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Show Up to Date. " BY F. H. LANCASTER. (Copyright, ll"2. by Dully Htory J'ub. Co.) llli U'ttur began abruptly: "If no uao, mon ami, I love you. And when a man Iowa a woman, friendship la but aa atnnca to a atrtrv-Inar atrtrv-Inar man. Peoplo prato of tho poaal-bllltloa poaal-bllltloa of the platnnlc and ouch things may bo. Yea, If each party be aa cold-blooded aa compressed air machine. You may amllo at thta, questioning: 'Are not all belngn com-pressed com-pressed air machines?' My mind doca not run along scientific Itnea. 1 take little atoek In the 'brazen Ilaala' and talking- fetishes' with which you are Wont to satisfy all deep emotlona. And I love you. Let the saying atand even o long aa I live. "What then? And you would fain ahrug your shoulders. Uut, think a moment, friend of mlno. You may burn lncenae before many altara yet what Rift can the gods bestow that ahall equal the love of man strong, tender, unfaltering? You will say that for pralalng my own wares I am cloae aecond to a Jew. True Hut a modes-ty modes-ty that eUnde between a man and bis bapplnosa la a foollnh modesty. "Io I not know whereof I apeak T Boeing that It haa forced me to rlak my all upon a single throw r You amllo there In your pleaaant sea-green sea-green aorcnlty aaylng: 'A man'a love la not. hi all.' Many there be who will agree with you; yet what aay the Inspired Paul of TarauaT 'It I have not love ia my heart 1 become aa a tin pan t beaten by sticks' or something to that effect. j , "Do not aijhwor this for ton days, toon ami. Jlve the goda of chance an opportunity to throw their dice In my favor. Would to the Lord I could load the dice. ' "Do not doubt my alncerlty, for I tell yon stralghtly that should you find It Impossible to give m love for love my life wilt be worth no more to me than a bad egg though the chance are that I ahall go on living pretty much aa the neit man doe. Custom and culture, like American manufacturer, atrlve steadily to reduce re-duce Individuality to a Ixed atandard that If one part be broken or mislaid mis-laid It subitum may be readily sup-plled. sup-plled. "But, dear, though tola la true of the aurface, there are myrlada of Den atrlvlng to content themeelve with hadow Inatead of substances; and dear, dear, man of few fear that I am, my beart fall me at the thought of auch a life day after day without you. "Mon ami, I know well that you laugh at love, yet I lay my love before be-fore you. Know, also, that you have bitter prejudlcea agalnat matrimony, yet I aak you In all serlouaneaa to become my wife. What reply can you make? A quotation from the prlnc of stolcaT I fear so. And yet I am not so unlovable. Women have loved IB Hi letter began abruptly, sorrier specimen of manhood. Ah, but I know, you are not one f tho women. "O, woman, woman strong of heart and 'teady of nerve, why could I not b content with pleasant talks and easy relations! Why cannot a man live on stone that are plentiful rather than on loavea that are dearf Curse a pen for a soulless Instrument! Why can I not take you In my arms and fore you to feel the lor In my heart-beat and on my llpT WhyT Because of that greaaleat of all greaay v r t altars propriety. You have burned much Incenso upon It. Did It ever occur to you that It came high? "Well, when all la aald, I love you. What are you going to do about lit" Ho sealed the luttcr without pausing paus-ing to read It over and shot It Into the ahuto. What would she do about It? His .-eart answered him promptly enough. Yot ho allowed hope to drag him through ten days of sickening uncertainty. uncer-tainty. Luring him on with the memory mem-ory of those faded letters he had onco pondered over, wondering bow on earth a woman aa wise aa his mother could have allowed boraelf to alop over so In sentiment and bad apelllng. This was before he began to crave such a letter. A letter that iftPpr Ha drew forth again that thin, typewritten type-written shoot. called bla dearest on each third line and apoke much of undying devotion. For ten daya. Hope held It tantalla-Ingly tantalla-Ingly before him fine writing on tinted tint-ed paper. Then her letter came. Perfectly Per-fectly correct; mortally cold. He shivered shiv-ered slightly as be ripped open the envelope and unfolded the crackling ah est Out he set bla teeth and forced hi attention through the formal opening. open-ing. "Anent your Interjection touching tone and loavea, 1 would auggeat that were paving atone eatable they would be no more plentiful than bread and would be quite aa highly prised. "And, my friend, do not let Kipling load you astray aa regarda brasen Ilaala and greaay altar. They have their use and ao long aa they be confined to their own iphere they stand for good. For you will admit the truth of this trite aaylng: There la no virtue that may not by exaggeration exag-geration become vice.' To overdue I the crime for which humanity stand convicted. The dumb brute alone know how to let well enough alone. An ox could give Plato or Aristotle lessons In philosophy. Still we have been bitten by the bad bug. Ambition, and the fever I In our vein. We must go on or go down. 'No backward path,' through the highway high-way of the world. Only to keep the face steadily toward the goal and atamp on ao aturdtly a we may-stamping may-stamping alike over burr and blossoms. blos-soms. "Ilrutal, you will aay. Yet It 1 the aeaam of luccea. And, after all, while there are atara overhead why ahould be trouble ourselves about the silly snowdrops under foot! A misplaced tenderness la aurely weakness weak-ness even aa misdirected atrength become be-come brutality. Well, aa you perceive, per-ceive, I atand In need of beana and my thoughta do not come clearly. . "Concerning that other matter yon mention; You have evidently examined exam-ined the altuatlon more carefully than I have yet been able to do, to I rest upon your Judgment I th wisest course to be pursued. "And this, I believe, answer your of recent date. Nothing haa happened hap-pened aince 1 saw you last, so I bar no new save, that to Judge from present appearances, I ahall not be burning lncenae this afternoon upon that greaaleat of altar." It was several hour from afternoon, but the man got up hurriedly and began be-gan looking around for his hat Out In the park by the fountain h drew forth again that thin, typewrit ten sheet. Crisp, correct and ever so cautious. Had he published It, she would have stood unconfeaaed. For j-r-y -aiwwwin i, ma iiihi.j,,,,,, a moment he lAoupi.t of those letters of long ago. scented with vloleta and overflowing with aentlment. A letter that any careless eye might read with one smile for the guaj and the apelllng. apell-lng. Hut thla. thla waa for him alone. He alone could read the dellrloua moaning ao cunningly hidden between those rigid lines. Oood heavens, bow could he wait until the afternoon? And then It occurred to him thai So need not wall. |
