The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-03-11
THE FULL PARTICULARS.

10 THINK that you should really be
here, Irene, after all these years, and
that things generally should be just as
they are-it is all so strange! And yet,
at the same time it is not strange at all,
for how could anything else have been
my very own life?
know must have written you good
deal about people and things when first
came home from school. And I dare
say wrote you about the neighbors, OF
John Powers and the Gardeners, and the
church Dim used to sing in the boy
choir), and-most likely wrote you q
good deal about-well, about the music
and the organist. Did I say q great
deal, Irene, and did you believe it all?
What did you really think when it
turned, out SOP Honestly, you know, it
was as much the music as anything, for he
could play-he could seem to put a liv-
ing soul into those organ-pipes. And
then he was handsome, too; not in a
sturdy, flesh and-blood fashion like Jim,
but slender and pale, with slim, white
hands and q fine-cut mouth. used to
imagine he was just little like the pic.
lures of Frederick Robertson-he had
something Of that refined, spiritual look
when 1 saw him first. And Arthur
Lawrie is good name you know, and I
always had my fancies about names.
Just imagine girl in the full possession
of her senses becoming Mrs. U7Iah Hod-
skin! That's what my cousin did.
You never lived in the house with an
other family, Irene. Well, there are
disadvantages in it, of course; you are
more than ever at the mercy Of Fate, in
the way of neighbors, and you feel
obliged to hush up the boys 'fraternal
disagreements for the sake of the family
reputation; but then there are advan-
tages in it too. shall always count it
among my mercies that the Steeles lived
in the other half of the house, and that
Arthur Lawrie came to board with them.
You, remember, his picture that sent
you2 l was really more than half Of
Tended when you said you didn't like it
that you thought he was selfish. I
used to keep that picture in a box in my
bureau drawer, under, all my ribbons,
and one day when the Jaffrey girls were
here and I sent Jim upstairs for q
handkerchief, what on earth did the
child do but come down and say, I" Will
this one do! It's got q hole in it-and
say, Winnie, where'd you get that pic
ture of Mr.. Lawrie? Did he give it to
youp'' And there sat Helen Jaffrey,
and didn't l long to shake him! I saw
q great deal of Arthur Lawrie that win
ter; there were a good many young peo-
pie at St. Marks, and we had fairs and
tableaux and all sorts of good times.
Yes, I did have . delightful time, for
you know it is pleasant to be in your
teens, and not so very plain, and have
people like you pretty well. Honestly,
Irene, never knew 3 vainer girl than
was; not conceited, you understand, but
just hungry for every word and look
that should show that anybody cared. I
think it wasn't very strange that l
should have drifted IS I did; you
wouldn't wonder if you could have heard
him talk-perhaps 1 should say seen
him talk, for his manner was IS much
as anything. All the girls were more or
less interested him; everybody adj
mired his talent. What could q foolish
girl like Winifred Guest do but fall in
love with him herself? Qsn't it horrible
to be telling this all over now? But