Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-16

and Hetherly returned by another way.
After awhile Sherwin seemed to lose
interest in the stories and topics OF the
day. His magazines lay uncut on the
ground beside him while he watched
the disappearing carriage until 1t was
lost to sight on the farther slope of the
hill. Then he would throw himself
down with his face toward the sky that
seemed scarcely higher than the tops
OF the pine trees and philosophize on
life in general. AS the summer waned
his philosophy grew bitter.
One day he reached out for Little
cluster of the gray-blue Oregon gra pes
that grew close to his hand, half-lid-
den under their rich crimson and dark
green foliage. He studied them for
moment noting their artistic beauty.
and then put them in his mouth, ind
ing keen relish in their bitterness.
They're like everything else in life,'
he mused And Elsie found him crons
and unreasonable as they drove back
to town. He had not sympathy vita
her enthusiasms and he expressed hl3
lack of it sharply and abruptly. He
saw no beauty in the scarlet sumacb
against the gray cliff; he saw nothing
remarkable in the chipmunks that hur-
ried across the road and along the
fallen trees by the way; he had no de-
sire to get out and dig ferns when they
saw them, tall and luxuriant, by the
roadside. And the view of the town
as they saw it first from the top OF the
long road cut out of the lime rock
the scattered little town encircled by
mountains, some in the shadow and
some glorious in the DISTINGUISHING
sunlight, stretching away till the far
of peaks were blue and hazy against
the sky-he had seen it hundreds of
times, so had she. What was there TO
rave about?
Sherwin's part in the affair Mrs.
Marvin never knew, but she did learn
enough to know that opposition in the
matter of her sisters love affairs was
useless. And early in the winter
Hetherly and Elsie were married.
Elsie was just IS, and childish,
frivolous and light. Most of Hetherly's
friends doubted the wisdom OF his
course. He was young and had his way
to make in the world, and Elsie, with
her pretty face and irresponsible, in
consequent ways, seemed the last wo-
man in the world to be the making of
a man.
Sherwin was not present at the we'd
ding. He was called out of town a few
days before on urgent business. So
said the note which brought his con-
CALCULATIONS and accompanied the little
Dresden clock. He did not come back.
Some one heard from him few months
later in Kansas City, where he was
doing police reporting on daily paper.
Then his friends lost track of him.
Hetherly and his wife went east, the
Maryins moved away, and they, too,
dropped out of the life of which they
had been a part. People are not long
missed in those western towns that
have so little that is permanent.
1t was nearly ten years after that
Hetherly returned and got a position
on his old paper. A few months later
Sherwin, his life wrecked by the weak
ness that had always stood between
him and success, drifted into town and
applied for work on the old paper. No
one else would have given it to him,
but Hetherly had never been in a po-
sition to refuse Sherwin anything
you can go down and do the hang
ing, if you want TO" he said, but Sher-
win didn't want to go. His Unborn re-
finement reyolted against such a scene.
So Hetherly sent young fellow from
the Office to get the notes and kept
Sherwin to write it up.
The whole office was waiting. Out
in the composing the printers
were having lunch. One was working
Ieisurely on the last little take"
Hetherly and Sherwln smoked and
talked of old times-of college days
and the days of the early gold excite
ment in the hills, when they had
worked together on the paper. Hether-
ly talked freely of his business and
financial affairs for the last ten years.
He had worked for awhile on a paper
in Chicago, then in New York, but he
had not been very successful, either
from business or professional stand
point. He talked rapidly and then
piled Sherwin with questions. But
Sherwin was reticent. And you never
married." Hetherly asked. and Sher-
win shook his head. why didn't you?"
Sherwin laughed Wouldn't any wo-
man have me-" he said His lips
framed themselves for question, but
the door opened and some one came in
with q want lad" and interrupted him.
When the man went out Hetherly rung
up the telephone savagely and asked ii
there was no word from Scoop yet, and
when they told him mo" he sat down.
matchmaking the world in general
and Scoop in particular. Once again
Sherwin tried to put his question and
was interrupted by the foreman with
some proofs. They read them silently
and when the last one was hung on the
hook Sherwin knocked the ashes out
OF his pipe and asked in the most mat
ter-of-fact way: And Mrs Hetherly?
How is she?" The telephone bell rung
sharply and Hetherly sprung up to an
. - he