L2-8-2

"'She always does that,' he explained to me.

"'It is like the finishing pet a mother gives her child's hair after she has brushed it.

"'I have seen her fix all these things so often that I can do it just the way she does.

"'I don't know why I do it. I just do it.'"

As he talked, I realized there was something in this room that he wanted me to discover.

I looked around.

When my eyes reached a corner of the room near the fireplace,

he broke into a happy laugh and rubbed his hands together.

"'That's it,' he cried out.

"'You have found it. I knew you would. It is her picture.'"

I went to a little black shelf that held a small picture of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

There was a sweetness and softness in the woman's expression that I had never seen before.

The man took the picture from my hands and stared at it.

She was 19 on her last birthday. That was the day we were married.

"'When you see her, oh, just wait until you meet her.'

"'Where is she now?' I asked.

"'Oh, she is away,' the man sighed, putting the picture back on the little black shelf.

She went to visit her parents. They lived forty or fifty miles from here.

She has been gone two weeks today.

"'When will she be back?' I asked.

"'Well, this is Wednesday,' he said slowly.

"'She will be back on Saturday, in the evening.'

I felt a sharp sense of regret.

"'I am sorry, because I will be gone by then,' I said.

"'Gone? No, why should you go? Don't go. She will be so sorry.

"'You see, she likes to have people come and stay with us.

"'No, I really must leave,' I said firmly.

"'He picked up her picture and held it before my eyes.'

"'Here,' he said.

"'Now you tell her to her face that you could have stayed to meet her and you would not.'

"'Something made me change my mind as I looked at the picture for a second time.'

"'I decided to stay.'