The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-06-15

our acquaintance resolved our relations
into those of remarkable confidence
and comradeship"
Mr. X paused, the serious look deep
ening on his face.
And then?"-Helen Harper knew
that there must be more to the story.
Our acquaintance had covered a
period of three years, he resumed. in
creasing all the time in intimacy ani
mutual esteem, and one day "a We re-
turned from a late drive through the
country together MIR. Gray said. with d
little nervous shifting of the lines
and catch in his usually smooth voice:
IL, I've d favor To ask of You I'm
bluff sort OF man, as you have reason
to know, but | know you'll give Tile
credit for reasonable share of com
mon sense What l want to say Is this:
You've been coming To thi. town loT
quite spell now, and like as not you'lI
keep right on coming long as you're
on the road. Every time You have been
here for the last three years you have
been in my store, and you've humored
the old man by sitting there along in
the twilight and whistling for him.
And tell you now, wherever am thai
music is good enough for me. Now, my
boy, when you come here again and 60
into my store to ask for me they Will
tell you that | am dead. l know it We
need make no words about IL. And
then | want you To take this horse and
drive over the hill to that little GENE
terry YOU can just see up there, and lind
where they have laid me Then tuon-
sense, boy, | know what | am talaiI AZ
aboutD-l want you to sit down on tue
mound that covers me and WhIstie
Whistle the hymns and songs, the airs
from the operas and the songs OF the
street, any and all of them
Il eXpostulated with him, referred
him to his perfect health and tried To
laugh away his morbid fancy, but it
would not do. In a minute l had
promised and his hand had closed over
mine with the earnest: Thank you.
lad, thank you. L shall hear you-"
The women drew their wraps little
closer, and one of the men said, nerv-
ously:
"Deuc@d uncomfortable statement
Well" continued Mr.. X, Il was
sent on another route after that and IT
was nearly a year before | again Wis
tied Mr. Gray's town 1 had heard
nothing from him in that time aud
our odd agreement did not occur to
me until | saw the unfamiliar faces at
the store. | asked for my old friend
only to learn that he had been dead
three months, and am not ashamed 10
say tnaI chill sharper than that oI
the autumn air, ran over me
when rememb bered my prom
ise at our last meeting. | frank
ly own that 1 tried To get out of
- IL l.
his pleasant home. just on the edge of
town. His widow greeted me very
kindly and / at once made known my
errand, which was TO secure her con
sent to the capceling of my rashly
made agreement. To my surprise she
held me To- its fulfillment
MIR. Gray was very much in earn
est when he made his singular re
quest, | sure she said. A few
moments before he died he told me To
tell you that he would be listening.
did not understand what he meant
then, but you have brought the eXpla-
nation. must insist upon your keep
ing your promise To my husband
We'll, / drove up over the hill to the
little cemetery that he had pointed
out and while the glow faded from the
western sky and shadows grew and
purpled into twilight, 1 sat upon the
grave and whistled just as | had prom
ised, perfectly conscious all the while
that he--was listening"
The story was done and the little
group had sad good night" But the
teller of the tale, Herman IL. Kohlsaat,
now publisher of the Chicago Inter
Ocean, still sat in the moonlight, softly
whistling and thin ,Sing how shaft o.
liquid silver was shining in window
that he knew, touching the sunny head
of his own little Katherine, who, like
Thackerays little maiden, would soon
be waking-and making a prayer at
home for him--lIrace Duffie Roe, in
Chicago Post