Sara 's life was full and gay ; she had interests in which he had no share ; her social world was utterly apart from his ; she was of the hill and its traditions , he was of the valley and its people . The democracy of childhood past , there was no common ground on which they might meet . Only one thing Jeffrey had found it impossible to contemplate calmly . Some day Sara would marry -- a man who was her equal , who sat at her father 's table as a guest . In spite of himself , Jeffrey 's heart filled with hot rebellion at the thought ; it was like a desecration and a robbery . But , as the years went by , this thing he dreaded did not happen . Sara did not marry , although gossip assigned her many suitors not unworthy of her . She and Jeffrey were always friends , although they met but seldom . Sometimes she sent him a book ; it was his custom to search for the earliest mayflowers and take them to her ; once in a long while they met and talked of many things . Jeffrey 's calendar from year to year was red-lettered by these small happenings , of which nobody knew , or , knowing , would have cared . So he and Sara drifted out of youth , together yet apart . Her mother had died , and Sara was the gracious , stately mistress of Pinehurst , which grew quieter as the time went on ; the lovers ceased to come , and holiday friends grew few ; with the old colonel 's failing health the gaieties and lavish entertaining ceased . Jeffrey thought that Sara must often be lonely , but she never said so ; she remained sweet , serene , calm-eyed , like the child he had met on the hill . Only , now and then , Jeffrey fancied he saw a shadow on her face -- a shadow so faint and fleeting that only the eye of an unselfish , abiding love , made clear-sighted by patient years , could have seen it . It hurt him , that shadow ; he would have given anything in his power to have banished it . And now this long friendship was to be broken . Sara was going away . At first he had thought only of her pain , but now his own filled his heart . How could he live without her ? How could he dwell in the valley knowing that she had gone from the hill ?
Never XXXXX see her light shine down on him through the northern gap in the pines at night !
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