Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-05-03
..And then9-Helen Harper knew

tuc1t tnCEO IAuSI O0 LOEO u TIC SDOFY.
Our acquaintance had covered 8
period of three years." he resumed Sin
creasing all the time in intimacy and
mutual esteem, and one day as we re-
turned from late drive through the
country together Mr.. Gray said. with a
little nervous shifting of the lines
and a catch in his usually smooth voice:
X, I've a favor to ask of you. Pm q
bluff sort of man, as you have reason
to know. but l know you'll give me
credit for q reasonable share Of com
mon sense. What want to say is this:
You've been coming to this town for
quite spell now. and like as not you'll
keep right on coming as 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 humorsd
the old man by sitting there along in
the twilight and whistling for him
And tell you row, wherever am that
music is good enough for me. Now, my
boy, when you come here again and go
into my store to ask for me they will
tell you that l am dead. / know it We
need make no words about it And
then want you to take this horse and
drive over the hill to that little ceme-
terry you can just see up there, and find
where they have laid me. Then mon
sense, boy, l know what l am talking
aboutD-1 want you to sit down on the
mound that covers me and whistle.
Whistle the hymns and songs, the airs
from the operas and the songs of the
street, any and all of them
II 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. 1 shall hear your"
The women drew their wraps little
closer, ard one of the men said, nerv-
ously:
"DeucAd uncomfortable statement"
''Wen," continued OMr. K, 81 was
sent on another route after that and it
| was nearly a year before l again Wis
| tied Mr.. Gray's town. I had heard
nothing from him in that time and
our odd agreement did not occur to
me until | saw the unfamiliar faces at
| the store. 1 asked for my old friend
| only to learn that he had been dead
three months. and am not ashamed to
say that chill, sharper than that OF
the autumn air, ran over me
when remem bered my prom
| Use at our last meeting. I frank
| ly own that l tried to get out OF
| it, but taking the horse / drove out to
his pleasant home, just on the edge OF
| town. His widow greeted me very
| kindly and l at once made known my
errand, which was to secure her con-
| sent to the canceling of my rashly-
made agreement To my surprise she
held me to it's fulfIlment
'tMr. Gray was very much in earn.
est when he made his singular re
| quest, l am sure she said. "A few
moments before he died he told me tc
! tell you that he would be listening
did not understand what he meant
then, but you have brought the expla.
nation. l must insist upon your keep
ing your promise to my husband
| well, 1 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 anc
purpled into twilight, 1 sat upon the
grave and whistled just as had prom
ised, perfectly conscious all the while
| that he--was listening."
q The story was done and the littl,
group had SAID good night" But the
teller of the tale, Herman II. Kohlsaat
| now publisher of the Chicago Inte
Ocean, still sat in the moonlight, softly
whistling and thinking how shaft o
liquid silver was shining in window
| that he knew, touching the sunny heat
of his own little Katherine, who, Xix,
, Thackeray's little maiden, would sool
| be waking-and making a prayer a
home for hiIn--Grace Duffie Roe, il
Chicago Post