The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-05-11
A PRESSED ROSE


young Grace was There was an old
thsy were. one nearly sixty. the other
just turned twenty And the young
Grace was happy that summer evening
for the same reason that Aunt Grace had
been happy forty years before. She was
going to marry Archie Armitage.
; For years before Archie Armitage and
Grace Hetherton had been betrothed.
He was a yonng Englishman, and a short
time before the day fixed for the we'd
ding he had been called home by the
sudden death of his father. leaving Grace,
to wait on this side the water for his
speedy. safe return But that never
came. The ship on which he tocsSspas-
cage for England never afrivedzsd port.
Grace waited and hoped on He said
he would come: he win come" she said.
lHeE father and mother and her brother
John hoped and waited with her, but no
tidings came. Until all chance for his
return was past, they did not tell ber
that he was dead; that he had been
drowned at sea. Then. at last. they put
away the bridal finery.
But still Grace hoped and waited
Her clouded brain held fixedly to the one
idea; her lover would return. The
months grew into years. but still every
night she looked long and anxiously
down the drive. and said. IF not to-
night, he will come tomorrow"
The father died: John brought wife
into the big, rambling house Grace's
hair turned from brown to gray, from
gray to snowy white: wrinkles came
into her sweet. wistful face: nephews
and nieces grew up about her: but still
she looked out from her rooms at the
end of the wing and said, He may come
tomorrow" About the country she
came to be spoken of as poor old Miss
Hetherton." Visitors to the house saw
her sometimes, and she explained to
them that she was merely staying with
John till Archie came back"
Now, after forty years. another Grace
Hetherton was to marry another Archie
Armitage. Johns daughter, Oracle, had
met the second Archie while travelling
abroad. He was the son of the drowned
mans brother, and in face and figure, in
voice and bearing. was remarkably like
his uncle
Oracle walked up and down in the
sweet smelling June twilight. from the
piazza to the gate and back again. She
was waiting for Archie. He had but re-
Gently come from England, and was soon
TO take her back with him. his bride
As she paced to and fro. she caught
the gleam of light from her aunt's win
dows in the old wing 1t occurred to
her to go and sit there with the old lady
until Archie came She had told Aunt
Grace some time before of her engage
ment, but when she gave her lovers
name, the gentle voice had checked her.
DO not talk nonsense, child. dearl
Archie Armitage is coming over sea,
true enough. have been waiting for
him. You must not claim him for your
sweetheart, my dear Oracle" That had
ended the matter Aunt Grace dismiss
ed the subject as nonsense, and was not
to be reasoned out of it. So when the
young ARCHIE had come for his first visit
to the little town he had not been pre-
sented to the mistress of the pretty
ground floor rooms in the old wing of
the Hetherton mansion.
Oracle crossed the lawn and mounted
the short fight of steps to her aunts
door, almost hidden by climbing roses
full of bloom. She paused there and
looked in, silently In the center of the
cozy room her aunt sat reading by a
oAAAuCO ncI ldNcHQtT SILK uToSS lalI-
ing about her in full folds. All her sur
roundings tcld of love for the beauti-
ful Choice ehgravings and etchings
hung on the walls. A great jar of old
fashioned single white roses stood upon
the oIen piano. The shaded lamp cast
a mellow, softened light over every
thing. The corners were but half de-
fined. Oracle was about TO go in Wien
ha ha. 1-1 fb1. iclr Of
footsteps coulng up the path. Then she
saw Archie walking toward her He
had seen her white dress crossing the
lawn and had followed.
"Pn hide from him behind the roses
and let him hunt" she thought, and
quickly drew back at the side of the
steps.
The young man came up the steps
''Gracer' he called; .'Gracer'
The figure in the room reading by the
shaded lamp turned at the voice. She
rose, and for one trembling. uncertain
moment stood still. Then, with the
iovelight in her eyes, with arms out
stretched. with the smile of her happy
girlhood upon her face she moved
eagerly toward the door. There stood
the young man. pausing on the thres-
hold, looking IN.
''Archier' the gentle voice faltered.
''Archiei You have come-you have
conner
The young man understood. To the
old lady before him he was the absent
lover returned. He came into the roem,
put his arm about her and kissed her.
The young girl understood. She re-
mained silent behind the roses, and
watched the pair sit down together on