The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-05-21

an hour ago, as they exchanged their
first superficial sentences, that he was
lonelier than he had ever imagined,
but he hadn't realized until this i'm
mediate contingency. that this sensa-
ton had carried over until now. He
was prevented, by the very limits of
| the project which had brought him
here, from releasing any of his sincere
thoughts; he hadn't comprehended, UNI
til he had learned the truth just now
by actual experience that loneliness
is nothing but an aggravated state of
self-represSion. Never in all his life,
not even when he had lain for months
in hospital in France, had he been as
lonely as today, and at this moment,
when he was surrounded by people he
knew intimately, and when he was en-
| Joined from sharing In their commune
ty of mind.
Carol, looking up at him with what
wasn't exactly a smile, but was at
| least cousin to it-that well-remem-
bered flash of, sympathetic interest
Carol spoke to him under cover Of the
SSntIdi CONVERSATION.
"a penny for your thoughts!" she
proffered.
They aren't worth it." said Hill
lard. 81 was thinking about myself"
He continued to regard her steadily,
and he was alarmed to discover that
he was losing one of the abilities
which had made him so sure of him
self. He continued to hold that she
had treated him shabbily, mercilessIy;
but Notwithstanding that as he gaZed
at her, and perceived the sweet nat
uralness which was developing out of
last weeks shock, he was secretly per-
turbed. In spite of himself, he be-
gan to see, as though by camera OBJ
scura, dim visions of the past; he was
righteously annoyed that they should
rise to torment him, and still the vi
SiOnS came.
But after all that you've been
through she said, 81 should think
your thoughts about yourself would
be extremely interestingly
I'm afraid they're rather gloomy,
Miss Durant, whenever they touch on
what I've been through And when
anything like this gathering here to-
day builds up comparison. I'm
sorry, but can't always master It,"
'YOu mean the difference between q
family over here and a family over
there?"
Exactly" he said "Down to the
last detail-what we eat, and where
we live, and what we talk about, and
what we think about-everything."
"rve thought of that, too," she said |
soberly. ''But I'll have to confess that |
it wasn't until you came-it wasn't
until after that first night at Angela's |
that the great difference came home |
to me. It's made me feel that it's al |
most wrong--almOst uncomfortable
that we should be so warm and COM
Portable, and well-fed, when over on
the continent well, wonder |
whether we won't have to pay for this |
some time"
1t was at this juncture that Mrs. |
Durant rose; and Hilliard, with keen |
foresight, cannily guided Carol after
her mother into the living room, made
for a familiar piece of furniture and
pre-empted 1t; 1t would seat two peo-
pie, and no mOre--there wasn't the
slightest use in Armstrong; lettering
disconsOlately in the neighborhood it
had maximum capacity Of two. Fur
thermore, it was removed by several
feet from the nearest listening post.
He was so close to her that their
sleeves touched he looked into the
beautiful eyes which were so clear, so