Iron County news. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1890-189?, 1891-01-17


eagerly MS he opened the case.
Aye. Alice" said the old man. but
not your Alice. My Alice / used to
call her in the old days. She was
Alice Ames' aunt. can see her now,
boy. us saw her the day she sat lis
tening to me as told my love to her
She kept her eyes bent down upon the
grass ut her feet all the time l was
talking to- her. We had walked down
the hill to the rustic seat under the old
beech tree. but that. too. is gone now
i forgot. Her hat had slipped of, ]
remember, and her rough rings Of
hair seemed to have caught the rays OF
the sun himself and shone and glinted
round her head. She lifted her sweet
eyes to mine when | had done, and
putting her hand In mine. said:
'Why, Tom, don't you know have
loved YOU alwaysp"
And, boy-but why am / telling
you all this? You wanted to know
why went west. Well, as | told YOU
l was a hot-headed, quick-tempered
fool, and though 1t seems to me now
that Alice did everything that a sensi.
BILE man would have been satisfied
with. used then to be very exacting.
and was often yexed with her. She
was bright. and cheerful, and happy.
and used to treat my high and mighty
humors with the lightness they de.
served. Finally one day. shall never
forget i'll had been to see Alice in
the morning. aud. with my usual fool
hardness, had been censuring her for
dancing so much the night before with
Henry Wentworth. your banker il
town, you know. 1t seemed to me she
had taken my structures little more
defiantly than usual; at all events, /
went off feeling very angry.
But, us is always the case with hot
headed fools, cooled off very quickly.
Alice had always been so ready to for.
give me that it was with no hesitancy
that went out that afternoon to take
her for drive. found her with her
hat upon her head, standing ON the
gallery pulling some roses. They
sweet. Come, Alice. / said, 'Selim is
in excellent trim; let us take drive
out the Greensboro pike
81 am very sorry, Tom she said,
but | cannot go with you this after.
noon
''She stopped breaking the flowers
as she spoke and looked at me half
shyly from under her lashes.
"'Why not prayP" | asked, firing
up in moment. fancied there was
something teasing in her tone.
IL have other fish to fry, she said
simply.
Il shall never forget how she looked
as she stood there twirling the yellow
rose in her hand and bending down
her head till her little chin rested up
on her bare. white throat. Somehow
yellow rose always brings back that
picture TO me. l remember my first
impulse was to take her in my arms
aud beg her to forgive me, but ere
moved or spoke heard the sound OF
wheels on the gravel without, and
turning, saw young Wentworth drive
up. Without word turned and left
the house. As entered the village
met little band of troops starting for
the Mexican war. In a moment | was
out aud had enlisted. We left that
night. / was accountable to no one
for my actions, and no one knew Of
my whereabouts.
What ] suffered in the war it mat
tiers not. That cash across the little
case you have shows how near came
being pricked by Mexican sword.
When my term of enlistment was out
| was more than willing to return
home, aud lost no time in doing so.
As left the train aud walked up the
village street | saw funeral process
s,,as 10. a. L. g kn
Henry Wentworth and his young wife
were getting in the carriage as passed
the gate. He had married, he told me,
the week after left, girl from the
south. They both seemed very sad
and in a hurry to be gone.
"Whosc is the funcralp" / asked as
/ turned to go.
"'Alice's, he answered.
my God! 1t was my Alice, and l
had gone and left her,"
The old man pressed his head upon
his hands and the tears trickled down
his sunken checks. Bob did not speak.
his face was hidden too.
After that" the old man said by
and-by II spent the next twenty-five
years Of my life in prowling about the
west, and 1t was only when became
an old man, when l had nothing left
but Alice's grave over there on the
hillside, that came back home to rest.
But here am l, " he said with sudden
start, keeping you up listening to my
chatter wnen you ought to be in bed,
getting ready for your trip tomorrow
The young man sprang to his feet,
Just O'clock" he said. Il can YET
catch the 1:30 train to town. shall
NOT go west at all. Cousin Tom, aud II
my Alice will forgive me you may
come to our wedding next month. "
Patience Oriet IN PHILADELPHIA Times.