The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1898-08-19

little Laura Ray for dolls dress, and
she must have lost it.
Joe awkwardIy reached out his hand
for it. ''l'll take it," he said. It'll
b, hetter'n nothn'."
Its goodbye, suppose" he con-
tinued; for they had come to the en-
trance of Daphnes home.
'Goodhye," said Daphne.
Joe had turned, and gone slowly
down to his own home without so much
as offering to shake hands.
He rcmeml. rcd That parting well.
and smiled as he sat lingering the heaGs
Of clover that homecoming afternoon.
After all, though the old home might
be dreary, Daphne was still waiting
for him. He rose and went on rapidly.
The plot of ground before the door
where Grandma Barlow had been wont
to SOW her fiower-seeds broadcast as
one sows grain, and where summer by
summer the motley fower-horde had
struggled for existence and fought for
the soil, inch 10y inch, with merciless
self.assertion, was now mass of
tangled weeds and grass, with an occa-
sional bright-skirted holly hooks to illus
trate the survival of the hardest.
Joe picked one of the hollyhocks for
dear acquaintance sake, us he opened
the low, unhinging door and entered
the small, square hallway. There was
such smell of decay and rust, so
breathless and stagnant an air, so ho.-
low an echo of even the touch of his
hand upon the door, that he felt almost
an intruder. He was half disposed to
turn back, when his glance fell upon
the waiting chair. That was still there,
and about it was lingering some human
remembrance.
AS he crossed the threshold and en-
tered the room, he gave cry Of sur
prise, for Il woman was standing not
far from the chair, and on the instant
strange, superstitious fear had seized
him; but his sight cleared at once.
''Daphne!'' he cried. He went to-
ward her, and held out his hand in
awkward. school-boy fashion.
You're quite stranger" said she,
trying to speak in her old merry way,
and failing utterly.
YES" he said, graveIy. "I'ye KEEP
We waitin' long time, Daphne, girl" !"
The pale, white framed face flushed.
She put hand to her hollow cheek, as
if she had become suddenly conscious
of the time-crcascs; then glanced hasti-
ly at her gaunt, articulate hand, and
drew it out of sight.
81 came over to dust bit, she said,
showing her cloth 81 thought it would
make it seem little more like home" ="
81 meant to come back BEFORE" said
Joe, penitently; "but | nerer could
get away without the gold. When Id
get tired of workin' and get to longin'
for home, and be just on the point of
startin, I'd hear it callin' me some
where's down below; so Id go back
and try again. That's the way it went
for thirty years; only at the last |
seemed to forget everything but the
gold. Ny thoughts never got higher'n
the rim of soil above where | was
workin' Then the picture of the old
home came, with the face at the window
and the gold lost its grip o ne. ] re-
membered what Id promised, and l
was so homesick, there by the mine
that mornin', for sight of you and the
old place, could hardly get myself
down into it. We were poor men that
mornin'; but, when it came sundown,
tit was different" he said, flushing.
"We'd found the sly yellow creature
at last"
care you glad to see me?" he asked,
rather wistfulIy.
Daphne did rot reply.
I'D hoped to fix up your old house
or mine with few LIS and piazzas and
things, but see they're too tumble
down. We shall have to build new
one," rather timorously, as he watched
her face.
"I'm an old woman said Daphne,
trying to speak lightly, "a faded-out
old woman. You'll have to find some
pretty girl"
Daphne!' exclaimed Joe, as if she
had spoken blasphemy. "Hush! See,
here is the TOKEN" he said, showing a
piece of faded calico. give always
kept it. For five years, once, l never
saw womans face; but one day a
woman went by in a stage, about hall
a mile below. There was the mark OF
her foot on the ground, where she got
out and walked away. piled up some
logs and made seat there, and l used
to 90 there of Il Sunday mornin' and
take out my bit of cloth. 1t was SER
mon and hymn and all to me-
Joe laughed rather shamedly.
".\rc you sure you re glad, Daphne?'
asked Joe, troubled at her silence. IL
should have written, ! know he con
tinupd. after awhile, "hut the spellin
left me pretty soon after | went away