Courier Democrat., 1920-01-15

AcAI AIoLu lue uFSC LudC CareO d great
deal about you, and he naturally re-
sented it. think perhaps he felt this
even during all the time when I was
so careful-at least 1 thought 1 was
not to show, even to you, how i'm
pensely did care. It's perfectly COM
prehensible to me, also, that at his age
one gets excited about gossip. Dear
Isabel, what Pm trying to get at, in my
confused way, is that you and / don't
care about this nOnsenSical gossip, our
selves, at all. Yesterday l thought the
time had come when 1 could ask you
to marry me, and you were dear
enough to me to tell me sometime it
might come to that Well, you and 1,
left to ourselves, and knowing what
we have been and what we are, we'd
pay as much attention to talk as we
would to any other kind of Old CATS
mewing! We'd not be very apt to let
such things keep us from the plenty Of
life we have left to us for making up
to ourselves from old unhappiness and
mistakes. But now we're faced with
not the SANDER and not our own fear
Of it, because we haven't any, but
someone else's fear of it-your sons.
And, oh, dearest woman in the world,
know what your son is to you, and it
frightens me! Let me explain little:
don't think he'll change-at twenty
one or twenty-five so many things ap-
pear solid and permanent and terrible
which forty sees are, nothing but dis
appearing miasma. Forty can't tell
twenty about this; that's the pity of
it! Twenty can find out only by get
ting to be forty. And so we come to
this, dear: Will you live your own life
your way, or Georges way? I'm going
a little further, because it would be
fatal not to be wholly frank now.
George will act toward you only as
your long worship Of him. your sac
rifices-all the unseen little ones every
day since he was born-will make him
act. Dear, it breaks my heart for you,
but what you have to oppose now Is
the history Of your own selfess and
perfect motherhood. I remember say
ing once that what you worshiped in
your son was the angel you saw in him
and l still believe that is true ui.
every mother. But in q mothers wor-
ship she may not see that the will in
her son should not always be offered in
cense along with the angel. grow sick
with fear for you-for both you and
me-when think how the will against
US two has grown strong through the
love you have given the angel-and
how long your own sweet will has
served that other. Are you strong
enough, Isabel? Can you make the
fight? I promise you that if you will
take heart for it, you will find so quick
ly that it has all amounted to nothing.
You shall have happiness, and, in a
little while, only happiness. You need
only to write me a line-I can't come
to your house-and tell me where you
will meet me. We will come back in
a month, and the angel in your son
will bring him to you; promise It.
What is good in him will grow so fine,
VuCS yOu nave DedlGu tllc luEDulGut
will-but it must be beaten!
"Your brother, that good friend, is
waiting with such patience; / should
not keep him longer-and am saying
too much for wisdom, fear. But, oh,
my dear, won't you be strong-such a
little short strength it would need
Don't strike my life down twice, dear
this time I've not deserved it.
"EUGENE."
Concluding this missivc, George
tossed it abruptly from him so one
sheet fell upon his bed and the Others
upon the floor; and at the faint noise
Of their falling Isabel came, and, kneel.
ing began to gather them up.
did you read it, dear?'
Georges face was pale no longer
but pink With fury. eyes, 1 did"
':All of it," she asked gently, as she
NN