The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-11
Coincidence.

| getner IN college, was going 10 say slept
| together, but Jonathan seldom slept. He
| smoked and drank coffee and worked
| instead, and blossomed into winner OF
| prizes. AS Jonathan was in love as well
| as in debt, and just as prone as l 10
| substitute pipes for meals when the larder
was low, we learned to love each other
| during those four years with an affection
| that was firm and confiding.
Jonathan used to advise me TO fall in
| love, too. ''I tell you, old man." he would
| say when opening a letter OF familiar
| blue, when you're not feeling well. and
| the world CRATES on you like eamel's-
hair shirt. there is nothing so good as an
old-fashioned love letter.
| The writer of the old-fashioned missives
| lived out West, in Harrods native town,
and although l never met her. 1 came TO
| know her almost as well as Harrod did.
| he spoke of her so often. And then
used TO watch his face when he read her
! letters. They must have been tender and
| sympathetic, but withal a dash of ambi
| ton and inspiration in them. No tale
of village gossip could have brought that
| light into Jonathan's eyes, nor that flash
| of color to his cheek. At their conclu-
| sion he would dream awhile, perhaps, then
fall Ia at his books and work like mad.
He showed me her picture one night.
/
shadowy eyes. The mouth and chin were
| both we'll formed, but rather masculine.
1t was beautiful face, though not pretty.
Although Harrod had loved the girl all
his life-and she him, If there be aught
in the signs of the zodiac-they had
! misunderstanding of some sort or other
during the summer that followed his grad
uation. When he returned East the fol-
lowing autumn ne was quieter than ever
md L. nd
| sympathetic. He and / had rooms to-
gether, where. IN lieu of other inexpensive
pastime, we were wont to spend the eve
nings working and reading. I saw from
the first that something allied him; and.
| as he no longer received the blue envel-
| opes nor coUnseled me TO lose my heart,
l guessed the reason and asked no ques-
tons. He did not become apathetic- JON
athan didn't. His old habit of work was
stronger than ever. And now his stories
began to appear occasionally in the maya
| zines and the dear public to recognize his
| name and to read what went with it.
Two years passed before oJnathan made
even the slightest reference to this love
affair of his. and that was when he came
into my room one cherries, gray Novem-
Der afternoon, the picture of abject mel
ancholy.. In his hand was a crumpled piece
| Of paper. This he placed in silence before
| me on the table, then he went and seated
himself before the fireplace where
could not see his face. The paper was a
clipping from some inland journal describ-
| ing in florid terms the wedding of Miss
Winifred Conover to one Amos Schenck.
! Only half the article had been clipped
evidently, and this had been pasted on a
| half sheet of note paper. l read the taw-
dry effusion through, then twisted 1t to
pieces and dropped it into the waste bas-
ket.
Jonathan, my boy" said, going over
and seating myself on the arm of his
| chair, who sent you this thing?"
II do not know" and there was a
world of sadness in his voice, 'the envel-
| ope was addressed in a strange hand and
| not a word accompanied it"
We were both silent for moment. The
logs were burning cheerily, outside the
wind was blowing a gale Jonathan sat
with his facee In his hands. when I
came here to you just now" he said, st
was chilled and lonely-the day is so SON.
ber-and I had been tramping all over
| the country, and-well, I came to say
| good-by. I wanted to leave this life and
wait for Winifred in the next. for"-his
| voice went straight to my heart-"ah,
| Billy, love her SOP ! regarded him with
! compassion. You lie down on the lounge
| by the fire and go to sleep" / commanded
him, land stop this COMPOUNDED brooding"
I pushed forward the couch as 1 spoke,
and he dropped on it like an obedient
child. He gave me one grateful look,
| and then under the influence of the ge-
! NAL wormth, and the fatigue of many
vigils, fell fast asleep.
There are days in the lives of us all. I
/ fancy, when a vague and subtle sense
| of mystery invests the cOmmonest OBJ
| jects; when our minds cognize new quail
| ties in common things; when the look in
| the eyes of a, child, the CLINT of sun
| light in a woman's hair. the sound of a
! distant church bell, stir feelings deep
within US we have never known before.
! That afternoon there was a white carna-
| ton in the vase on my writing table, and
as I sat there bordering Jonathan's sor-
rows its perfume stole into my brain like
| a sweet and potent anodyne. 1t cOnjured
! up visions as fair as the dream of DR..
Faustus; and yet-and yet there was a
Z sense of foreboding, a premonition of
something about to occur.
| Whether or not I doZed I cannot say,
| but suddenly I was aware that some one
other than Jonathan was in the room, and
! that he or she was wide awake and look
! ing at me intently. I raised my eyes, and
there, to my infinite surprise and aston
| ishment. 1 saw standing opposite me,
| across the table. a stylishly gowned young
!
| woman.
I started to my feet with an apology on
my lips but as / glanced at her face my
| tongue was tied and remained silent. She
was dark, with a high forehead and shad-
| owy eyes. The mouth and chin were both
well formed, but rather masculine. And
| she was beautiful. though not pretty.
Miss Conover!' l exclaimed.
yes" she answered in voice that was
! low and vibrant, cit is L. Then. with her
brown eyes fixed on the white carnation
| and the color mantling her cheek, she
| continued: II have just arrived in the
! city Yesterday I learned that an ancient
enemy of Jonathan's sent him a para
! graph from an account OF my cousin 5
| wedding, and"-the color increased. then
! quickly misunderstanding Jonathan so
well, I wished If possible etc see him be-
/ fore the clipping reached him. And-you
see. 1 knew you also knew him we'll
! Her lips closed tightly for second. then
! curved in a smile Two great tears start
/ ed from beneath the dropping lashes, but
were quickly intercepted.
I looked toward the place where iona
/ than Jay. A screen was between him and
/ the visitor, and only his soft respiration
! betrayed his presence. His sleep was stIll
! unbroken. I turned 70 Miss Conover.
/ Jonathan loves YOU" ] said. Do you
| love him?" Her eyes flashed with a Won
derful luster. but again her lips were
/ firm. For Il you do ] exclaimed. pul-
/ ing the screen aside with single swift
! movement. 'he IS here"
| Jonathan"
Then as ! left the room I looked back
| and say her kueeliuz az his slde.-Copy-
riEhted BY New York Mail and Express.
4 Calf for Canseudstion.
| A British bishop once rose 70 address
/ the house u lords. and began by SAYING
I he intended 10 divide his speech into
/ rvetve heads Lord Durham fhereupon