Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-07-23
shawl Off your knees; what would
Mother Hnves sav?"

shawl Off your knees; what would
Mother Hayes say?"
"Oh, Mary" he said, and somehow
the tears stood in his eyes, he was SO
weak, live got to go awayl"
Mary's instant look of concern, and
light touch upon his wrist, showed
what she thought of such crazy words,
and poor Dick gulned and tried to get
back to his resolution not to tell her.
"Idon't know why said that didn't
mean to" he told her.
"You are tired" she said, soothing
ly, "you've been sitting up too long"
Nothing of the sort,' Dick an
swered, Grossly. II am only tired of
this business! Good Lord! Mary-therel
can't help 1t; aciU you take me? didn't
mean to ask again; was just saying
wouldn't, when you came up the path.
Mary, will you take me? If you won't,
I'm going off. I've stood this just as
long as I'm going to-"
with pity. ooh, Dicl1!" she said.
"You know he's dead and gone;
you're only making another man mis-
cradle; and = and you'd be happier
yourself"
"Of course he's dead" she said,
TREMENDOUSLY, shat isn't it; it's because
II shall always love Don!" she burst
out, and then fell to crying; and Dick
swore at himself and was ready to tell
her that he didn't care the least in the
| world for her-if it would comfort her
any.
| But nothing comforted her. She
went home along the river road in the
pleasant spring dusk, her eyes blurring
and smarting. She did not want Don's
mother to know she had been crying,
so left the path and sat down under
little pine tree that clutched at the
rocks and stretched it's starved, lean
branches out over the tumbling foam
below. She and Don had often sat
here and listened to the steady beat of
the waves on the broken rocks. The
light paled and faded, and the sea
grew gray and cold; far off sail
leaned like wing against the sky and
caught sudden flush from the glow IN
the west How often she had watched
Don's boat beating in, when the twi-
light was settling over the lonely shore.
He used to know without seeing her,
that she was there, under the pine.
She wondered if he knew that Dick
had asked her to marry him? The sea
was quite dark, except where faint
wreath of white came and went where
the waves broke on the rocks. How
dear and kind Don had been; how full
of laughter; how simple and trusting;
how careless and good-natured; she re-
membered this or that drollery, this or
that dear unreasouableness; hundred
tendernesses. No wonder she loved
him; to love such man was enough
for one girls life, she thought. And
yet, Dick Wheeler had thought she
might marry him!
But I've been true" she protested
to herself, as if in excuse. Then she
turned back to the path, and went on
to the little gray house. Don thought
it wasn't as nice as Dicks" she
thought, half smiling; "well, you see,
I've chosen it, anyhow" she said, half
aloud, as though he We're beside her.
She saw the kitchen door open and
shut, and heard burst of laughter.
'Why, who is here at this time Of
night?' she thought. And then she
saw that there We're people in the door
yard, and two figures at the gate sud
; denly saw her, and came running
towards her:
MARY, he's back! Mary! Don's
home"
Mary stood still at the gate; she was
perfectly silent. Eager hands clutched
her and would have pulled her along
!, the path. Hes homel He's back, Mary;
, do you hear? He's back; he says he's
| been meaning to come these five years;
but he's been on three voyages"
Like a woman walking in her sleep,
Mary was pushed to the door, which
swung open again to admit these
, friendly on-lookers, who had come to
! rejoice with those that did rejoice.
, Afterwards she did not know wheth-
er she saw him or not; the kitchen was
crowded. She heard Mrs. Hayes
) laughing and crying, and saying:
''And Mary's been true to you-but
But why didn't you ever write to her?''
And then a voice, voice from the
grave, dead voice, that made Mary
thrill with horror; voice that made
r her heart culver, as though the founda-
: tions of the solid earth moved and
$ melted-a hearty, kindly voice, said:
: "Well, was always meaning to-
and, somehow, she turned and slipped
$ away between the pushing, jostling,
/! congratulating friends; slipped out into
i the night. and ran, stumbling, crying,
, shivering, away from the house of joy
and thanksgiving.
Dick Wheeler was certainly tired
I enough to have Jacob help him back to
bed; but Jacob was at the grocery store
s listening, open-mouthed, to the story
of Donald Hayes return; SO the young
man sat In the darkness, feeling miser'
a ably faint and miserably unhappy. he
! wished Jacob would come; he wished he
! . II