The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-05-13

smiled and when she went in she told
the little colored maid that she was so
happy she was afraid she should die.
As soon as he went home, the trooper
told Aneta, he would be mustered out,
and then he would send for her, and she
should come to his hacienda and be mis-
tress of a houselul of servants and OF
ranch that was like little kingdom.
Aneta liked to hear about the range,
| and about the wild flowers, but when he
| began to talk about the money she
said:
50. 81, 81, 81. I know. Now sir, tell
me, if you will, please, about you.
Where were you born? How old oycu
really be? Have you brother or a sis
ter? No? Were you good little boy
when you were small? Have you the
picture of you, yourself, in the long
dress? No? 1t is too bad! like to see
you-all ways-when baby and when
a boy. as all ways. And do you love the
music like me? Idol ST. That is good.
Everything is good in these days"
Butone day the troopers were ordered
home.
Aneta's trooper had to go with the
rest.
Aneta pinned a knot of jessamine on
his coat, and made him go into the little
o,utory with her and kneel before the
| little altar
But when the great troopship was
| gone, she went into the little oratory
and staid on her knees half the night.
The first steamer brought Aneta a
letter from her trooper
1t was a kind letter, full If affection,
but there was something in it that made
Aneta's heart grow cold.
1t made her feel as she did when he
laughed so much and made his gray
eyes look like cold steel, with the moon
glittering on them.
"When will you be free?" she wrote.
"When shall we be marred?"
The trooper wrote back long letter.
full of his fine ranch and his money and
the beautiful home he was preparing
for Ancta.
81 do not care about the ranch" she
said, "or about the fine home. l want
to be with you"
On Christmas day she wrote him that
she would kill herself if he did not write
to her.
"They are laughing at me here" she
said. "They are telling me that you
were joking with me, that you never
cared for me. If do not hear from you
in four weeks time shall kill myself"
Just two weeks ago Aneta Ovideo re-
ceived an answer to her letters. Jim
jenkins is dead said the letter. He
died week ago. He spoke your name
with his last breath"
81 am so glad" she said. II am so
glad. Now, / shall see him soon again"
And every day she throws the knot OF
iessamine into the sea, for the charm
must be worked for twice seven days
before she will know surely how long
she will have to live.
Henry Harmon lives out in Indian
territory.
1t was he who wrote Aneta and told
her that her sweetheart was dead,
In all his letter Henry Harmon wrote
just one sentence of truth, and that was
that jim Jenkins was dead All the rest
was a lie.
Jim jenkins was not ranch owner.
He had no home prepared for Aneta.
He was a cowboy in the same outfit
with Henry Harmon. He did not die
with Aneta's name on his lips. He did
not love her.
He showed her poor little letters to the
cowboys on the ranch and made fun of
them.
He roared with laughter when he read
the one in which Aneta told him that
she would kill herself unless she heard
from him.
He died very suddenly that very
night, and left an unfinished letter to
Aneta.
'Inever cared cent for YOU" the let
ter read. "I've been having fun all the
time. But now I'm getting tired of it.
The boys are making fuss about your
writing so often, and wish you'd stop
Henry Harmon, cowboy, l Y L outfit
read the letter aloud to the boys" who
had heard Jim jenkins read the other
ones aloud.
The boys" did not laugh at the joke.
They sat still,
"Fellers," said Arizona Ike, the head
E of the outfit, this amt no time fer the
truth, let's keep on lynn"
So Henry Harmon wrote the lying
5 letter to Aneta Ovideo, and poor little
soft-eyed girl will die happy for his
4 pains.--N. Y. journal.
Minutes and Seconds.
u 4