The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-11-30
garet and drowned the light in her

garet and drowned the light in her
eyes.
81 shall write whatever you WISH"
she replied, and laying down the let
ter began to spenk OF other things.
AS soon as she was alone, she ne
read the letter, carefully weighing
each word. EYES," she thought,
"Lcila was right. II is Of her he
wishes to know. How could be 40
foolish as to think otherwise! He
was her lover, and he could not even
think of me without first thinking of
her."
The next day she wrote:
"My dear Mr.. Iessing-Your letter reached
me yesterday, and was 1t not strange coin
cidence that Miss Norton should he here ut
tho time?
81 remember writing letters for her during
her illness, and It in u pleasure to me TINT
| can ngain serve her and you.
"She Is quite well and time has touched hcr
lightly. ''
"She sympathixes with you in the loss Of
your wife, md she was pleaaed to hear al
you once more She has continued to live at
the old home in lcrusunl sunny, light hearted
tashlon, and she md arc us great friends
us We were In days agone.'
my name is the only thing about mo
which time is powerless to change.
"Very tM.yS yours ours u.,,,.,
She sent tho letter with u grim feel
ing of satisfaction, and tried hard
to convince herself that she did not
look for an answer, but tho reply
came promptly, and ran as follows:
my dear Miss Hammond-I cannot COM
prchend how it was that no signally failed
| to mike myself understood.
| ut is OF yourself wish to know. Your
breezy letters attracted me long ago, and
your persistent way OF ignoring yourself has
piqmsl my curiosity.
Nv, VIII you not BE- friend to mefor my own
sakef Very truly f yours ,,.,,,,,, 4,
Margaret's feelings were q mixture
of triumph and interest.
Letter after letter went to and fro.
John received and read each one with
relish, soliloquizing: "A plucky little
woman, lots of grit, rosy checks, I
expect, md swapping black eyes,"
While Margaret read his epistles with
no less interest, and the "ideal"
lover hidden within her heart letter
by letter assumed the name of John
Leasing.
At last he wrote TINT he was COM
ing East and would be ut her home
on q certain day.
It was like the kiss of the prince
upon the lips ofthc Sleeping Beauty!
The "Idenl" lover awokc. He rose
to his full manly height, his tender
brown eyes lost their look of dreami-
ness, his handsome bearded face
beaming with expression, and Mar,
garet prepared tn greet him.
She fingered tho piano with a
cnressing touch, and dreamed of
playing accomplishments for "him."
She brought out her tavoritc books
with the belief that they were "his"
favoritics also.
She had placed bouquet of flow
crs upon the piano, and was about!
to go upstairs to change her dull
gray morning gown for u more be-
coming garment with n dash o.
color, when Il man was ushered into
the parlor.
Hearing footsteps she turned round
and from her serene height of Give
feet five" she looked down upon q!
polished bald pate decorated with Il,
lambrequin-like fringe of tawny red
hair. Then the details ofwatery blue
eyes, wide mouth bristling with a.
scrubby moustache, and u short, fat
figure forced themselves upon her.
swell? what is 1t Won WisllY" she
asked politely.
9" tito sec Miss Margaret Hum
mond."
81 am Miss Hammond"
He quailcd bcncath the calm qucs-
tioning gaze of her clear eyes, and
lost his usual swavity ofmanner.
"lf you nre, you might ask me to
sit down. nm John Leasing.
ooh, no! l mean, yes! sitdown, beg
your pardon"
CAS- you didn't know me-" said he
seating himself, 81 suppose ! am not
thesort Of Il looking fellow you took
me for. If 30, can return the COM
plimcnt."
"Tlunks. You certainly exceed
my expectations in many ways.
Did You have a pleasant trip Eust?"
ooh, yes, pleasant enoug III. Had
fine weather all the way through"
ut has been II delightful Autumn"
Tho visible barrier of strange faces
had alicnated and paralyzcd their
minds.
They sat and solem My pressed the
drcaricst cOmmonplaces for u few
minutes, when John suddenly re-
mcmbercd "a business engagement"
and departed.
He walked thoughtfully to the
hotel, went to his room, threw him
self into an armchair, and began to
whistle dolefull " and out of time some
thing which an imaginative ear
might recognize as "rhe Girl Left
Behind Me-" Finally he broke off
with n total disregard of tho key,
note, and cxclaimcd:
"By J !. ! an ugly old me q
Asfor poor Margaret, she rushed up
stairs and cried over the ruins of her
wrecked romance as heartily as
though she had been ten years
younger.
Although they never saw each
other again, Margrct always hated
John Lessing, for ut his hands the
winsOm lover OF her dreams had met
Z, or,,o1 doofl, A,,o,.:.,,, C,,vAtA