The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-07-08
wonder. So ran down stairs and made


| dom make friends, and all the young
men who come to the house go straight
to Milly like iron filings to magnet.
But it was different with Chris, because
| the drawing room made his head ache,
just as it did mine; and when we knew
each other better we found that we liked
the Same things and people-though he
knew far more than I did, and never
grew bitter against any one, like me.
He had such fearless, friendly way
with the world; and yet there were only
a very few people he altogether trusted
and relied on; and was one of them.
know he trusted me completely, or he
would never have told me about Pauline.
Partly, indeed, I guessed it. For we
fell into way of going walks together
on Sunday afternoons, when Chris had
some spare time and made it, and I
found out that he liked this particular
road-the road running west northwest.
1t was such stupid road. First it lead
through long street of those miserable
thin, gray houses that looked like grave
stones standing upright, and then came
streets full of public houses, and wretched
little sweep shops, with halfpenny ices,
and tobacconists', and shoots mended
while you wait" Then there was a dis
NAL triangular bit OF common, with a
fence on one side all over placards, and
then red brick Primitive chapel, and
more respectable houses-till at last came
real fields. You could not call it country
where there were always cabbage leaves
and bits of broken pots, and clothes hung
out to dry. But generally at this stage
We turned back.
l soon concluded that it was the way
10 Chris's old home; but guessed more
than that. For people do dot always like
to walk in the direction of particular
place only because they have lived most
their life there. There must be something
or someone there now that they like to
fancy themselves nearer. And by and
by when Chris saw that I guessed, he
told me the whole. There was very little
of it, as he said cheerily.
1t was just as thought. The girl he
loved had lived there. was living there
still-and her name was Pauline. She
was rich, he said, and very beautiful. He
told me what she was like, and / could
not help knowing that / should have
loved her, that any one must have done.
And Chris had lost everything at once
money, and health, and hope.
ut wouldn't have mattered about the
money" said Chris, in his quaint way.
II would have asked her to wait for me,
and worked my way up. 1t would have
been very good thing. But you can't
ask a girl to wait for you when you find
you have only one lung"
He laughed rather ruefully, and
laughed, too, though something caught
my breath.
"Did the doctor give no hope?"
asked.
IF I had gone abroad at once," said
Chris; "but I couldn't do that. So I
thought, as there might be a ear or two,
l might as well do something for my liv-
ing. And this turned up"
did she," 1 said tentatively, "know
you liked her?"
Chris flushed little and looked away,
but not before had seen a sudden light
in his eyes.
II never told her, he answered simply.
"They say-women know"
And she-did you-was she-I mean,
were YOU"
His flush deepened.
ut was too early in the day, :" he said.
II sometimes thought-if it had gone ON
but it didn't go on. I have prayed
about it. Not very enthusiastically, per-
haps-but it is a good prayer And
there's another fellow in the running-a
remarkably good fellow. I think it will
be all right.
did not answer. 1t seemed all wrong
to me. He had told me the story on one
OF our Saturday afternoon walks, and
when 1t was ended we still walked on
west northwest. It seemed as if we were
walking on and on to a place where our
roads would divide forever, and then 1
knew what q blank there would be for
one of us.
l could not pray his prayer. would
have liked to alter everything, Yet I
hardly dared wish that Pauline loved him
i understood him 40 we'll. l think
that, though he loved her a thousand
times better, she could hardly have I'M
derstood him much better than /. But
any one called Pauline it must be good
enough only to worship and strew roses
for, like the man in Browning. Well, I
would have gathered her bushels of roses,
but l thought she might write to Chris.
She never wrote-of course he had not
written to her; but when he was so i'll it
seemed hard all the same. Still, he went
ON working. and kept up wonderfully
through the summer, though with au-
tumn his cough grew terribly bad, and
the winter, that every one said would be
SO trying, was very near. But on Satur-
days we still had our walks, and still
went the old way-still west northwest
grew to be watchword between us for
all that we wanted and could not get.
We seldom said it without laugh; but
there is no one but me who knows the
meaning of it now.
1t was one Saturday in October that
Chris came in with letter in his hand.
knew before he told what the news was,
from something In his face. Pauline was
to be married in Noysmber-to the other
fellow.
my prayer has really been answered, t"
he said, little restlessly, ain six months.
And now I want to buy wedding pres
ent-that is all that remains to be done.
You'll come with me, won't you Janet p"
nodded, and we went. Chris was very
bright and eager about buying that we'd