The Cassowary; What Chanced in the Cleft MountainsWaterloo, Stanley
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The Cassowary; What Chanced in the Cleft Mountains
Waterloo, Stanley
Love stories; Railroad travel -- Fiction; Storytelling -- Fiction
This man had saved this woman's life yesterday, stumbling upon her after
all this separation, after he done a man's work in another hemisphere
and had, disappointed with life, supposed the chapter closed. Now he was
to meet her at the breakfast table. What must be the demeanor of these
two toward each other now? Be assured neither of them knew, not even the
woman,--and in foreseeing as to such a situation a woman knows more, by
some instinct, than a man may learn in a thousand years.
She knew that they would meet that morning. That was the inevitable,
after yesterday. Anything else would have been a foolish affectation. He
knew, as well, that he must go in to that breakfast table and sit
opposite her and that then they must face together a situation
delicately psychological and dangerous and altogether fascinating--from
a philosopher's point of view. It was not perhaps, quite so fascinating
to these two people with what we call conscience and the possession of
what makes the greatness of humanity, whether it appertain to man or
woman. There is no sex to nobility.
She was sitting there, divinely sweet, as he stalked in. She was sitting
there, divinely sweet, because she was made that way, and never did
Stafford realize it more. The years had taken from her gentle beauty not
the slightest toll.
She bloomed this fair morning--it was only moderately fair, by the
way--as there entered the man who had saved her life the day before and
with whom in the past hers had been the closest understanding of her
life. To the eye she was merely placid and infinitely enchanting. The
man did not appear to such advantage. He entered blunderingly and
doubtful.
There were, of course, the usual expression of morning courtesies and
then they settled down to a fencing which was but a lovingness as vast
as unexpressed. They talked of a variety of things but there was no
allusion even so near as Saturn, to what was lying close against the
hearts of both. We are rather fine but we are unexplainable sometimes,
we men and women whom Nature made so curiously.
As a matter of fact, this one of the most forceful of men and one of the
most sweet and desirable of women said practically nothing throughout
the entire breakfast. They did not even refer to the grim incident of
the dog and the grapple, which had been something worth while. Had the
thing been less they would have talked about it. But, to them, by an
indefinable knowing, this matter was something too great to consider at
the present moment. And, so, unconsciously, understanding each other,
they consigned themselves to ordinary table talk.
But we cannot always command lack of remembrance and get obedience.
There is something better. Nature has her ways. One of her ways is to
have given us eyes, and how she did place us under her soft thumb when
she did that!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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