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Too Late.
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( tether UII' links that scattered lie
Bury there HOll1owlwt'-1\ IR broken
Htlr not the air with 1111 hill sign
Lay 011 the grave : 110 blossomed ! : 101l1I.
None need remember nlH\ \ none regret
With reproachful looks that IL life hi
wURted ;
It III enough tint \ II sun tlllR act .
That the Wino was spilled 'l1'0 n drop
III ! ' tastoQ .
Bury there somewhere , nor stay to part
. Tire geld ( UIII the dross ! III the Hllent
grat , ' e ' ;
Inscribe Oil the tombstone " 1'1119 fragile ,
hl'lIl'l
Was ntmlll-nntI " none was I\t hand tu
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TUE SIMPLE LItE
DY MARGERY WILLIAMS
It seemed the last house on the
rand , which had stretched , fiat and
dusty and featureless , for the five
miles since ho left Blrchvllle , edged
hy barren pasture and overgrown with
brambles , and with here and there a
stunted tree to break the monoton
lie slowed his bicycle down as he
drew hoar , looking ! nt the mull ! : I
square ( dwelling , with Its whitewashed
fence and green shutters and tiny
lInlJlllnted barn at the back , and 1\ lit
tie patch of cultivated ground In
which , between rows or beanpoles
and cabbages , he could tWO the mm'
tug flutter of a woman' allrt.
She had her back towards him
stooping to gather something. She
turned as he stopped at the gate , anti
he could : see her hands full or green
leaves and earthy roots
"Cun you tell me , " ho began , dismounting ,
mounting , and then paused as ho saw ! :
her coming towards him.
When she moved , something ! : about t
liar struck him Instantly ns incongru'
_ .hd L. . .u" . _ ' , _ _ . . . _ . . . .
oils ; 110 could lint have lUlU what It
was. She was young , und might hllvc
been pretty , but that her l1hlr wu s
sr
RtrflltHJlJ hac' ' , too tightly from her
thin face , giving her Il look or plain
ness. She wore a phil cotton blouse
washed many times and ratted , and
short cloth skirt , that sagged un
gracefully at the baclc
"I'm going to ask you , " he said 1 ]
aR she came near , "to let me have II
drink nt your pump and then put m e
on the right road to AlIentown. "
When she spoke the incongruity resolved
Halved itself Instantly. She hall th e
voice of his own native city , clear - cut
educated.
" 'l'hls Is the Allentown \ road , " sir
Bald. "And won't you . come In , please
The pump Is just round at the sille. '
She Bell open the gate , and lu
leunod his bicycle against the renCI
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Yam
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"This Is ! the Allentown road. "
and followed her In. There was Il tI
dipper on the pump ; he filled It an
Ilranl The water tasted good aft
seven miles or dusty riding.
While ho was drinking he observe
her again. There was a curious 1'estles :
ness In her face , a look at once eagt :
and disappointed. It was the expr :
sian that comes to those who hat '
watched empt roads for a long tim ! ,
He glanced at her hands They
were cnrthlltul.uell and squared at the
finger tips by outdoor toll , and they ,
too , had the same nervous lines the
same tired wistfulness
"i 1 suppose It :8 : very hot , rllllng , "
she ! said as he set the dipper down.
"Scorching ! " lie looked about him
'
at the tidy garden patch with its
lIneR or beans and tomatoes unobtrusively .
Hively among the sober green and
brown : a garden essentially utilita-
I'ittn
"You have 1\ nice pluce here , " he
said .
"Ycs It's very quiet. " She dropper )
tIre lettuce she was holding Into a half-
filled bucket that stood : near. lIer
eyes met his , and there was something
childish in their look , almost an appeal .
peal
She hesitated n moment , then said :
"Allentown 18 six miles from hore.
Won't you COIIIO into the house and
have some tea before you go on ? I
. was just going to make It. " .
Ile 1 looked at his dusty hoots.
"I ( am alone just now , " she laid : ,
"and it's so quiet \ here-no one ever
com os. One Is glad to see an 'hody. "
110 murmured some vague thanks
us she turned abruptly , averting her
head , and followed her up n little trodden .
den path to the open door. It was R
two'l'Ooin d with tln'lean.to
two ' rooin@l cottage IL tiny
shed at the back , built for a leltchen.
She slipped PIlSt to It , and he could
hear her dragging the kettle across
the stove , clinking cups and sauco1's.
Left to himself a moment he looked
about him with swift , observant e 'es.
Every ! : thing In tile room wall very
1)11,111 , , very simple spotlessly clean ;
whitewashed walls and bare floor and
the scantiest of plain . nrade furniture.
There were one or two good pictures
oil sketches ; Rome marigolds In a
bowl on the mantel . shelf , near nn old
pewter jug ; IL row of books on Il long
shelf against the wnll.
A man's straw hat lay on n chair ,
c _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .t. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . , . . . H. .
nil
friry ' ' : and shabby . 1111(1 but " rrt by the
sun , and ho seemed to see Intultl\'e.
I Iy the man who wore IL The room
seemed to speak to him , Its ascetic
. bareness , Its uncompromising utility.
, lIe moved to the book shelf , Imow.
L lag In advance what books ho would
. find there. The whole house laid bare
Its story to him frankly on entry . and
tine story of the wistful , restless . faced
r L woman with the city voice. .
Ills gaze traveled along tine titles ,
some familiar , some unfamiliar , and !
. us he turned away again he caught
sight of 1\ small framed portrait , an
, engraving , hung on the wull. His
mouth curved : ) curiously as he looked
c at it. M
Tire girl came In from the kitchen ,
, carrying a teapot and some cups.
e I " 'rhere < mn't any cake , " she said
e "I'm so sorry , hut wo don't have company .
pan ) ' orten. And you can cat bread
and butter , can't ) 'ou'Anll there's
fruit. "
She was making little journeys to
and from the kitchen while she
tallted.
"I know It's queer , asking you in
.
like this , but you don.t mind , do you ?
And we're quite strangers , so It
doesn't mutter. One so seldom sees
guests here one likes to make the
most of them ! " She laughed , but he
could read the nervous restlessness In
her voice , the hunger born of monet .
on ) ' .
" 'Yon't you pull } the chair up-
that's right. Do you tale sugar ? It's
an age since I poured out ten for
anyone ! " .
There was almost n dctJanc in tier
friendliness , her frankness , a. reckless
eagerness to make the most or this
chance bour's companionship.
She ate scarcely anything herself ;
all the time she was watching him ,
'I listening to him , chatting in a quick
detached way about one thing and an
other.
n Gradually there grew up for him In
d her face her mnnner , something
0r ! quaintly childish , infinitely pitiful All
the loneliness at her lire spoke to
d hUn wistfully , tentatively , in this room
s . with its unhome1llie furnishing , Its air
er ! of emptiness.
s. When he had finished she still kept
'e pressing him to take more. Ills hand
e. moved unthinkingly to his cant pock .
.
,
.
et , and she said at once : "Yos , do
smoke ! I do wish you would. "
He lit his Illpe.
"Do you live here all the year
round ? " ho asl\Cd.
"Yes. SumlllCl' and win tor. "
"Not alone ? "
She flushed very sUghtly. "My huts-
band Is away today. He Is up In the
city. Generally he Is at llQme. 1ex-
Iect him back In n little while. "
Be looked round him again at the
hare room at her , sitting there with
her restless face , her work hardened
hands , and rlslwd all his psychological .
cal Insight In one simple cnst.
"Wh ) ' , dear girl , why did you ao
it ? "
She laltghod.
"Why ? 0 , It's simple , Isn't It ! So
you know ! " She leaned back , her fingers .
gOl's gripping the chair edge. 'It's
all written out for you ; you can just
cOllie right In here and read It. I Slip'
peso I did It because I was a fool-a
fool-a fool ! There I guess ! ' ! you wonder .
del' at my silting here saying It to
you , hut 'vo ( got to just that point
I'd say It to nnyolw-jllst anyone Ilt
all that came along ! "
The childishness went from her faco.
She rose , pushed her chair aside , and
wllllwd about the room.
j'I guess I don't have to tell you
anything , do I 'f I was young , and I
dllln't Imow anything , and It nIl sounded .
ed very nice and beautiful and I
wanted to try It. J thought It would
wOI'I. A two.roomed cottage and
some books and an acre of ground.
. . . 'Ve11 , l'vo found it out. Isn't
It funny , isn't it humorous , the sort
oC thing you read about In books ! My
God ! Do you know when you came
along today I'd got to such a pltch-
I was nearly crazy. I felt i had to
have someone to speak to-someone
to talk to-just anyone at all , so long
as It was a stranger , I could tell it all
to and then have them go away und
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forget every wonl. And if you Ilalln't
come In I'd have made you , if I hat )
to go down on I11Y knees to you ! Isn't
that shnmeiess ; ! Don't you guess I'm
crazy ? "
She hud spoken quickly , breathlessly .
Iy , as thought every moment were of
value and she hind to get It all out before .
fore ho should go his trav.eler's way
and leave her. Now , as she stopped
short her fingers went to the chair.
.
back and clung to .it , working nero
vously.
"flow old are you ? " he said.
"Iiow old do you think ? "
" "
"Thirty
She laughed again.
"Ye& . I know 'ou'd guess that ! I'm
25. 'l'hal's what It's done for me. I
used to be pretty. You wouldn't guess
It , would you ! Look at my hands ,
IlI'en't they lovely ? And I've had four
years or It-Cour years !
"ll was all right at first ; I liked It
I thought it would go always , but it
didn't. I found it Ollt. If anyone had
told me that three years ago , I'd have
laughed. I wouldn't have believed it.
"nut I'vo found It out. lIe hasn't ;
he drinks it's all right stlll ; and he'll
never Imow-thnt's the fanny part. I
care just that much for him ] st11l-that
I'd hate to have him find it out to
know it was all IL big mad failure.
So I'vo got to stick to It' ; only some
tlmes-sometlmes- "
Sire moved nearer to him across the
bare floor.
"I'm glad you came to-day , " she
said. "I'm so glad , because it you
hadn't I'd have gone craz ' . .I woulll !
J wanted someone to tell it all to. Do
you know , I've gone out sometimes
and talked to the cabbages ? Isn't
that a symptom of insanity ? Well ,
I've done that before now ! And you're
a stranger , wo'-o never met before
anti we never will \ again , and you can
go right off and forget it. Don't think
mo mad. Only I had to tell someone
Now I'll bo all right ; . I've had it all
out and over , and can go on for an
other tour years ! "
"You poor little soul " ho salcI. "You
poor little soul ! " He held out his
band and for a moment she clung
to it.
"Yes , that was it-to tell someone
It just got on my nerves. Because I
never see a soul here-never , never !
.
I get sick for n. stran > yer face. Just
this hnlf.hour-hnsn't it changed meT
0 , I know { It ! Am I the same woman
you met at he t gate ? "
It was true ; ho had seen It , even
while she was tnlltlng. She led the
way out to the harden
"Look at my marigolds-aren't they
dears ? They grow better than any
thing else here. 'rlmt's the Allentown
road , hut I'll wall a little way with .
'ou. I'\'e got tu fetch the cow In be. ' : .J'
fore supper ) tlmo. "
He walked beside her , leading his
bicycle. It was near sundown , and
the level surrounding pasture land
was flooded with gold.green haze.
Some poplars stood UII flat against
the sley.lIne , and the road stretched
like a gray , empt scroll.
They walked very slowly and In si-
Ience. The cow was tethered near
tire l'Oallsldo.
"I must leave you here , " she suill.
"No , It's all right. I can manage.
And 'ou'll leeep straight on ; I don't
think there are airy turnings. "
. ' 1'103 shook hands again And then
I I
I r l I a r
i l
I
0 l a
r I II I
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z/ , I h. . . .
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"
A lonely blur of pink.
It was that the real secret of the
strange household , the one thing that
she hadn't told him , rose pitifully and
spolee.
"I shall never see you again , " she
said.
said.When
When he looked back , after riding
n little distance , he could see her
still , a lonely bllt ; ' of pink among the
green bushes. Behind her the cottage .
tage , small and square , caught the
light \ on its shingled roof and whitewashed .
washed walls , like a monument set in
the wilderness.-Blaclc and White.
Tea as Complexion Balm.
"You didn't know that ten was a
complexion beautifier ? " asked a
young woman , noted among her
friends for her brilliant coloring and
fair akin , to a friend recentlr. : "Wel1 ,
it.s a fnct. I owe any good looks : 1
may have to Its use.
"I learned to drink It the winter I
spent In Canadn. Everyone drinks it
there two or three times a day , and
you .tenow . what beautiful complexions
the Canadians have.
"Il's just so with the English girls ! ,
the Husslans , Norwegians and even the
women of India-those of the better
class--they all have nice coloring , and
they all drink quantities of ten.
"None of your oId.fashioned notions
for me. I'm for tea nil the time. "
New Floral Decorations.
A favorite nrragement much used
In floral decorations for Important
houses Is the huge bowls filled with
masses of flowers no set and regular , -
design being permissible.
Superb porcelain jardinieres , there-
fore are placed on tables once devoted .
ed to IL myriad of bibelots , but now
severely bare , save for the bowl ot
fiowers. Indeed , flowers play the most
decorative part in the new house beautiful .
tiful , and "the new art" so much talked .
ell about uses them as one or Its most :
emphatic Illustrations. Could anything .
thing in the world be more captivat-
Ing.-Boston Herald.
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