The Saint Paul globe., 1899-12-24
wind done the office for him.


Young Mcclure was seated in the end
seat of the car within the draft made by
the opening ana shuttingsof the door.
Some one stepped IN through it and
slammed 1t, which fnstled the page Of
his Fate. The young Zman caught a
glimpse. OF an exquisite face, poised on q
regal throat. - -;
The sight of it made him long for
mere. With eager eyes he grasped the
book and gazed on the face on the page.
He drank in what was there. It filled his
eyes with pleasure stteh as a thirsty man
might find in his first draught of water
after many days of famine. 1t was the
face his eyes had been hungry or He
knew now why none other r ever given
them an instant's joy.
He had been irVuinerab1e; yes, until
| this dark eyed, dark haired, sweet Tipped
creature had come before him.e
Now he was figuratively upon his knees
before an unknown head. The eyes beck
oned him, the lips seesned to speak to
him.
AS his train sped on he fancied what a
creature so nodded would say. He
could, above the rumble of the cars, hear
the tones of her voice. 1t must be deep
ard soft to match her dyes. He knew it,
he could swear to Pit. Her voice Fpas
contraito. He vowed he'd hear 1t if she
vas upon earth . ---.-- =
Her name beneath the picture told him
she was Anna Austin Cassin, of Renssel-
laer. She had home then near Albany,
where his father and mother lived. She
was of flesh and blood, not creature OF
some man'9 Fancy. There were men and
women who knew her Women!-that
was all right; but lnen-the thought
tortured him. SudGeRly another still
worse chased throughI his brain What
if there were a nan-some one man!
What if already she lad given her hand
and heart?
He studied the picture closely. She
might be eighteen or twenty She had
firmness in her lips and strength in her
poise. She was not coquette. He knew
1T. He would stake his life upon it.
Where she gave her heart she would give
her hand. None could woo her lightly.
That night young Mcclure, with the
beauty's dark eyes looking into his, wrote
his parents in Albany He had framed
the page from the Puritan in his silver
hair brushes.
The lovely bit of paper was balanced
between them, inclined just trif1e to tbs
level of his eyes. The silver setting fitted
her admirably She was even more lovely
than she had been in the pages of the
magazine.
Young Mcclure, with one eye on his
sneet OF paper and the other on Anna
Cassins image, wrote his parents that he
had finally decided that the West was
no place for young man who wanted to
succeed.
The West was too rev. The East was
old and tried. The young man set forth
such reasons as thesefo his return. And
he ended, just before he signed himself
Affectionately your Son: II shall re
turn as soon as possible probably next
week"
The dark eyes of Anna Cassin had
wooed the young man, back to the East
On the wings of love he fed there as
fast as the train would carry him. OF
every one he met en- route he asked one
question. The BURDEN Of 1t was do you
know Anna Cassin-the most beautiful
girl in American
So he arrived in Albany His family
noted with delight that he was much less
cynical, much more aaniable He seemed
! a trifie distrait, but that was doubtless
they thought, due to his travels.
He asked constantly about Miss Cassin