Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-02-22
INTO THE UNFORGOT-
TEN LAND.
r"Madge Carroln in Arthur's Magazine. |

addressed famiiarly Dear joe" and over
flowing with sentimental "reminiscences, it
was business not q 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 p, nderei
seriously. 1t ran thus:
''The story so sweetly begun and SO sadly
broken of under that root 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 norse
under their tongues. The elders remembered
1t to this day, although the discarded lover
had at different times honorably wooei and
won two Of their daughters and had buried
them, and children with them, under the red
and white clover bloom in Thorntons little
green graveyard. Folks seldom forget
things Of this sort. Mores the pity. From
his ose-draped window he could see across
the way the moS-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 he 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 flame. Sitting there in
the crimson and amber sun-glow, with white
and pink rose-leaves floating in at the open
window like scented, tinted snowllakcS, he
wished, vaguely, that this thought had oc
CURED to him then, and that he had acted
upon it. As it 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 laid away come forth in
feshy habiliments than to find that
annihilated passion clothed anew and dwell
ing in his bosom.
'What in the world are you doingF' ex-
claimed Mrs. Seth Okill, opening the door Of
the Office from her parlor adjoining. 81
thought you were going out"
"No, 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 Southmayds, don't your
"To be sure do. What was that beauti-
full daughters namel Glenwooif Elfen-
hoodl No, that don't sound like it either
"Try Ermyntrude," suggested Arthur,
drily.
"Sure enoughi Ermyntrude. l used to
name all my prettiest dolls after her. Nice
family, but awful poor and proud, weren't
theyi What about themr'
''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 weeksl" sighed Cad Okill. 'Sh.'s
pretty old now, isn't shef Pm twenty-eight,
and she was grown up when l was a little
girl"
"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 marriedl" exclaimed
Mrs. Okill, as il comprising the round Of
human misery. 'Is she after our dear old
bachelor joel"
"Nonsensel You know all about JOes love
affaira Any way, she always held her head
too high for such as h., or, ind I'D, any ono,
for that matter. Now that she's rich, she
doubtless holds it higher yet"
yes recollect, she was called the En-
press, wasn't shei She was 70 beautiful and
seemed to be SO grand, l really thought she
ruled kingdom, and often shed | could
slip into the house and sec her crown and
throne When Is she comingr
Tomorrow noon"
The morrow's mid hour found Miss South
mayd alighted at the pretty vine engarlanied
station, and rapidly pursuing her way toward
the we'll known intersecting streets, ON one
corner Of which was Joe's Office, and upon
another the rambling, tree-grded structure
she once called home.
Despite tbe changes nearly twenty years
had wrought, Empress Ermytrude," al
though she pulled her gray travelil.. veil
over her face, half determined neither TO see
nor be seen, recos snized a 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 those interviewer with
"loves 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.
STILL strive as she would, bitter-sweet
memories C: DIVIDED in upon her, and when at
length she met Arthur Okill face to face, hers
was rapt, dewed like that Of a 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 a
wrinkle on those rounded cheeks While far
younger VOL en-, such as Cad Okill, aged un-
der the M trimonal yoke, and childbirth
pain left its traces Oh heart and brain,' she
retained her splendid l 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 had pronounced her "toO fat and too
red" The tendency Of over-ripeness had
been checked, that tropical richness of color
ing toned DOWN, and criticism Oh that score
was disarmed.
"Arthur!" she cried, not flushing in the
least, yet "ith all the light of her countenance
dying out and a strange gloom overshadow-
the warm, brown eyes.
"Ermyntrude!" exclaimed he
One instant these two, who had wrecked
each others hope. claspcd hanls and eye met
eye in searching, yearning gaze; then the lady
said, quietly enough outwarIly:
This is an unexpected meeting. l regret
being SO pressed for time; / am obliged to
seem abrupt. l came to see joe ON a matter
of business. Is
II know, know" replied Arthur Okill
interrupting her; ''sit down, please; I've
something to tell you"
She sat down and he told her about JOe's
death and his reading Of her letter. He
could not reach the necessary papers for
day or two, he said, and in the course of
week would be obliged to visit Jersey City;
if agreeable, he would be happy TO wait upon
her there