OCR Text |
Show hi i i i I THEY CALL ME STRONG. H i tf Bflfr i They cnll mo atronr; Viccntixo my trnrs I sliod when- i. -ii" limy arc HHT llecntno I mlle, tell merry tales nnd win the ctomiIx tit mo; HHJ .f They call me RtronR liocnuso I Inuaii to rno nn achlnc heart, HHJ jjt Ilccnusa I l;'rp the Rwcoi tide out unci lildc the bitterest part, HJ '4 V. tlut, O, could they nlio -pll mc strontr live but (in hour with me HH ' M When I am wrung with grief In my acthxetnancl flflj They cnll me stronjj becnuno I toll from early morn till lute, flj Jf Well knowing there wilt ho no nml! to meet mo nt the cute. HflJ 19 They cnll me xtroiiK becaure I hid in Inwnril rain with Jont. flHJ v 'J And drive away the en re that corner tinhlddcn to. my hrenxt; B,1 I'crhapa 'tis strength-Hod knowcth beat; He Kent the enrrs to mal flfla 1 - And Ilia not mine tho strength that keeps through my Ctethseminel aesae & H t II 1 I : " Hi A Tragedy of Love I ' ii ' i "Now that Is tho position," bIrIiciI BBS , j Kitty. Slio leaned her pretty tear- BBb Htnlncd fnco forward and sighed. Mrs. flflfl ' Chcvcnlx laughed a little, then BBB , yawned, BY I Slio was a pretty llttlo thing, Kitty Hi t Gascolgnc. A falr-halrcd Huffy llttlo HI . person, with a pair of appealing bluo V J ciycR and a soft babyish face. Slio BBS was Uio wlfo of Qoorgo Gascolgne, a AS man uton whom tho powers that bo HHB ' looltcd with high favor, a man who BBS J was climbing slowly but surely tho V I erent ladder cf success. BBS t Kitty aascolgno and Ollvo Chov- V F ' onlx linil struck up a warm friendship, HHJ I v possibly bccatiso they wcro such op- HBb posltes, this woman who loved her BBS ' husband and tho other woman whoco BBS f flirtations no man could number. BBS "Georgo used to bo fond of mc," BBS continued tho llttlo wlfo; "ho was per- BBS fectly silly during our engagement BBS and whilst wo wero on our honey- BBS ' moon, but directly wo got back to his BBS station ho becamo absorbed In his BBS' '! ' work and even during this holiday BBS at Simla ho studies bluo books and IBBB ' natlvo reports anything but me. "If I'm Just as good looking as I was, why doesn't bo lovo mo as BBS BBS ' "Dccause, Kitty, you havo tho most BBS dangerous rival a woman can have BBS ambition." BBS "Ambition?" repented tho other. BBS "Yes, ambition. Don't you under-BBS under-BBS stnnd that jou have married a man BBS whoso on u Idea Is to bo successful? BBS c I Ho loves you, my denr, but you nro BBS only an Incident In his life." BBS "I won't bo nn Incident," cried Kit-BBS Kit-BBS ty with Hashing eyes, "Ho ought to BflBj think of mo beforo everything." L Tho elder woman lost her sneer. Bho also In the years that tho locusts bh t '.' bad eaten had loved and been miser- BBSJ F , able, and slio was sorry for llttlo BBffi U y "Thcro's only ono forco In tho BBS! f world stronger than nmbltlon," sho BBSj w ' replied, Blowly, "and that's Jealousy. flBSJ t Make your husband Jealous." BBSJ t "I will do It," slio said aloud, with BBSJ quiet decision, "to bo happy again is HHHt certainly worth n lie." BBSJ jp Gcorgo Qnscolgno wrts writing lot- HBSt p ters. Not ordinary letters by any HflJ ' '. means, hut missives addressed to HHB f3 very big men Indeed missives these BBBl f I men would read with attention nud BBBl' I 'i ponder over. HHBY 1 ( "Success," muttered tho man to flflj y j himself "success at last!" Mo ltcnv- HHSE 7 j ed a deep, long sigh, and stretched HHSf 5L himself as one does who throws off BflBj o fci a burden. To-day had brought Georgo BBSS W Gascolgne good tidings. Ho was no HJHH f j longer tho man striving he was tho BBSS jjj) man there. Promotion? Yes, but HJHH jfc something more than promotion thn HJHH Kj fl ripest, reddest kiss of Damo Fortuno flBSl ) Pi 8 for Georgo Gascolguo had arrived. HflflJ y I "I mtiBt tell Kitty!" He smiled a SSJ J I llttlo ns ho rustled up his papers. ! "Sho won't understand a bit what It ; means to me," ho thought; "but sho will llko the title ami, by Jove, i won't sho play the great lady splen- ; j ,' dldly? Dear little Kitty!" flBSl , " I'J ' "George, I want to speak to you flBSB 'a for a moment. Can you spare me a BflBS 1 1 few seconds?" Kitty stopped her bus- HflflB m fl band as ho wns about to lcavo tho HBSB ! II j drawing room that evening. Husband HflflB a' H I and wlfo bad been dining nlonc, and HflflB y I even Georgo Gascolgnc noticed vague- HflflB lit ly ll0w smart Klu' loolei1 fo1' their B "I'll do Hflflflj, eto-a-toto dinner. Sho had a vivid HHHHJ I ipot of color on each cheek and her HHHHJ 1 yes glistened. HHHHJ ) "Yes, if you have anything very lm- HBSHl ' portant to tell mo, dear." ho an- HBSHE ) , 1 r, werod, "but I am rather busy this HBSBSk. 'j HHSHHk "I vonder when you aro not busy," HBSHHJ ' she retorted bitterly. "Well, George, HHSHHJ I will bo us brief as I can. I want HBSHHJ & -: go homo to Knglaml. May I go?" HBSHHJ 1 V "My dear Kitty!" (his astonishment HHHHflB1 4-H"i wu obvious), "why on earth do you HBHHflB '-: hhSHJv HHHHHHK ' '.HHHHHHHi HHSHHHflflflflflflflflflflJr HHHHHBHHHHHkLb ) r ii'jtr"". '"". -., . . HHSHSHSHSBSHBHSHSK;)' wnnt to go homo? You feel well?" with quick anxiety. "Oh, dear, yes. I always feel woll. I want to go homo because oh, because," be-cause," sho added recklessly, after a long pause, "you would not miss mo, and another man would." "Another man!" ho looked at her as ono who does not hear aright. Sho stood her ground, though oho would havo given worlds to revoke tho lie. "Yes, Georgo, another man. I know you nro absolutely indifferent to mo but, well, ho loves mo." "Ho who?" "Ah, Hint I will never tell you," sho cried, playing her part finely and with n certain amount of artistic skill, "his name must be a dead let- The wretched girl flung herself on her knees before the man, pouring out her confession. ter. 13 tit wo havo both been true to you In word and deed, George." "Also In thought, I suppose?" ho Interrupted with a low, mocking laugh. "I always remembered I was your wlfo, Georgo!" "How you must have cursed your good memory," his face had grown livid. "When did you first begin tills Platonic game?" ho added, sternly. "I will not nnswer any moro of these questions," sho said with a rush of desperato courage. "That Is my secret, and his. You hnvo yourself your-self to thank for tho situation. When wo were first married I adored and almost worshiped you. It Is your cold neglect that has killed my love, nnd only my own self-respect that lias kept mc straight. Do you think a wife Is only a toy, wLo can bo kissed ami petted when sho Is new and put to ono sldo as booh ns her novelty has worn off? If so, you havo made tho biggest mistake In your life. A woman onco awakened to lovo needs love, nnd sho gets It by fair means or foul." Gcorgo Gascolgno leaned back in his chair. "Tho biggest mistake In my Hfo," ho muttered between his clenched tooth, "tho biggest mistake." Ho put his hands up to his burning, throbbing forehead, and wondered dimly why all tho furnlturo In tho room seemed dancing around him. Then for a few seconds Gcorgo Gascolgno Gas-colgno saw red. Only for a moment, mo-ment, for suddenly with a thundering ronr and crrfsh tho man's house of inrds fell to tho earth and with a bab-bio bab-bio of empty words and Billy laughter Georgo Gascolgno Joined tho ranks of tho foollsn, tho men of no understanding, understand-ing, merry phantoms of their dead selves. So tho scrvnnts found tho great white sahib, tho man who was to have ruled a province, ho who understood un-derstood tho beating heart of tho strango brown land and tho complox mind of its peoplo. A man who lutighed shrill at them and made ugly mouths, keeping his eyes fixed on tho door, shaking a trembling linger nt their fearful faces, babbling vaguely. It was to seo this man they summoned sum-moned Kitty Kitty who, sitting in her bedroom, was beginning to wonder won-der when tho llnndlo would turn and 1 her husband enter, ready Indeed to throw up nor part and confess her deception, plead for forgiveness on or knees. "Georgo, Ocorgo!" Tho wretched girl flung herself on hor knees beforo tho man, pouring . out her confession. "Klity, KItt1" Ho put his band on her soft curls. She caught and kissed his fingers hopefully. "Yes, darling, yes," she nnswered, "tell your Kitty that you forgive her." I, ,i . 11 - J'T- ---T--am- "It's .1 very funny thing, Kitty," ho replied, In n slow, Insnno volco, pointing to a dim corner In tho drawing draw-ing 100111, "hut tho viceroy Is stnndlng taere bowing to mo. Hut I don't qulto remember whnt I want to say to him and I know you nre In a hurry to catch tho train to England, so shnll wo run nway, dear? Ha, ha!" To the sound of his loud laughter Kitty fnlnted dead nway. "I could havo told you from tho first what would happen," n man remarked re-marked a fow monuiB later to Mrs. C.ievenlx. "No man nllvo could work his brnlns as poor I Jorgo Gascolgno u.d without a breakdown. Tnlk of high pressuro nnd overwork why, tho government ground tho poor dovll in its mill, ground him to chaff nnd such a man of men, too! Where Is tho poor chap now, by tho way?" "Kitty has taken him homo," replied re-plied Mrs. Chovonlx, nervously sho was always nervous on this subject. "They havo got a pretty little houso at Ascot, and sho nurses and watches him with most raro devotion, and tho doctors hope In time " "That ho'll recover to find his career endeu and his Hfo work spoil-cJ," spoil-cJ," answered tho man bitterly. "Better "Bet-ter to Hvo on a merry fool." Tho woman Bhuddered, for nono know better than Ollvo Chovcnlx whoso hand was responsible for this llttlo Simla tragedy. Doston Journal. |