
wanted everything lovely that money
could buy, and when she got an op
portunity to choose between penniless
me and man with a ready-made
fortune, she chose him. leaving me to
come to my senses and settle down
to digging, which | have done con
stantly and profitably ever since."
How strange Alice told me none
of that" nfused Elinor But perhaps
she thought had enough without
knowing that you, too, were unhap
py
Then my happiness did matter to
you, Elinor?" asked Barry.
More than / could ever make you
understand. Barry; but my duty kept
me rom even understanding it my
self" In few words Elinor told him
quite simply what her life had been
since they parted. 1T seemed the