J
BETROTHED f
.
The ( rtrly Joy oC n young man And maid ,
Who stand upon the threshold oC l1o'
morn
stand linked In hand , while . nil for them ,
. III fair
With rosy promise oC n day 10 bl,1 :
Who know how each to ouch Is nil In nil
So each to each Is or the other sure
Come weal or woe , the sunshIne or the
rnln
This thing IH good 11'01' oven tho' It bo
That the Cull promise ! oC dawn Is IIn-
Culfllled
And winds urlwo the landscape fair to mar
By mists and shadows no man may foresee -
see ' ,
The 11I'rrrcl vlllion or the opening day
HemalnR for them a blessed memory
1'hro' nil the tiny , tint ii nil light Is gone.
Closed by the last chIme of the curfew.
Yet - -
1'0 have known that glory or dawn still
makes the day
More hcftutltul than tho' It hall not heen
# Most happy they for whom this time shall
prove
The first sweet moments of on ample
day !
1'0 those for whom , until the morning
came ,
Life had been but n twilight-time whereIn -
In
Each had moved solitary amid the crowd
Lonely 111 Hlllrlt , lonely In heart and
mind ,
The coming of this dawn makes nil
thIngs new.
For them the world 1'1 os another world ;
They lire themselves , yet not their former -
l11f'r selves
And half-Corgetiul at all former hours , " .
With Love arIsen they live alone no
moro
-C M Pulno
TILE ?
Brtia STEP//fN1Gc91/VE
Copyright , 1101 ! , by Dally Story Publllhln g Company.
When the wind came there was a
rain of maple leaves , weary and withered .
ered souls swept from the grayed
branches , falling to swift currents
near the ground whore they swirled
In yellow hosts , raising upon the air along
long sound of crackling cries , a curl-
0\18 Interminable noise of dismay at
death , of fear or this implacable sweeping -
Ing force that came from the reel
western sky which flared like an army
with lurid banners
A girl came slowly down the path
that led through the maples She
walked In a dreamy way , following
unconsciously the mere indication or
a road , that summer path that had
r
? f
r 1
I
Looming Above a Rim of Treetops.
been swallowed In the merciless hall
or the dead ! leaves. Finally a man
stepped from the shadows. He was
smiling as he put forth his hnnd.
"Hollo , " he said. ,
When their hands clasped , she began .
gan to look at the dark distance of the
landscape , turning her face from him.
"Well , " ho salll at last , studying the
immobile face , still holding her hand ,
"are you glad to see me ? I just returned -
turned yesterday ; on the New Yorl.
Very breezy trip. I thought I hat !
holler-It then suddenly he threw
away all that and spoke quickly : "And
your husband ! "
Site made a gesture towards where
three brick chimneys appeared In the
distance , looming above a rim of tree
tops. They both steadily regarded
these nsf they were three personages .
ages , three facts , emblematic exactly
of a certain sltuntlon. He , with his
cigarette now In his mouth , his hat
still lilted , clasping his hands said :
'rhe infernal idiot ! "
She looked at him with a swift , re
sentful glance , but he answered tit
once , making a gesture or Irritation
which was a sort of defiant outburst.
"Oh , I am tired of treating him with
magnificent respect when , as a mat
tel' of truth , he Is to me the most
stupid and dense beast In the universe
for not being dead. "
She was lifting her chn ! In a battle-
ful way and waving her fingers toward
his mouth. "nut ho Is my- "
"The devil , " interrupted the young
man , violently. "Do you think that I
am not aware of It' ! " He glared at
her with sullen mge
Upon her face as she ool\Od : at him
there was a vague , Indescribable smile
and In her eyes there were two faint
points of mellow light. "Yes , you do
know It , " she said.
Ho answered her attitude , the light
in her ereB. "You love me , " ho cried
In discontented muttering , "al1d yet
you spend all your limo In guarding
the peace of that duffer"-Indlcallng
the three red chimneys with a contemptuous .
temptuous wave of his hand-"as If he i
were a sacred white elephant of Slam ; I
and , as for mo , I am to be held off with
spears for fear I might kiss the lip or
your little finger. And yet you love
me. You are IncOmllrl'henslble. J
could kill him. '
And 'l'l-rou-why
won't you run away with me' ! "
When she replied her voice had a
subtle quality of . monotony In jt ns 1t
she were speaking a lesson , uttering
some sentiment In which she hall reso-
lutely schooled hersl'U. "Ah , the sin.
You would never be happy with a bad
woman. "
It seemed to make him furious. He
gazed nt her blacltly "A ball woman !
What rot ! You-It
Then she suddenly acknowledged the
falsity of her speech. " o-no-no , I
- - - - - " - - - - - - - . - - - . -
didn't mean that , I didn't mean it . I
meant that I-I could never be happy
If J were a bad woman. 'I would be
afrald"-sbo raised her finger and
pointed It mournfully nt hlm-"I wohli\
be afraid of you. "
Ho laughed snvagely. "You are as
wise ns seven owls. It cannot bo ar
gued. It Is to be demonftrated. : A renewal -
newal of my protestations of love
would not be convincing. " Ho burst .
out passionately , nB If he coulll no
longer endure the weight of his hopes ,
his fears , his wr ngs. "nut why not
make an attempt for happiness ? You
love me. I love you. ; What Is there
In this Infernal environment that
should make us value It ! What Is
there to suffice us If we have not each
other. Nothing , I tell you , nothing. "
\Valt , " she said. "God forgive us-
It cannot be long to' walt now. "
"Walt ' , walt My soul Is weary of
this waiting " he answered "lie will
never llle ; he Is too selfish ; he will
see us both In our graves , J. tell you.
Is all our youth to he worn threadbare
waiting for this selfish brute to shuffle
off ! " He looked nt her steadily : ! for a
moment , then continued : "Do you
know that I believe that In spite of
the life he has led you , you love him ,
now , more than you do me. "
She was very white and the pain
In her eyes should have warned him.
"No , " ho said , " [ our years Is long
enough to walt ; long enough for you
to make up your mind. Do you know
that you have played fast and loose
with me for four years ? Four-Iong-
years : ! ! Now you must decide. Will
you come with me , dear heart , will
you come with me' ! SaYflpealwlll
you come to the sheller or my love or
do you send me away ; forever ! I will
walt no longer ; I am determined ;
choose-hlm- he shook his
closed hands at the red chlmne's-
"or happiness with me ! "
The girl shivered and drew her cape
closely about her shou1ders. As she
moved a faint perfume of lavender
_ n. _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
.
came to the man. He took held of
both her hands with his and drew her
to him , eagerly , gazing at her face , so
close to his own , noting every feature ,
the small straight nose , the forehead
low and brand , crowned with masses
Qf lark wavIng hair , the small rounded .
cd chin beneath the sweet trembling
mouth ! And her oyes-ber eyes , now
dark with the pain of this passion
which she felt was mastering. her.
l / i lI
& i1ri111l\\A \ \
w \ \ ' I
j
, -
. . .
One Long Kiss.
She could feel his warm breath upon
her cbeel < s. Her hands crept up his
arms and about his neck ; she threw
her head back and as she did-tbelr
lips met In one long kiss.
r r r . r
The following morning the man
awakened with a song upon the lips \
that she had Iclssed. As ho dressed
he strutted as a self'latlffiell : : cock
might strut while be plumed himself
In the barnyard. They were to leave
that night. Of course nothing could
prevent her going , now-"nothlng but
death , " she had said. All the morning
he was busy arranging his affairs for
a long absence.
At noon came a messenger with a
notE' It was from her. How well he
knew the gray paper and the dainty
writing ! Ho caressed the envelope before
fore ho opened It. "Why I am getting -
as sentimental 8:1 : a woman , " he said 1 .
aloud , laughingly. Then ho toro the
note open and this Is what it said : '
"Forgive , forgive me , my beloved. I . .
have chosen del\th. I could not leave
him and after yesterday there Is no
peace for mo but In death. Forgive
me , for I have loved you more than
1\fe. \ " ' ! l ,
r r . t S [ . ; ,
The woman killed herself on Octo _
bel' the 9th. Her husband died of a
long , lingering illness on October 10th.
Under the maples the man walked
and the little leaves of brown anA
'
yellow and those with the crimson
blots danced about him The mt-
had grown old In two days , frost bad
touched his temples and his face was
gray and drawn. lie looked at the
red chimneys above the tree tops ; he
held out his arms towards them , yearn'
Ingly , with a halL - stified moan. The
little leaves danced and flew In clouds
before his eyes , they beat him upon
the face ; they reamed to run and
jump before his sight , blinding him
stinging him , as he held his arms to
wards the : red chimneys
- - - - - - -
WIFE WAS JUSTLY INDIGNANT.
Husband's Failure to "Bawl" at Her
Demise Was Too Much. .
_ J
Mrs. Lotltla Tyler Semple , who was
mistress of the White house during
President Tyler's administration , has
just celebrated In Washington her
eighty-third blrtnda ' .
'rhe statesman I liked hest In my
youth was Daniel Webster , " Mrs. Sent' " '
pie snld the other day. "He was a
handsome man and talked well. I remember '
member n banquet one night when the
subject of death and dying came up ,
and 1\11' Webster told us a story that
was half funny and half pnthetlc.
"He said that an old woman lay
very ill and after a lime she went
off Into a trnnce. She lay so still In
this trance that they thought the end
had come , and when she opened her .
eyes again at last her husband said to {
her In a surprised tone : l
. .
" "Vhy , Mandy , we thought yo wuz
dead. '
"The poor woman looked at her hus-
band a moment and then she burst into . f
to tenrs
" 'An' ye never bawled a bit , ' she
sobbed. 'Ye thought - wuz dead and
yer eyes wuz dry. Couldn't ye have
bawled a little bit , Jabez ? '
"The old man was deeply moved ,
and he did actually bawl then. But
his wife said sadly :
" 'Il's too late now. Dry yer eyes.
If I'd really been dead and 'e'd
bawled 'twoulll have done me Borne
. .
good. But It's too late now. ' "
Maranda.
A crescent moon lingers to greet the
morn , t
The star oC beauty smiling In Its rays :
The bIrds slllg low-as wooIng their own
lays :
The young l\Ia-blmssum freshened .
zephyrs warn
Lest closer touching win , not bud . but
thorn ;
The air breathes lover's breath all
tainting haze :
WITIe Silence , eloquent with voiceless
praise
Guards welt the stlllneR-and the day 18
born.
The roet's soul saw type ol this lair ,
hour ,
In sacred recess of a living heart : '
Its petrlesB melody ; Its bloom , Its flower ,
Its beauty , and Its mystery are part
Of hymnic musIc , tellIng of sunrIse
In the soft shadows of a malden's eyes
-Mar ' M. Adams , Cram "The . Song at
MidnIght , "
Church Pews ns Investments. '
At Klrkhnm ( Eng- ) Parish church
the greater portion of the pew rents , . -
Instead of swelling the exchequer of
the church , go Into the pockets of pri-
vate individuals , who , for the most
part , do not attend the church or even
reside In the district. The peculiar
\
situation originated In 1823 , when , to
meet the expenses of rebuilding the
church , about forty pews and a few
organ , scats were put up for auction , .
and realized amounts varying from
$175 to $ SOO. The church wardens
are endeavoring to come to an arrangement -
rangement with the pew owners with
a view to securing a larger share ot
the rents for the benefit of the church