, 1890-11-27

He took the bauble, and with
LIGHT. Indifferent movement, hung
It from him. ,
"As you say" he answered.
stifiiy. ,,.
He pulled his hat down over DIS
eyes, and strobe away.
For n few minutes she remained
where he had left her =, ,,
She leaned against the board
fence, and looked straight nj tne
tiny tcnantless house which was TO
have been her home.
When would IL be occupied now?
And by whom?
Then her glance swept the stuboiy
ground. Just where had the ring
fallen?
suddenly she reused herself,
moved away. What would not
John think If he saw her lingering
there? He might think that she
regretted their parting.
And she did not. At least she
told herself over and over, with an
apparently unnecessary amount OF
emphasis, that she did not.
All the golden glamor of the sun.
set Was gone. The day had held
the fuint promise predictive of COM
ing spring in its freshness, its fra
grance.
But the air had grown chilly; in
deed the whole world seemed u
very desolate place, to the girl who
walked slowly home that February
evening
When she reached the house she
did not go In. She could hear the
clamor of the children, protesting
about going to bed 80 early.
Usually the companionship of her
little brothers and sisters brought
her only pleasure. Tonight she
Stunned them.
She sat down on the porch steps;
she drew her shawl more tightly
around her; she looked straight
ahead. Her mother detected her
presence.
Come In, Patty" she called to
her. "Eou will be frozen, dear And
Tve put your supper in the oven TO
keep warn"
Patty never stirred. She heard,
in n dull kind of way, the wee ones
pattering up stairs to bed. The
evening stars CLEANED out. From
the eastward II train came rushing.
still she sat there.
She was brooding darkly, bitterly.
She was trying to persuade herself,
trying earnestly, eagerly, that she
was not sorry, that she had been in
the right.
A boy came running up the street.
He turned In at the gate, he run up
the steps leading to the Howe cot
tagc. He started ut sight of Patty
| sitting on the steps; and no wonder
For the night had grown plercingly
cold.
"Well?" she queried, laconically.
ITS John Bennett" he painted.
"What?" she cried.
She had sprung to her feet.
Hes drowned! Him and Harry
Rock set out to drive to Wichalin.
The bridge over the creek was
bridge mi le down, they tried to
ford the creek. They were swept
away; folks air hunting for the
bodies"
She looked toward the creek. Up
and down its banks, lanterns We're
glittering like fire.flies.
she did not speak.
81 thought you oughter know,
Miss Patty the boy said.
He felt rather depressed by her
calm reception of her bereavement.
For one PERSONS news was every
ones news In that small town.
or he ran, and Patty Howe stood
there with tears, tho hot, binding,
terrible tears of unavailing rcmorse
running down her cheeks like rain.
They had quarrcled this evening,
about such trivial matter, too
Just about few ilowers; and now
he was dead. Aud lie never would
know how sorry--sorry, and utterly
selt-scornful she WIS.
She groped her way to tho creek
She ran In the direction of the creek
Her suubonnet, that article of attir,
which Western women never auit,
discard, and which she had dotlnet
hurriedly when John called for hci
that afternoon, still hung upon heI
neck.
1t was absurdly out of place il
that season at that hour, but of al
that she was not even aware, for sh,
thought only of one dear, familiar
face.
She reached the stream. At +,
certain point on the bank all tn,
village people seemed to be gather
ing. No need to ask why.
She pushed her way into theii
midst. If she had lost him living
dead, she told herself, he was her,
again.
There! she could see 1t now-some
thing stretched out on the ground
something awfully stark and still.
a hand was laid on ner arm.
Let me 20" she pleaded, hoarse
? ly. her eyes never moving from tn,
lanterns, which were flinying fan
tastic and glittering light-"let III,
90"
Who was daring to hold her bacl
from him now?
She turned angrily as the grasl
tightened. She lifted her white
wet, quivering face. She looked up
And then - then the dusk,
prairie, the moving figures, tn,
noisy creek, the swinging lanterns
7 the very stars, went whirlinl
around in a confused and dizz,
dance.
For the face above, kind, gentle
and just now pallid with excitement
was that of her lover!
"PattyW
"Oh, JohnW she breathed, faintly
81 am 40 sorry | said-I-"
$50 am | that / Why, Pattyp