Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-05-05
friend, that I might as well take
the freight that stops at the tank at
midnight, II Ia eleven noyv"

midnight II IL eleven no,v y" van" .
F.! McDoupal ross ond nam. ;n.o =.
house. When he csma an, w;th Nv r .us
Of bills in his hand desmond was
waiting. He tool the mnnau o ""s
thrust il into his nocLat .yoH shan
have it back in n few wsets > ba sa;a.
"you aren't afraid 10 trnst ms sur" n,i
boy" y '' NY Wv
no. Pm not ofro,a % ,,r,s,
not with NV mona "" w. uus' suu
while his hand , NV, snoa pa ~ u. , auueu'
mans shonlder s a,mps4 s sae so""se,
hone II Is on,y m ",'r n,sao s'ern,y.
nv hapniness , noa "'' .... ', ~. ',eseu
Then. mors oan ..e" 'r .n 10 you.
Desmond - So ~, .,,a. nN , ,,, ne.
mean to he I'm, ~. sha I"' ,e;.s , u,a MOI
Desmond d;d 80 s" a.a. .'s' you'
prasp Tho nrosf.r" s " h eNcep' '.l
moment latar ha ,ros " ,."na Warmly
In the weats fo ur go n..
departure Woronmo, I" ,. Drsllo ,
| with h;msa,, D'"Sa' grew 'mpauen,
dreorilv and r.. '"r uays dragged
bearable. He hoa ;n."',S grew un'
ing az the station another year. BY
tnat Time the home that had been his
goai through these years Of waiting
beginning N tb;n, .h". y. 'a.s nc was
would he ;mnoss;,,,a '', an''"rr yeaI
'"PosSiUiV mere. Helen |
le'.ers had helped to make him patti.
eht; nut now, though they were as
iona ana sweet as ever, each one
nhed MN with an increased longing
10 20 10 her, He struggled against
tnsweakness until finally the thought
came Like an inspiration" as it had
ZONE 10 Desmond-why not write to
neau-guarters for substitute and
~ 10 her' II only for single day?
ne "rote the letter that night, and
IN 'he morning took 1t over to meet
'ne west-golng tain. In the box that
served as his individual post-otfice he
iouhu TWO letters, one Helen's weekly
,nnesSage and the other addressed in |
Desmond's characteristic hand. He
m snstcned them hastily apart, to stow
lle,ehs sa1ely In his pocket to be read
~ nome Desmond wrote only q word
vi tne march, he said, and inclosed
urait 10 cover his debt The letter
was not dated, and the post-mark too
Win 10 oe deciphered. On the bench
OUTSIDE the door he read Helen's let.
Gr-a long, dear letter, full of happy
pans lor the future and Of love for
NM ou' through 1t all there ran q
VEN OF sadness that somehow made
user lelt between the lines. In the
postscript she added. Something tells
lne 'hat you'ought to be here; | need
you' uear Tha was all. but IN
alter years, when time andfrequent
handling had made the pages fragile
as uried rOSe-petal, he read TINT I
pialntlve call to him with an aching
throat and through blurring tears.
In due time the official leave came
uated two whole weeks away. Those
two weeks passed, and the substitute
arrived Like Desmond, McDougal
TOOK the midnight train and hurried
northward to the little Washington
village that was llelen's home.
AS ne went ashore he regretted that
ne had not told her Of his intention
II would have been an added happI.
ness to see her sweet face expectant
among the group of strangers. lie
glanced at them carelessly, then
paused and stepped backward for a
second look at Il familiar figure just
disappearing in the cabin, 1t GER
tainly looked like Desmond, but that
was unlikely, and even II 1t were, why
should he delay one moment? A
fierce Impotence hurried him on, Al
the house he was greeted warmly by