Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-11-25

one" been. and how terribly sh. had
broken since nor divc-c. and her III
ness. Sin" would always be appeal
!ns-thc Kind OF woman with whom
nI"n easily f.lI in lovc-but one 50
soon reached Tho end of mere soft
ness ana pr"'tIucss.
Yes. you were ono % the older
girls answered Alice. ana al
iriT"d you 50 much. used to sit
on the from, porch for hours to
watch YOU 20 by"
And then wen; abroad. and We
lost sight Of each other
We both married. and got a
livorc" last year"
81 heard that you c!d" /, seeIued
futile 10 orer sympathy.
My marriage was Il mistake |
was very unhappy. have had
hard nc" said Alice. and her lower
ZIP. ~ Soft "s haby's. ,remb!.G
nerrously. How ll;;l" character
th"r" was ia her face. how little OF
anything "soe?t tina; iudcnndH.e al
!u!omcu, o: sex:
II know responded Corlnua con-
s1l!usly. she f.,t 80 strong beside
this helpless, frightened. woman TIA!
tho old ache To comfort. to heal
pain, was liz. a panp In hor heart.
Everything has called me-" muir
INJURED Alice. with the restless vo!u-
oll!i! o! u weak mature. u thought
iherc was something that would
max" up FOR what had .uisscd-
something that would hcip me to
i.vc-br. ;hn has failed me like
everything else
Things VIII fail" assentcd Cor!n-
ma. with sympathy, ~ we lean too
hard on ,hciE'
y dcllea;o nush had come into
Al.cc's fhGe. br!nr!nr back for a mo-
ncnt her old how.r-iike loveliness
Her hnc brown hair dropped In a
wave on her forehead. aud beneath
1t h"r violet eyes were deep and
wih;tul.
What = beautiful room" she said
ia GU'rcriny voice. And tile gar
den is Ike one l." an OLD English
song"
Yes hardly know which love
best my garden or my shop
Tn" words we're So far from CORN.
mas thoughts ,ha, they seemed to
tr.ft - hcT from SOM distant point
~ space out of the world beyond
b" garden aud tho black brows Of
IN" c"dars They were a. meaning
less a. tn Wind that brought them.
or IN" Whlrr!uc Of TIC whit, moth
e
words and express .oulcsS gestures
which were Ike the words aud gos-
lures 81 nr au'onatou. size w.,s CON
'5puS II u profound current Of t...
.uE which flowed stchd!iy h.,,y.,u
N.i"" foEvby and herself: and On
ms current there was born. all Tn.
.nartcutat" burden OF womnuhoud
poor thiug, sh. wants me to helm
her," sh" thought: but aloud she said
only: The roses are doing so vel!
this year. They vii! bc the fines, I
have ever had
suddenly Alice lowered her veil
and rose. Il must go. II Is late"
She said. and held out her hand.
Then. while she stood there. with
her hand still outs;rctch.d. all that
she had left unspOken appeared TO
rush over her in torrent. and she
asked RAPIDLY. while her lips jcrkcd
like the lips OF n hurt child. is
II true. Corinna, that YOU are going
10 marry John Berham?"
For an instant Corinna looked at
her without speaking. The sym
paihy tn her heart ceased as quickly
as fountain that is stopped. ana
she was conscious only Of that lie
less chill with which she had entered
the room. Now that the question had
como, she knew that shc had dread
ed ii from the ;irst moment her eyes
bad rested on the face OF her visitor.
that size hal expected I from thu.
instant when sh. nad heard iEat :.
woman awaited her in the housc II
was something OF which she had been
aware. and set a! which shc had been
scarcely consciouS-as If tho knowl-
edge had never penetrated below the
surfGsp az her "A
would he so easy. she knew, to evad.
II now as shc had evdGvd il from
The beginning. to push today into
tomorrow tor the rest of her life.
Nothing stood in her way: nothing
but that deep instinct for truth on
which. It seemed 10 her now. most
Of her associations with men had
been wrecked. Then, because she
was Obliged TO obey the law OF her
nature. She answered simply. Yes.
we expect to be married"
siran&led sound broke from
Aiico's lips, but she bit It back he
FORE II had formed into a word. The
hand that she had thrown out biindly
fcll on the fringe OF her gown. and
she began knitting it together with
| trembling hngrrs. Has he--does he
! care FOR YOU" she asked presently
| IL hat Hurried voice.
For tho gccoud time Curinna hest
lated: and In that instant Of hcSi;a-
ton. she broke !rrevucably with the
past and with the iron rule OF ira
ditiOn. she knew how her mother.
how her grandmother. how all the
strong and quiet women OF her race
would have borne themselves In "A
crisis like thistle Implications and
cvnsions which would have walled
them within tho garden shat was
| their world. Her mother. She real.
tied. would have been as Incapable
~ facing the situation az she would
haze bceh OF creating ii.
Yes. he cares for me" she answer
cd frankly: and then, before the ter
Tor that lcapcd into tho eyes Of the
| other woman as Il she lungcd 10
! turn ana run out Of the house, CORN
ma touched hor gently on the shout
der Don't look like THAR" II WAS
nncndurnhi" TO her compa ssiunat.
heart ,hat she should have brought
that iooH into the eyes OF any liv-
Ing creature.
She led Alice back to the chairs