Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1916-09-15

j out being In love VIM you because you
dId believe had tried to marry your
brother, and"
Mary, l only knew-for the first
time-that you-that you were"
Were desperately poor" she said.
"You can't even say that! Bibbs, it
was true: / did try to make Jim want
to marry me. did?' And she sank
down into the chair, weeping bitterly
again. Bibbs was agonized.
''Mary," he groaned, ST didn't know
you could cry!''
''Listen," she said. "Listen till get
We were poor, and we weren't fitted to
be. We never had been, and we didn't
know what to do. We'd been almost
rich; there was plenty, but my father
wanted to take advantage of the
growth Of the town; he wanted to be
richer, but instead-well. just about
the time your father finished building
next door we found we hadn't any
thing. People say that, sometimes,
meaning that they haven't anything in
comparison with other people Of their
own kind, but we really hadn't any
thing-we hadn't anything at all,
Bibbs! And we couldn't do anything.
You might wonder why / didn't try to
be a stenographer'-and / wonder my
self why, when a family loses it's
money, people always say the daugh-
ters ought to go and be stenographers.'
It's curious!-as if a wave Of the hand
made you into stenographer No, I'd
been raised to be either married COM
fortably or a well-to-do old maid, if J
chose not to marry. The poverty came
on slowly, Bibbs, but at last it was al
there-and l didn't know how to be a
stenographer. didn't know how to
be anything except a well-to-do old
maid or somebody's Wife-and |
couldn't be a weIl-to-do old maid.
Then, Bibbs, did what I'd been raised
to know how to do. went out to be
fascinating and be married. did 1t
openly, at least, and with kind OF de-
cent honesty. / told your brother |
had meant to fascinate him and that |
was not in love with him, but let him
think that perhaps l meant to marry
him. I think did mean to marry him.
/ had never cared for anybody, and |
thought it might be there really wasn't
anything more than a kind of excited
fondness. l can't be sure, but | think
| that though did mean to marry him
I never should have done it, because
that sort Of a marriage is-it's sacri.
lege-something would have stopped
me. Something did stop me; it was
your sister-in-law, Sibyl. She meant
no harm-but she was horrible, and
| she put what / was doing into such
horrible words-and they were the
| truth-oh! saw myself! She was
proposing a miserable compact with
me-and I couldn't breathe the air of
| the same room with her, though I'd so
cheapened myself she had right to
assume that / would. But couldn't!
I left her, and wrote to your brother
just quick scrawl. told him just
what I'd done; 1 asked his pardon, and
I said | would not marry him. / post
ed the letter, but ne never got it. That
was the afternoon he was killed. That's
/ all, Bibbs. Now you know what did
and you know-me!'' She pressed
her clenched hands tightly against her
eyes, leaning far forward, her head
bowed before him.
Bibbs had forgotten himself long
ago; his heart broke for her. Couldn't
you Isn't Ihere- Won't you" he
stammered. MARY, I'm going with ia
Their. Isn't there some way you could
use the money without-without-"
She gave a choked little laugh.
"You gave me something to live for, /"
he said. You kept me alive, think
and I've hurt you like this!'
mot you-oh nor
| ''You could forgive me. Mary ?"
''Oh, thousand timesY Her right
hand went out in a faltering gesture,
and Just touched his own for an in
slant. "But there's nothing to for
give"
"And you can't-you can't"
"Can't what, Bibbs?"
You COULDN'T
''Marry your" she said for him.
Eyes"
''No, no, no!'' She sprang up, facing
him. and. without knowing what she
did, she set her hands upon his breast,
pushing him back from her little. II
can't, / can't! Don't you see?"
MARY
''No, mol And you must go now,
Bibbs; can't bear any more
please"
s'Mary-"
''Never, never, neverr' she cried, in
a passion of tears. you mustn't come
amp more. / can't see you, dear! Never,
never, never"
Somehow, in helpless, stumbling ODE
dience to her beseeching gesture, he
got himself to the door and out Of the
house.
|