The Washington times., 1923-02-11

mitted a crime. / have killed my
self"
"But = but - you obviously
haven't"
Marcella was little nervous.
After all, was he really mad?
Eyes. am a dead man. was
reported wounded and missing the
other day in that border skirmish
in the East. No one knows l am
not dead. had decided to remain
dead-to drown myself here. No
one in the world would care. Then
i saw you-and \. and''-all
this time he was. looking very
steadily at her. "well, | didn't
want to dep
"And you won't die. Suicide is
a sim"
The aphorism sounded converse
tionally trite-a veritable truism-
but she had nothing else to say. 1t
was as though this beautiful young
man had paralyzed her tongue and
mind. She only wanted to run as
far as she could and as fast back
to the everyday manners of Mer-
vyn and the cosiness of the cot
tage.
But the thought of her tired
legs discouraged her, and the men,
DRY of the way Mervyn had gone
to sleep after dinner-the brute.
He needed a lesson. He would be
arriving home about now. He
would be very tired after his field
day. The shining silver tea-kettle
would be boiling away on the little
gate-leg table in the bay window.
And he would call her and get
no answer. And he would go up
to her room and out into the gar
den, and to the edge of the little
wood. and down by the stream,
and perhaps on to the Big House
up the hill, still looking for her.
Then he would rush back and
question the servant. At last he
would settle down and have his
tea without her-the brute.
Meanwhile, she would enjoy her.
self.
Eyes. Suicide may be a SIM"
the man was saying; "but there
are other worse sins. Living may
be a sin, too. Some day / will tell
you the story of my life. You
will see even more than when you
gazed into my soul just now"
ooh, didn'tp' Really this was
too much!
"Yes-and don't be ashamed of
it. You gazed into my soul-and
shall tell you why? Because you
are young and lonely and beauti-
ful-but not so beautiful as your
Maker meant you to be. There's
a usefulness in your eyes. Your
mouth is sweet and tender, with
little ache somewhere behind the
corners. That's because you loved
the dream of life more than living.
Before you married you dreamed
of love and all love would be. You
wondered at the mystery of things
flowers, sunshine, the sea, music
all beauty filled you with unrest
and when, you married you thought
you had all the fulfilment of the
promise. but you soon found your
best moments still lonely. Your
soul still scared above and beyond
your lovers soul. Gradually he
was not your lover at all, but just
your husband AAd-and-"
"And he went to sleep after dim
ner."
"Yes-I was coming to that"
Chow did you know? Who are
you? Oh, now l must go back!
Mervyn will be waiting" She act
ually rose, but the man pulled her
gently Town by his side again,
"Let Mervyn wait" he said. 81
have waited twenty-seven years.
For twenty-seven years | have
been looking for someone like you.
You understand what l mean be-
fore l begin to say it. All my life
l have been wandering and wait
ing for you. It won't hurt Mer-
vyn to wait one hour. At the end
of it will send you back to him.
He may tell you who ! am. Lots
of people will tell you who am.
And gradually you will believe
them. But now will tell you who
you are-what you are. You are
at rose and think of the mystery
of it's scent and color. You are
still worshipping the God who
made it when the man you love
begins talking about the price of
golf balls. You sing-you dance
you run on the short grass be-
cause the sun shines and you re-
ioice to be alive. The man you
married shouts for you to come
and make a fourth at bridge with
the Colonel and his wife. All these
things you could bear. But when
it comes to finding your real self
you must be alone. You fly to the
sea that long ago promised you so