Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1884-02-23
INTO THE UNFORGOT-
TEN LAND.

signed Ermyntrude Southwayd. Aitnough
addressed familarly Dear joe" and over
flowing with sentimental "reminiscences, 1t
was business, not a love letter, else he would
not have read it. 1t appeared that the
writer's father left Thornton twenty years
previous, owing Joe-who had then just en-
tered mans estate-money for house-rent.
Having but recently discovered this fact, the
lady, being now possessed Of considerable
property, desired in justice to pay both
principal and interest.
Such was the sum and substance OF this
letter, read in the golden after-glow Of one OF
June's fairest days. There was, however,
one line over which Arthur Okill pondered
Seriously 1t ran thus:
"The story so sweetly begun and so sadly
broken off under that roof you know we'll
Yes, of course, Joe Laux knew. When
queenly Ermyntrude Southmayd broke her
engagement with Arthur Okill, all the gos-
sips in the village got hold OF this racy bit OF
news and rolled it like some toothsome morsel
under their tongues The elders remembered
it to this day, although the discarded lover
had at different times honorably wooed and
won two of their daughters and had buried
them, and children with them, under the red
and white clover bloom In Thornton's little
green graveyard. Folks seldom forget
things of this sort. More's the pity. From
his rose-draped window he could see across
the way the moss-embroidered caves under
which they parted SO sadly and SO coldly long
ago.
Since that memorable evening he had
written all sorts of hard and bitter things
against this beautiful, imperious creature,
and had closed and sealed the pages time and
again, only to open them once more and re-
write, although for nearly twenty years her
light step had never crossed his path.
Now at last, as the day died in amber reds
along the gentle slopes Of Thornton, he fell
to reading between these fiery lines penned
with his hearts best blood, and to wondering
whether if be had but refused to have taken
that rash girl at her word she would not have
been touched and have melted like wax under
loves indomitable fame. Sitting there In
the crimson and amber sun-glow, with white
and pink rose-leaves floating In at the open
window like scented, tinted snowdakes, he
wished, vaguely, that this thought had oc-
CURED to him then, and that he had acted
upon it. As 1t was, it was too late. Even
the ashes of that old love were scattered. He
would sooner expect to behold those whom
he had kissed and laii away come forth in
fieshy habiliments than to find that
annihilated passion clothed anew and dwell
ing in his BOSOM
"What in the world are you doingr ex-
claimed Mrs Seth Okill, opening the door of
the Office from her parlor adjoining. II
thought you were going out"
mo, I'm attending to little business, " re-
piled her brother-in-law, hurriedly seizing
some legal documents and making believe to
look them over. "Say, Cad" recalling her
as she was about retiring, "you remember
the Sonthmayds, don't your
''To be sure do. What was that beauti-
full daughters namei Glenwoodf Elfen-
hoods No, that don't sound like 1t either"
TRY Ermyntrude," suggested Arthur,
drily.
"Sure enoughi ErInyntrude. used to
name all my prettiest dolls after her. Nice
family, but awful poor and proud, weren't
theya What about themf'
"She's written to Joe from Jersey City,
and is coming to see him on business"
"Poor Joel And he dead and buried this
two weeks" sighed Cad Okill. 'She's
pretty old now, isn't shei I'm twenty-eight,
and she was grown up when / was q little
girl"
r ''She's thirty-nine," replied Okill, running
his shapely fingers through his own thickly
powdered hair and beard, wondering the
while how Empress Ermyntrude's" rare
auburn braids stood the test Of time.
"Thirty-nine and not married." exclaimed
Mrs. Okill, as If comprising the round OF
human misery 'Ts she after our dear old
bachelor joel"
"Nonsensel You know all about Joe's love
affairs Any way, she always held her head
too high for such as h,, or, ind ,sd, any one,
for that matter Now that she's rich, she
doubtless holds it higher yet"
Eyes, recollect, she was called the EN-.
press, wasn't she9 She was 50 beautiful and
ruled kingdom, and often shed l could
slip into the house and see her crown and
throne. When is she comingf'
Tomorrow noon."
The morrow's mid-hour found Miss South
mayd alighted at the pretty vine engarlanded
station, and rapidly pursuing her way toward
the well known intersecting streets, on one
corner of witch was Joe's Office, and upon
another the rambling, tree-girdled Structure
she once called home. ~ ss
Despite tbe changes nearly twenty years
had wrought, Empress Ermytrnde," al
though she pulled her gray travelin.;: veil
over her face, half determined neither to see
nor be seen, recoe nised q familiar residence
and bit Of woodland green and emerald
sward. She had not come with any intention
Of remaining even for one day. There were
painful memories connected with the
place other than thoss interviewer with
s'love's young dream" Then, too, there was
really no one she cared or dared see, except
ing Joe Laux. The remaining member Of the
only family whose acquaintance she had kept
up removed some three months previous, and
were now her neighbors in the city where she
made her home. f4t -
sSull, strive as she would, bitter-sweet
memoriesc' DIVIDED In upon her, and when at
length she INST Arthur Okill face to face, hers
was rapt, dewed like that of q rose in the
flush Of dawn.
The ripe, red lips still disclosed their seed
pearl rosary; there was no thread Of silver
among those chestnut braids, no trace Of q
wrinkle on thoee rounded cheeks While far
younger vol en-, such a. Cad Ohill, aged un-
der tho matrimonial yoke, and ''child-birth
pain left its traces ON heart and BRAIN" she
retained her splendid b. alth, and,
although she had earned her bread and met
many trials, was even more regally beautiful
than in the olden time In early maidenhood
critics bad pronounced hsr TOO fat and too
red" Tho tendency of ovsr-ripenes had
,been ctecked, that tropical richness OF color
ing toned Gown, and criticism on that score
was disarmed.
"Arthuri" she cried, not flushing in the
least, yet . ith all thelight of her countenance
dying out and q strange gloom overshsdow-
the warm, brown eyes.
'Ermyntruder' exclaimed he.
One instant these two, who had wrecked