Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-08-16
AN OLD PHOTOGRAPH

The train left us at q bare little sta
ton. far beyond the town we were go
ing to. and we went back grumbling
on our tracks. dusty. UNSTEADY mile,
TO our boarding house. And then we
discovered il to be the one we had
picked out for our choicest disregard
as the train passed by. But we We're
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 sim
cere and copious pity for our dusty
plight
MY daughter. Alice" she said, pre-
senting pretty girl who came Tor
ward TO take us TO our room.
"My wife. Alice, will be charmed
with a 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 a trouble Of any kind to APP
pear. and for three whole days bliss
reigned | did think at times that Alice
seemed trifie sad or preoccupied. 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-I could have known
il by that alone. | almost caught it
out of her hands, was so glad TO see
il, for | had lost ii in our betrothal
DAYS and never ceased to grieve about
it,
But the picture was in Alice's hand,
and she was looking earnestly and sad
IL and wistfully at 1t. | turned away
with my heart full | did not doubt
Alice, and did not distrust Roger.
went over every possible circumstance
and back helplessly to the one simple
fact. Alice had and evidently held as
a treasured possession a picture Of
Roger. and yet appeared not to know
him when we met her.
All i'm the dim dawn one morning
Alice came out to help the milkman
mil the milk out of the well. and, as
something familiar about the man.
l couldn't hear what they said, and l
was glad because as Ii was | didn't
have to move. although they were evi
IDENTITY talking intimately. But | did
hear "Good-by, Rufus" Rufus?
WHY. of course. A bucolic sweetheart
of my own from the next town, where
| had spent some summer vacations
al =
And had forgotten the dear good soul
entirelyl My thoughts ran back TO
those DAYS, and then and there | re-
membered that it was at that house l
had first missed the picture of Roger.
| put two and two together in a
thrice. and was in Alice's room before
breakfast asking as easily as | could,
who's that pretty boy you showed me
the other day, Alice, in the military
jacketT'
Alice looked up the picture again and
announced with true embarrassment
and great feeling: Its photograph,
that's all. | don't know who it is.
Rufus gave it to me because it looked
like his brother-I-he cared for me,
and be was lost at sea, and Rufus is.
and he likes me, too"
Alice must have been surprised. for
/ kissed her in the middle of the little
story she was telling, and then |
rushed TO find Roger. and cried into
his collar and said: Its 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 so happy.
and don't care one bit any more for
ever" Which incoherent story | elab-
Grated to the dear boys satisfaction
later.-Roston Post