The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-17

his eyes last fell upon those scenes and
those faces, and he found himself. as he
stretched at fun length on the lounge,
wondering how he could ever have been
so frivolous, and so joyously careless OF
consequences in everything as he had
been in the days that now seemed to him
to belong to the dim distance OF history.
80 women can forget sometimes you
see" his sister was continuing her talk.
Bob's thoughts were wandering back to
the past. Presently he exclaimed some.
what suddenly, by jngo Clare / believe
/ have something. Let me see. When do
you say Edna Is TO be married? May?"
Middle Of May, i believe"
'And this the middle of April. BY jim
go! ] wonder whether ought to take II
TO her or send it?"
That's your second by lingo in one
minute. Send what? Wedding pres
ents?"
"Eh? Yes, OF course, / must send a we'd
ding present. / knew Bristol quite well.
He's an older man than / am, isn't her"
That evening Calvin Cortrel unpacSe1
big leather trunk in the privacy OF his
own room. He took out a tin box that
looked as IL 1t had been designed originally
10 hold cash. He unlocked that box and
took out package after package Of care
fully tied up papers-receipts, cancelled
notes, memoranda OF many kinds. Under
all these was a leather ceased daguerroto-
type Of his mother. Last Of all, under
the case, was some tissue paper, and.
neatly folded in the tissue paper, we're a
pair of very much faded kid gloves.
Cortrell took out the tissue paper pack
age, replaced the daguerrotype, the va
rious bundles of memoranda, cancelled re-
| ceipts, and other business documents,
| locked the tin box and sat down TO think.
/ 10 lafH fadad QlnUaa on the little
writing table before him, drew up chair,
rested his elbows on the table, and sup
| ported his head on his two hands AS the
faint odor OF the disnterred gloves came
20 his nostrils, smile, half Of amuse-
ment, half Of tenderness, played over his
! face.
But the question IL, how the deuce am
: to do III" he said aloud TO himself after
some minutes OF this brooding.
The smile on his face grew more and
| more tender. Presently he sighed. and then
he spoke again TO himself. That has
nothing TO do with now, old man. That
was long ago. Yes, you can't keep these
things now You've got II to do"
Edna Barsom certainly had been a Httle
| disconnected when the news came TO her
that her sweetheart Of five years before
had suddenly made his appearance in the
town just at the time when her engage
ment TO Bristol was made public She was
| not wildly conscious of any feeling for
Calvin Cortrell that could have been con-
strued as disloyalty to her hance, but she
knew only too well how recklessly tongues
will wag In a small town. where each
manson woman s-business Is the bust
ness of all, and. considering many things
| Cortrelrs sudden appearance just then
after continuous absence OF five years
might very plausibly be made to bear q
significance that would disturb the smooth
current OF her engagement There had
been rumors that Mrs. and Miss Cortrell
would, some time or other, go West e
make their home with Calvin, but no one
had expected 10 see him back In his former
home.
Edna sat before the fire two days after
Calvin cortrells arrival, and was med
ltating over these things, when Cortrel
himself entered. She was looking for @
visit not from him, but from Bob Bristol
Nevertheless she found little or no diff.
Guilty in meeting him with conventions
care.
At first, that Is. Her old friend-or sweet
heart-lost but little time in coming to the
particular business OF his call, and IL Ger.
tainly startled her little when he said
II am very glad / found you alone"
"Clad?" she said. "Oh, yes. Il is nice
to be able to have a little chat. Tell me
about your life out there"
II can tell you about that az some other
lime" said Cortrell "Juft at present
| nave 10 discharge a duty Oh, yes. II
wouldn't be right. At least, wouldn't like
n. n / were In Brstors place"
Like what2" said the girl.
"This"-and he took a tissue paper pack
age from his pocket
Edna opened the package, wondering
when she saw the old gloves, lying there
with the mark OF wear OF many years age
upon them. but also marked with the folds
OF many other-later-year Of careful
keeping, whole procession OF memories