Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Nev. County, Ark.) 1885-1???, 1892-05-05

III was ten years since key had
! left his home Mrs. Bradford's hair
was quite gray; Erwin was a man of
thirty one, and his wife quite ma
tronly person, with three children
about her; Polly was twenty-eight,
and declared herself an cid maid. AS
each Christmas day came, she re-
NE bered that night when she had
been so light-hearted. She knew that
she had done all the mischief
though, heaven. knows, not nten-
tionally. Yes, ten years were gone,
and still his mother and the girl he
had loved remembered Roy as fondly
as ever.
"Its a shame?" said little Mrs.
Erwin Bradford, on the 22nd of
December OF that year. "It's a
shame and pity, Erwin, that we
should never keep up Christmas in
the good old-fashioned way! Here
are the children growing large
enough to understand, and they'll
remember us as heather, I'm afraid.
Why not have Christmas party for
once?'
you know what sad memories we
connect with Christmas, Susie" said
Erwin.
Eyes, my dear, answered his wife,
land were it any other day, I'd say
nothing. But it's not only ourselves
we think of in our Christmas keeping.
It's day one should keep. I'm sure
your mother will agree with me. :"
So Susie had her way. Mrs. Brad
ford was too sensible not to Yield !;
and for the first time since the dis
appearance of Roy Bradford, there
was a Christmas merrymaklng in the
Bradford house. Susie had not
meant it so; ; but she had no partic-
ular account of the guests of that
evening. And they all were Mr..
and Mrs. Vellum, Mr.. James, his
wife and two children, the good Ger
mans, and, necessarily, Polly Peace,
Mr.. Peace, the father Of the family,
younger daughter and son and one
or two other neighhors.
The table va. set in the dining
room, and the guests were about to
be summoned to tea.
Meanwhile, the old music-t teacher
played on the piano-lirst gay tune
for the children, then a dance; then
he wandered away into the sentiment
al music he loved best, and the notes
of that beautiful song, The long.
long weary day" fell upon the ears
OF his listeners.
Polly Peace knew the words we'll.
| As she mentally followed them, tears
rose to her eyes. She could bear
no more she stole softly out OF the
room, and, opening the front door,
stood on the porch in the moonlight.
Everything was as bright as day.
But for the lattice work that crossed
the end Of the porch, she must have
seen man who stood there. A mo-
ment before he had been upon the
porch, looking through the window
blinds into the parlor. Now he had
stolen around toward the dining
room, possibly with an eye to the
spoons, Certainly it was suspicious.
He was desperate looking fellow,
too, with long black beard, for
eign-looking cloak, and a large hat
slouched over his eyes. Whatever
he was, Polly did not guess at his
proximity. She walked toward the
latticed end of the porch, leaned her
head against it, and brushed back
the tears. In moment more hand
rested on her shoulder, and some one
said
My dear, what is the NATTER"
1t was Susie who had come in search
of her. but | suppose need not
ask, " she added. Il find my Christ
mas party has been failure. There
is dear mother shedding tears in her
room upstairs, and you in such a
state. Did you really care SO much
as to cry about him for ten long
years."
Susie" said Polly, II shall cry
about him all my life. did love
him dearly and the thing Mr.. Offcn-
heimer is playing seems as though it
were written for me. | did tritle
with my love, and now he is dead
and gone, and ! am weeping. Don t
/ think me foolish. You have your
love; YOU are married 10 Erwin.
You can't tell how terrible it is to
think, think, year after year, of one
you will never see again. | have