| Show OF LOVE DIVINE DY KENNETT HARRIS copyright 1902 dally story pub co there was still the freshness of the dawn in the air and in the grass and tern that fringed the woodland road along the ridge was studded with glob ules of dew that flashed and sparkled in rainbow tints as the sunlight tell upon them through the trees A little to one side of the road a girl with brown hair was plucking scarlet and black lilies and throwing them into a basket and a young man with black hair was watching her graceful move meats with obvious admiration as he leaned against the rough barked trunk of a hickory tree they were both well looking she in a placid gente way and he after the fashion of the southern man of the best type the girl looked up I 1 should think you might help me now that you are here she said reproachfully I 1 d rather look at you he ed and I 1 coulden couldn t do that it I 1 were pick ing flowers besides I 1 want to talk to you she colored under his ardent gaze but her eyes met his bravely that sounds selfish she said as it you would rather do what you wish than help me there may be a double meaning n that he returned but I 1 m not go ing to tae it to myself put in the wrong and pick flowers H knelt in the patch of 1 lies and began to gather them and she smiled at him gratefully and you 11 be reasonable in every thing elsea she asked it depends upon what you call rea he replied if I 1 thought that you dian didn t care tor me I 1 d be ao rea as you please I 1 wouldn t get up at an unholy hour in the morning in spite of orders and wait tor you to come out and then follow you an inflict my detested presence oh dick said the girl and you know how glad I 1 was to see you but you austn t you must be patient I 1 think I 1 am he said but why you won t let me go squarely to your father and ask for ou I 1 can t think the war Is over now and it t to take a man more than thirty years to realize it I 1 know that my dear dad made up his mind to that long ago you 11 see him at the decoration les to day with a bunch of flags and a basket of flowers and he 11 be there because he feels like it its different with him said the girl you don t understand dick tjien were all secession people where we used to live and it seemed as it they coulden couldn t be unkind enough to him when they found that he was tor the union all his friends deserted him and when he left they destroyed all his property and all through the war ha suffered so much and he came out of it broken and crippled and altered so much they think that he soured and I 1 heard someone say once that he coulden couldn t talk about anything but the war and abuse the south and the democrats it gasn wasn t true of course it gasn wasn t said the young man and he added rather lamely he s all right that s what I 1 say he s too sensible at heart to have pr you just let me talk to him he tossed the flowers that he was holding into the basket and took her hands in his she made no effort to release them but shook her head sor row tully it would kill him she eaid he dropped one hand and his arm stole around her waist and she turned her face to his and their lips met in a long kiss suddenly she broke away from him oh you should not have done that bhe cried it can t be and you must never we must not meet again dick no as he moved a step to ward her it you do I 1 shall hate yo i you should understand I 1 am all ae has and it would be the greatest un happiness of his sad life it he thought that I 1 cared tor one of his enemies why good lord ajac the young man I 1 m no johnny reb I 1 never fought against the un on I 1 thought of when the antless began but you know that your father was she said and you know you are a democrat he laughed vote the republic an ticket from this time forth if that u all the objection he declared then I 1 wouldn t respect you she said promptly and with a touch of present disdain in her voice you re hard to suit rachel he said his brows drawing together in a frown it seems to me as it there was something behind this it s too absurd that you should throw me over tor such a foolish idea there was nothing placid in the ex press on of the girl s face now you I 1 should think that you might help me she said fully bave said enough now she said with cold anger I 1 m going home and I 1 wish to go alone bhe picked up her basket and walked hurriedly avay her head high and her whole carriage ex press lve of ng de atlon her lover stood looking after her for a moment with the intensified fied and then turned angney on his heel and took four or five paces in the opposite direction the decoration day services in the hall were over and the procession started or the cemetery on the top 0 the big knoll east ot town A long winding irregular line of buggies farm wagons and vehicles of every de and age preceded by the all lage band and by a grey bearded veteran in the uniform of the grand army in one of the bugg es a very shabby one sat rachel driving a colt whose fiery spirit chafed against the toot pace to which her firm strong hands on the reins compelled him and I 1 y her side holding the furled post flag was her father a bent and with ered little man I 1 see that copperhead pendleton and his boy were at the exercises he observed to his daughter suddenly I 1 think it would look better it they stayed away but I 1 guess the young fellow wants to make himself solid with the boys until after election what s the matter with you rachela nothing at all father dear she said faintly unless I 1 got up too early this morning from the cold ashes of fratricidal strife of hatred anger and all un charitableness to a glorious new birth of love divine a new country united and undivided forever more he quoted from barker I 1 don t feel ani call for glorious love tor the men who tn d to kill their country I 1 say that it they let us alone we are doing well to let them alone without loving them Y they re united and they bad bet ter stay united too I 1 d have been a man to day and not a wreck it it haan hadn t been tor them do you take their parta he ailed in a sudden gust of passion no no she cried hate them to for your sake and the sake of your wrongs not hate them rachel said the old man more gently but the fence of whitewashed pickets that surrounded the little cemetery the irreconcilable union veteran tools the hand and clasped it warmly was reached and people were already tying their horses to it and un flocking towards the gates bearing their bask ets and armfuls of flowers with them As rachel got out young pendleton approached her but her look was so cold and repelling that he drew back with a sinking heart the veterans of the grand army pathetically and crippled many of them werft forming into line and rachel turned to her father and was surprised to see that he seemed oblivious of his sur his gaze was bent thought fully afar and his lips were moving rachel drew closer to him and caugh the words hatred anger and all un charitableness and again of love divine then one of his comrades called to him and he limped painfully to his place and unfurled the flag the address at the soldiers bonu ment concluded the people dispersed to lay their flowers on the graves it had been another of those addresses that rachel s father had always styled mushy full of the forgiveness concord one country and one flag talk but somehow the veteran lean ing on his daughters arm and amov ing from one grassy mound to another with the flowers that she carried aid not feel so genuinely indignant usual because of this and presently turning aside he took from the basket a wreath of white field lilies and leav ing rachel walked over to a grave be side which an old man was kneeling with bent head and laid it beside an other wreath that lay there below the headstone that bore the name of jared roberts th virginia cavalry S A the man looked up it was the copperhead pendleton thanks comrade said the ex con federate simply holding out his hand and the irreconcilable union veteran took the hand and clasped it warmly at the same moment rachel felt a touch on her shoulder and turning met D ck s triumphant smile it was a long time before the two old men finished their talk in tact they were still talking when rachel came and silently stood beside them D ck stood a little aloof father said rachel he smiled at her a little shamefaced ly and then at his new friend it s as I 1 was saying rachel he said there s no call to hate hate s a ba 1 thing after all and barker was right love divine that s it love divine and its divinity dick and rachel knew as they looked into each others eyes at th parting |
