The Desired Woman(Fiscle Part-3 Of 2) by Will N. Harben (e book reader pdf TXT) 📕

The End Of A Wagon,  Which,  Under His Proud Direction,  Was Turning Out

Selections Of The Most Modern Vocal And Instrumental Music. Another

Thing Which Was Attracting Attention Was Saunders's New Automobile,

Which Had Been Driven Up From Atlanta By The Agent Who Had Sold It. It

Stood In The Roadway Near The Arbor,  And Was Admired By All Who Passed

It. Saunders Himself Had Been Busy All Day Helping Place The Seats And

Arrange The Program. While He Was Thus Engaged Dolly And Her Mother

And Ann Arrived. He Saw Them Pause To Look At His Car,  And Then They

Came On To The Arbor. Dolly Was To Play The Organ,  And She Went On To

The Platform,  Some Music-Books Under Her Arm. She Had On A New Hat And

New Dress,  Which He Thought More Becoming To Her Than Any He Had Seen

Her Wear. Happening To Glance Across The Seated Crowd,  He Saw Mostyn

By Himself On The Outer Edge Of The Arbor,  His Eyes--Wistfully Fixed

On Dolly.

"He Still Loves Her; He Can't Help It," Saunders Groaned,  Inwardly. "I

Can See It In His Eyes And Face. Oh,  God,  Am I Really To Lose Her

After All? She Will Pity Him Now In His Loneliness And Grief And Turn

To Him. She Can't Help It. She Won't Harbor Resentment,  And Is Not A

Woman Who Could Love More Than Once. She Knows He Is Here,  And--And

That Accounts For The Glow On Her Face And Tense Look In Her Eyes. She

Knows He Was Weak,  But She Will Hear Of His Repentance And Atonement,

And Take Him Back. Well,  Well,  I Have No Right To Come Between Them,

And Yet--And Yet--Oh God,  I Can't Give Her To Him--I Can't--I Can't! I

Have Hoped And Waited! It Would Kill Me To Lose Her Now."

He Caught Dolly's Glance. She Smiled,  And He Went To Her At The Organ,

Where She Stood Opening Her Music.

"What Do You Think?" She Laughed,  Impulsively. "They Have Asked Me For

A Speech."

"Well,  You Must Make It," He Said,  A Catch Of Despair In His Throat,

For She Had Never Seemed So Unattainable As Now.

"I've Made Up My Mind," She Said,  Firmly. "I Sha'n't Do It. I'm In No

Mood For It. They Needn't Insist. I Shall Play The Organ,  And That Is

Enough For One Day."

"She's Thinking Of Mostyn," Saunders Reflected,  Bitterly. "She Knows

He Is Free Now. She Reads His Regret In His Face,  And,  Woman That She

Is,  She Pities Him--She Loves Him." To Her He Finally Managed To Say:

"I Saw You Looking At My New Car."

"Yes,  It Is Beautiful," She Answered. "And Are You Going To Take Me

Riding In It Some Day?"

"This Afternoon,  At The First Chance You Have To Get Away," He

Answered. "I Had It Brought Over For That Reason Alone. I Want You To

Be The First To Ride In It."

"Oh,  How Sweet Of You!" She Smiled. "Then Immediately After Lunch

We'll Go,  If You Say So,  Jarvis. I'm Nervous About This Dratted Music.

I've Been Practising It On The Piano,  And It Is Different To Have To

Work The Pedals Of This Thing And Keep Time With Singers,  Half Of Whom

Want To Go It Alone Because They Have Been Practising In The Woods

With The Hoot-Owls."

He Laughed With Her,  But His Laugh Died On His Lips,  For He Saw Her

Glance In Mostyn's Direction,  And Thought He Saw A Shadow Flit Across

Her Eyes. The Fact That She Did Not Mention Mostyn's Return Was In

Itself Significant,  He Decided,  And His Agony Became So Intense That

He Was Afraid She Would Read It In His Face. He Had Never Known Before

The Full Depth And Strength Of His Love. All Those Years He Had Waited

In Vain. Fate Was Shaping Things To Fit Another Plan Than His.

Morally,  He Had No Right To Come Between Those Two Lovers. Mostyn Had

Perhaps Been Unworthy,  But God Himself Forgave The Repentant,  And

Mostyn Showed Repentance In The Very Droop Of His Body. Dolly Would

Pity And Forgive. She Had Already Done So,  And That Was What Had

Kindled The Spiritual Glow In Her Face. It Was Said That Mostyn Had

Given Away Most Of His Fortune,  And Would Have But A Poor Home Now To

Offer A Wife,  But That Would Count For Naught In Dolly Drake's Eyes.

She Had Loved Mostyn,  And She Could Love But Once.

Just Then The Director Of The Singing Came Up; And Saunders,  After

Admonishing Her Not To Forget The Ride,  Left Her.

"I Must Be A Man," He Whispered To Himself. "I Have Had Few Trials,

And This Must Be Met Bravely. If She Is Not For Me,  She Is Not,  That

Is All; But Oh,  God,  It Is Awful--It Is Unbearable! There Was Hope

Till A Woman And A Child Died,  And Now There Seems To Be None. The

Angelic Pity For Another In Dolly's White Soul Means My Undoing."

Passing Out From Under The Arbor,  He Found Himself Alone Outside Among

The Tethered Horses And Mules. Looking Back,  He Saw Mostyn,  His Eyes

Still Fixed On Dolly As She Now Sat At The Organ Turning Over The

Music With Her Pretty White Hands.

"I Must Conquer Myself; I Simply Must," Saunders Said,  In His Throat.

"My Supreme Trial Has Come,  As It Must Come To All Men Sooner Or

Later. If She Still Loves Him,  Then Even To Be True To Her,  I Must

Wish Her Happiness--I Must Wish Them _Both_ Happiness."

At This Juncture He Saw John Leach,  The Roving Preacher,  Approaching,

Swinging His Hat In His Hand,  His Fine Brow Bared To The Sunlight.

"How Are You,  Brother?" He Greeted The Planter Warmly. "I Heard Over

The Mountain That You All Were Holding This Blow-Out To-Day,  And I

Struck A Lively Lick To Get Here Before The Music Commenced. Somebody

Told Me That Your Friend Mostyn Was Here."

"Yes,  He Is Staying With Me," Saunders Answered. "He Is Over There

Under The Arbor."

"Well,  I'll Look 'Im Up," Leach Answered. "Me 'N' Him Has Struck Up A

Sort Of Friendship. I Tie To A Fellow In Trouble Quicker Than At Any

Other Time,  And He Has Certainly Had His Share. He Wants To Make A

Change,  He Tells Me--Thinks Of Going Off Somewhere For A While. I've

Asked Him To Go To California With Me,  And He's Thinking It Over. Say,

You Know Him Pretty Well; Do You Reckon He Will Go?"

"I Hardly Think So--_Now_," Saunders Replied. "He May Have Thought Of

It At One Time,  But He Is Likely To Remain Here."

"Well,  I'll Talk To Him Anyway," Leach Said. "Ah,  I See A Fellow On

The Platform With A Cornet. I Reckon The Fun Is About To Begin. Do You

Know,  I Enjoy Outdoor Singing More Than Anything Else Under The Sun.

It Seems To Be The Way The Lord Has Of Giving Folks A Chance To Let

Themselves Out."

He Turned Away,  A Rapt Expression On His Poetic Face,  And Saunders

Moved Back Among The Horses. He Caught Sight Of Dolly's Profile

Against The Boughs Of The Arbor Beyond Her. Taking A Step To One Side,

He Brought Mostyn's Face Into View. Mostyn Was Now All Attention,

Sitting Erect And Peering Between Two Heads In Front Of Him,  Staring

At Dolly,  His Tense Lips Parted.

The First Contesting Choir Began Singing,  And The Stragglers About The

Grounds Drew To The Edge Of The Arbor And Stood Listening Attentively.

When It Was Over There Was Applause. Then A Young Man,  The

Superintendent Of A Sunday-School Beyond The Mountains,  Made A Brief

Address. After This There Was More Singing,  And So The Morning Passed.

At Noon It Was Announced From The Platform That,  As The Singing

Contest Was Over And The Award Of The Banner Would Not Be Made By The

Judges Till The Afternoon,  Lunch Would Now Be Served. Thereupon The

Audience Rose To Its Feet And Began To Surge Outward. There Was Much

Scrambling For Baskets And Hunts For Suitable Spots About The Grounds

For Spreading Table-Cloths. Saunders,  As Had Long Been His Custom,  Had

Prepared Food For All Who Could Be Induced To Accept His Hospitality,

And He Now Had His Hands Full Directing His Servants And Inviting

Friends To Join Him.

While He Was Thus Engaged He Happened To See Mostyn Alone In The Edge

Of The Bustling Crowd,  And He Strode Across To Him.

"Don't Forget You Are To Eat With Me," He Said. "They Will Have It

Ready In A Few Minutes."

He Thought That Mostyn's Eyes Wavered. He Was Sure His Lips Quivered

Slightly When He Answered.

"I Have Promised Some One Else." Saunders Failed To See The Call For

Such Slow Indirectness Of Response To An Ordinary Request. Indeed,  A

Touch Of Color Lay In Mostyn's Cheeks. "John Webb Came To Me Just Now

And Said That Dolly--Or Perhaps It May Have Been Her Mother--In Fact,

I'm Sure That It Must Have Been Mrs. Drake---"

"Oh,  I See,  _They've_ Asked You!" Saunders Broke In. "Well,  I'll Have

To Let You Off. You May Be Sure You'll Get Something Nice. They Can

Beat My Cook Getting Up A Spread. Well,  I'll Meet You Later. I See

Leach Over There By Himself. I'll Run Over And Get Him On My List."

Saunders Tried To Jest. "They Say He Lives On Wild Berries,  And Nuts,

And Anything Else He Can Pick Up. I Guess He Won't Find Fault With My

Lunch."

Saunders Was The Host Of Fifty Or More Men,  Women,  And Children. He

Was Doing His Best To See That All Were Provided For,  And Yet He Had

An Eye For A Certain Group Under A Beech On A Near-By Hillside. His

Heart Sank,  For He Saw Mostyn Seated On The Ground At Dolly's Side. He

Saw Something Later That Sent A Cold Shock Hurtling Through Him. He

Saw The Group After Lunch Rise From The Cloth And Gradually Scatter,

Leaving Dolly And Mostyn Standing At The Foot Of The Hill. A Moment

Later They Were Walking Off,  Side By Side,  Toward