The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-03-26

litsis rfvsz. He toiA her sboas ~ -
HE. Ms hopns and smbit5ous. and - this
coantxy gin. Who had no intsrssss ozfssds
81 ~ fisf5s village. u sssmed - 4 . new
word had opened
On morning when 80 uas working IN
The kitchen The cid knockw went IN such
vigorous vsy thas she hurried - the
door With her sprcs on. She fsand Robert
Dsans fhsrs looking pale and arxiCus- So
hsd hardly time % say Good morning
before he began: Il have just had ietssf
ssying that ny mother b vsry sick Unjust
80 home. Cousin Nathaniel u going %
drive me to Dayton and am going right
on He il out here waiting. But ccuidn =
60 without seeing ron May I write TO
you, Dorothy7" Dorothy yery softly and
biushingiy told him how sorry she va
that his mother Vas sick. and that he
might write 70 her IL he wsntsd TO. Then.
with sn earnest, lingering look and . gen.
tie pressure of her hand. be Vas gone,
leaving Dorothy In very bewiidered STATE
Of mind.
She stayed In the house for several days,
and then she began 10 60 10 the postofhce.
At first she asked the good old postmaster
II there was any mail. demursiy. with
happy, conscious little blush. Then, -
the days went on and no letter came, she
would ask with m anxious, nervous man.
ner. Poor little Dorothy Although she
Was faithful In her visits TO the possoface.
she received no letter, and after time al
the pretty pink went out OF her face. and
IL grew pale and had pathetic expression.
She always cherished . faint hope thsf she
should hear from Robert, and although
one Of the most weli-so- do young men Of
Farmieigh vss urgent in his proposals Of
marriage, and the squire would gladly
have welcomed him ~ . son-in-iaw, she
told them il could never Be.
II was . bright June morning. Miss
Dorothy, now nice old lady Of %. was
picking roses OF the large old cinnamon rose
bush ct her back door. Although her face
was not 20 youthful looking as 1t Was that
afternoon when she gathered mayfiowers
with Robert Deane. forty years before. yet
il was still very attractive, with its ciesr,
kind eyes. its sweet mouth. and just .
trace Of the roses that used to bloom In her
cheeks. Perhaps it vas partly her kindly
face that made all the children Of Franz
leigh love Miss Dorofhy-Aunt Dorothy,
a. they called her--and no real aunt ever
had more regard and love than she did.
Her life was not an unhappy. lonely one.
for il was 20 full of kindness and blessing
70 others that she was happy and content
A few years after Robert Dcane had gone
from Frsmleigh she had heard that he had
married rich Boston girl Only about .
year after she had read Of his death. While
practicing ct the hospital he had taken
some contagious disease. That was all she
knew about him. She had never received
q word from him. Although 1t first her
heart had been bitter toward Robert, Jet.
a. time went on, her feelings had softened.
and now she thought Of him In . fond,
tender way as one she had loved.
This morning, IS she. was picking the
roses, little Tommy Chaplin. one Of her
most devoted cavaliers. came out OF the
back door and said, II left letter on the
table In the sitting-room for you. Aunt
Dorothy"
Thank you, Tommy; don't you think
your mother would like these roses :
They're about the last there1l Be. guess.
and II you'll come in / viii give you one
Of my ginger cookies.
% 4Oumy iOktoWC0 14lS9 40lOboJ Ans
and she gave him large. round cooky out
Of the stone jar which she always kept full,
30 that she might have something to give
the children when they came to see her.
When he had gone. with large bunch
Of roses In one hand and cooky done up
In brown paper In the other, Miss Dorothy
went into the sitting-room and opened her
rather officiai-looking letter. There was .
letter and note enclosed In the envelope.
She unfolded the note and read:
SALEM. Jane. 1sS-
Miss Dorothy risld; In rentting the boxes Of
this postoflice. IL was necessary to take down
the high bascboards bshind the receiving-box.
There We found this old letter directed to you.
On sscertaining that you still live at Framleigh
we ~ once forward II. Respectfully yours,
POSTMASTER.
Then there was an envelope yellow with
age and with postmark Of forty years be-
fore Miss Dorothy opened IL with trem-
bling fingers and read:
saLEx. June, Iss-
NY Dear Dorothy: have thought about you
q great deal since left Framleigh, and now
that my mother 10 better must write 70 you.
could not bear to come away without telling
you that loved you. although think you
must know f. never supposed that could
care for any one o. care for yea. Now, dear
Dorothy. II you return my love at all, let me
know and l win come % once 70 Framleigh.
II you do not and can not care for me- do not
pain yourself and me by saying so. bat don't
write at all Hopefully yours.
ROBERT DEASE.
As roor Miss Dorothy read this q mist
came over her eyes. This was the hardest
moment OF her life. harder than those
weary weeks of suspense. As she thought
OF Roberts weary, restless waiting, of his
hear,ache and sorrow, and of the sadness
which had come into her own life, it seemed
10 her that q very cruel fate had guided the
course of that letter.
But Miss Dorothy's trusting heart could
not be bitter long. She believed. somehow,
all things must be best as they were. and
after a few quiet hours spent alone. she
came out Of her room with her usual sun
shiny manner. Then she went out into
the garden to pull some Of her nice radishes
10 send 10 xnattractive old Miss Dunn.
whom she pitied very much. for she firmly
believed that she had never had lover.
Don.t Go ca Before You Are Ready.
Particularly ON long journey. Be faliy IRE
pared. You cannot be. permit as 10 say, unlsss
yxs.a $40 led wifi a