The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-17
Seventeen Years Lost

Philadelphia Item
They were walking home from evening
meeting.
| How long have we been engaged?"
askd Ezra, after q silence.
| Janet answered promptly. It'll be fiji
teen years the tenth Of next month"
"And the day after tomorrow 1 must
start for Florida"
YES" she said. II suppose 1t is best.
1t would be hard for you to stay here
through the cold weather when you were
so sick last winter. But you can come
back in the spring." she added. trying to
be cheerful.
II have been thinking" said Ezra hesi-
tatingly, that fifteen years is a good
while for engagement to last. Don't
you think 1t would be a good plan to end
1t before I go?"
She looked up at him quickly. DO you
| mean that you wish to-
! BE married? Yes"
co." she said, 1T did not know but that
you might wish to be released"
NO" he returned emphatically, you
would be the one to wish that"
81 never have" she answered.
| every one knows that have the best
of the arrangement-that you are smarter
and better than I am. I have meant all
these years to get something ahead, so
so that you would not have to do dress
making. But havn't managed right. OF
something, and now my health giving
out has spoiled 1t all
81 would have been ready at any time,
Ezra" she said gently. I'VE would have
got along"
81 had got so used to being engaged to
you that I had almost become satisfied
with there being nothing different. But
! md nnf
see you all winter long-I wish We could
be married before co.
But there is so little time she said.
thinking OF the pretty things she had
hoped to make If this time ever came.
81 know" he answered, not understand
ing her. II know you could not leave 70
go with me, but we could go TO house.
keeping When 1 get back 1 wish you
would do it, he ended. wistful1y.
81 WILL" she consented, "if 1t will make
you happier"
On the appointed day Ezra set forth on
his way to Florida, leaving his bride be-
hind to face the New England winter
alone At first she was lonesome, but
when long letters began to come from
Ezra she felt happier. He was good
letter writer, and before winter was past
it seemed to her she had had more COM
partnership with him than usual.
Ezra liked Florida and the climate
agreed with him. He found work there,
and when spring came he decided to stay
on. He proposed that Janet should join
him in the fall.
She agreed at the time. but when fall
came she began to be dreadfully home
sick She finally wrote that as Ezra
would probably come home by another
spring she would wait for him.
But the next summer he spent IN Flor
ida ALSO and when fall came again and
they had been married two years nothing
was said about his returning or her join
ing him.
Janet however, began to have a desire
to see her husband. She determined to
go to him and surprise him. So she pack
ed her trunk and departed.
At the same time Ezra had a longing
to see Janet, and he decided to go North
and surprise her. They started at about
the same time and passed each other
| somewhere in Virginia.
| When they reached their destinations it
! Is hardly necessary to say that they were
! both urprised-unpleasantl 60 Each
| felt impelled to return over the way they
| had Just come, but each reflected that
| the other might do the same thing, so
| they waited and wrote letters instead.
Janet liked Florida SO well that she de-
| cided to spend the winter there.
| AS for Ezra, he declared that he never
would leave the North again If he could
possibly help 1t. It seemed like home to
| him. He stood the winter well and he
/ looked forward to seeing Janet in the
spring. But Janet thought she would try
/ s1lrmering in the South.
| Ezra sighed. Oh, DEAR" he said. nave
we, got to see-saw back and forth this
/ way all our lives? BY the time shaEets
/ sick of Florida I shall have to go there
! again, probably"
In April, however. a postal card came
which made glad his heart.
| 'If you will stay North till l can ge'
| there I will start the minute hear from
YOU. 1t is so fearfully hot here that
/ can't stand 1t any longer
Ezra met her in New York and they
STAYED there a few weeks seeing the
! sights. This is our honeymoon" he said
They came home and went to housekeep-
! ing and were happy.
One evening they were coming nome
from church They had not said mucn'
but finally Ezra asked: do you suppose
we ever would have married If 1t hadn'1
been for my going to Florida?
/ ST don't know"
| srWell, I don't believe we would. Just
think of the time we have wasted. i have
been an old fool for seventeen years"
! Janet laughed. 'I think / belong to
! that class, too" she said.
! a~-r-1r5,r nrYrnc