Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1899-12-29
AN OLD PHOTOGRAPH

The train left us at bare little sta
! tion, far beyond the town we were go
Ing to, and we went back grumbling
ON our tracks, a dusty. UNSTEADY mile.
TO our boarding house. And then we
discovered II TO be the one we had
picked out for our choicest disregard
rs the train passed by. But we were
sorry only until the door opened. The
hall was large and cool and sweet like
Mrs. Putney herself, who held our
hands and brooded over us with sin
cere and copious pity for our dusty
plight.
my daughter, Alice" she said, pre-
senting a pretty girl who came for
ward to take us to our room.
MY wife, Alice, will be charmed
with name chum." Roger said merri-
ly. and we were all at home together
at once, AS though we had known one
another more than six minutes by the
| clock
should have been a cynic, indeed,
TO expect u trouble OF any kind to APP
pear, and for three whole days bliss
relgned. did think at times that Alice
seemed trife sad or preOccupled. She
smiled half -heartedly at Rogers jolly
| ing, and went about silently for the
most part. keeping much by himself
She paid even less attention to Roger
than my eXacting pride required
| As | said, | was not cynic, and
therefore, not prepared for woe, when
one day | saw among some treasures
| Alice was showing me In her room a
faded old photograph OF Roger In his
schoolbOy days. There was no chance
| OF mistake. The ar to A." at the bot
| tom of the card could have known
II by that alone. almost caught 1t
out OF her hands, ] was 30 glad to see
| II, for ! had lost It In our betrothal
| days and never ceased to grleve about
1t.
But the picture was In Alice's hand,
and she was looking earnestly and sad
| ~ and wistfully at II. | turned away
with M heart full. | did not doubt
| Alice, end did not dlstrust Roger.
went over every possible circumstance
and back helplessly to the one simple
| fact. Alice had and evidently held as
Il treasured possession II picture OF
Roger. and yet appeared not to know
him when we met her.
All in the dim dawn one morning
Alice came out to help the milkman
pull the milk out OF the well. and. AS
they moved about, thought noticed
hbph' WV
! couldn't hear what they said, and |
was glad, because as 1t was | didn't
have to move, although they were evil
IDENTITY talking intimately. But | did
hear "Good-by, Rufus" Rufus2
| why, OF course. A bucOlic sweetheart
of my own from the next town, where
| ] had spent some summer vacations
with my mother. Poor old Rufus
And had forgotten the dear good soul
entirely! My thoughts ran back to
| those days. and then and there | re-
| memhered that II was at that house |
had first missed the picture Of Roger.
put two and two together In n
| thrice, and was In Alice's room before
breakfast asking as easily NJ | could,
who's that pretty boy you showed me
the other day, Alice, in the military
| jacketw
Alice looked up the picture again and
announced with true embarrassm
and great feeling: ITS II photograph,
| that's all. | don't know who II II,
Rufus gave II to me because II looked
like his brother-I-he cared for me,
and he was lost at sea. and Rufus II,
and he likes me, too"
Alice must have been surprised, for
| I kissed her 10 the middle OF the little
story she was telling, and then |
rushed to find Roger, and cried into
his collar and said: IT'S all right,
Roger. darling; she didn't even know
you, and you didn't. and | didn't and
he didn't Oh, Il. to A. I'm 80 happy.
and don't care one bit any more for
ever" Which lncoherent story elnb-
Grated to the dear boys satisfaction
later.-BOston Post.