Stone County enterprise. [volume] (Wiggins, Stone County, Mississippi) 1916-current, 1922-12-21

wait. But it's not fair to you
and you ought to-"
Rudely he interrupted her.
Don't mention other girls to
me again, please. That's def
nitely settled. The mere
thought of anyone but you
drives me crazy"
"You are very good to me-"
she breathed. "Then we shall
wait-until eternity maybe,
but We'll be sweethearts, eh?
Promise me, tho, that you'll
not urge me to marry you un-
til"
II promise"
81 wonder if you'll be con-
tent. l hope So"
"Of course" he said, trying
not to betray by his voice the
despair gnawing at his heart.
Time passed slowly, as it has
way of doing when one is not
happy. Dick Osborne, young,
popular, handsome and rich,
had begun to ponder seriously
the why's and wherefores of
Life. Why had everything
turned out so differently from
the rose-hued dreams of his
youth? What did it mean and
what was the use anyway?
Grace, the sweet, beautiful and
wonderful had broken the COM
plete satisfaction that had al.
ways enveloped him. And the
unattainable was worth more
than all that had come before.
How could he live without her?
Maddening! His longing
grew to be the all consuming
fire of his existence, yet she
kept him to his promise. The
subject of divorce was strictly
taboo.
He grew quarrelsome, using
any pretex to voice the griev-
ance that was eating away his
soul. He knew that she loved
him but he pretended to doubt
her. In all the ways that a
lover can be cruel to the loved
one, he was cruel to Grace, and
hated himself for it.
She suffered, she bore until
she could endure no longer.
Then she disappeared. No one
knew where. He visited her
widowed mother and married
sisters. They could offer no So
luton. Theyknew that a long
letter had come for her the
morning before her departure,
which she read secretly and
rurposely or accidently forgot
to mention later.
In guilty moments he ac-
cused himself of having driven
her away by increasing impa-
tience and irritability. Thoughts
of her having gone to her hus1
band, through a stern sense of
duty, almost drove him frantic.
But whether despair, grief or
unjust rage possessed him, in
his heart of hearts he knew
that she was ever doing the
right thing and to his passion
ate love was added a new quail
ity, reverence.
If she would only come back
now, he could tell her that rever-
ence had driven out the accursed
jealousy, passion and impa-
tience. To have her where he
could see her and talk to hen
once more would be so much
more wonderful than not hav-
ing her at all; that he couldn't
understand why he had been
unhappy before she left.
His own sorrow made him
keenly sensitive to pain OF
others. Sympathy melted his
vanity and created in him an
interest in the welfare of hu-
manity. Poor, suffering hu4
manity! In the midst of his
plenty he wanted more, while
there we're thousands upon
thousands that begged only a
few crumbs of happiness !;
thousands that would be salts
fled with enough to assuage
their hunger, or cover their
nakedness. Yes, he had much
and whined because he was not
given all. And into his self
centered heart was born the
realization that love should be
rich with reverence, sympathy
and unselfishness. Was that
all that constituted this new
I,;oJ &c Jo1yo +bot bo xryoc loot.,,