Morris tribune., 1880-09-23


ter I never knew. They would not, I
am quite certain, have answered for any
love letter I might have sent about that
time after two years silence though, tc
be sure, "we" taking the reader into
confidence for a moment) were both
younger at that time, while jackson was
so, if day. He may have urged that
he was a poor letter-writer. That was
true. I have yet to see his equal in
power to wreak a really appalling ven
geance on words which, many are now
agreed, have greediness for letters
only equaled by their inexcusably be-
wildering arrangement of the same. And
his way of making up sentences was
something wonderful. He may have
urged, too, that he had worked early
and late with scarce a moment of relaxa-
ton. That was true of both of us. and
I had written many times.
Whatever he may have said in that
letter, to which he brought so many
pains, I fear he did not hit on the true
reason for his long silence; indeed, it is
possible, even probable, that he did not
know of it himself. For my part, it
seemed then, as it seems now, that he
had not written, simply because he had
not at any time, or for any pur-
pose, found in letters so ready a
means of communication that he
turned to them without effort. And,
more than all, he had lived by her side
in daily thought since the hour in which
they parted. His memory of her many
graces was as fresh on the hundredth
day as on the second and, had it been
four years of silence instead of two, her
face and form would have been as dis
tinct in his mind at the end of that long
time as though daily letters had passed
between them. A contemplation almost
constant had brought her to him to COM
fort and console him at any moment.
Then, too, he had "hitched on" and,
thoug h man grown, had conceded to
me every right that was his in the man.
agement of our small business Honest
himself-almost pitiably honest, for it
came from an innocence that had been
kept fresh by ignorance of more than a
quarter of a century-he placed the
fullest faith in the man he had chosen
to work with. So he felt much OF ease,
with little thought of the future, except
when long droughts, under sky like
brass, made US despair of profit from
farming in Texas. He rested in the love
he was sure of, and did not once think
that the flame he had somehow famed
into sight miracle though it must have
seemed to him, for he knew that he was
homely-would need any further care to
be kept alive and at fervent glow.
ALI this passed in my mind while
riding five miles the following evening
to post the precious letter, which ]
dreaded to let out of my hand. Sc
much depended on it that it seemed
impossible that it should go Alright in
the usual prosaic way, in common mail
bags.
Once away from town, however, and
on the upland prairie, the matter looked
differently.
"Heaven be praised for that screech
OWL" I said aloud. "Bill will have tt
take one for his coat of arms-adding &
steel pen and holder, perhaps.
It's a pity, though, that the owl waited
SO long. It was a tardy reminder"
mentioned the coat of arms to hin
J when he dropped his violin for mo
ment as I came in, and he took it good
naturally. So far as I could see-ant
jackson concealed nothing, he was lik'
child in that-every thought of TIN
wrong he had done had gone away will
the letter, and he evidently had no fea
of the result.
81 told her." he said, bounding hi
bow about on the tense strings, "that
was dogoned sorry I had forgot m,
promise to write-'twasn't cause I didn'
think of her with ev'ry seed of cottol
and ev'ry kernel of corn we planted, ant
with ev'ry step made; I seen her fac
in everything I did, and when I see
pretty sight she seen it, too, and there
lots Of strange things here"
What sight for dollhouse lover
this, the. glow that came to Jackson
face as he dropped his violin across hi
knees and fingered in thought on tn
happy moments they had each day spen
together, only in imagination Tha
they sUere imagined scenes never &C
Cured to him, for he saw in her fac
from time"to time all the pleasure sh
would have enjoyed in noting with hin
the strange features of country strang
to both.
eyes," he said, striving for few mo
ments to bring refractory string int
harmony with its fellows, and thel
drawing round, sweet notes the lengtl
Of his bow-'Yes, I'm dogoned sorry
but she knows me!"
There should have been an answer
the letter in about two weeks if she wa
like other women. But tive, yes, thre
weeks and more passed by without
word. The fire died out on our hearth
as the hot summer came on swiftly, an
was not renewed. March surrounde
us and revealed wonders to the Unite
New England experience which barrel
becomes acquainted with the sun of til
extreme Southern States. April cam
and, going out into the past, left thirt
perfect days behind. Lower Texa
bedecked in q suit of green, not laid o
as remnant, but with q lavishness o.
most wasteful, smiled in your face Q
first and then laughed aloud, her note
of Joy bubbling from thousand throatl
Animal life, concealed before, crept OF
and basked on the glaring stones. The a;
was in constant hum, unnoticed b
some, but intense to those whose eal
were attuned to it. The very earth {
our feet seemed to throb with life
1t was just opening May when I can
from the postoffice one evening and lai
down before jackson the letter /
had mailed weeks before. It came frol
the Dead Letter Office that morgue
so many hopes and in the same ma
was q paper from what had been b
home town, together with letters for m,
. self. He was playing on his violin whe
came in, but stopped at once.
deeply sorry that it had naiscaried as