Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-03-15

twice a week for over a year in one of the
New York papers. All 1 said was:
'FANNY-I did not send the violets.
"MoNTY.
"About a year after 1 first inserted the
personal an answe appeared. 1t was
printed directly under my personal and
said:
"Who did? FANNY.
II almost went crazy with delight, Ben,
when | saw that answ l sent word to
take out my personal and to insert this
one one time in its place:
''FANNY-Where can l see you to e~xplain9
"MoNTY.
"A week passed, but l heard nothing.
Another week-then 1 again inserted the
personal. But a month passed-two
months, and I ordered in the personal
then every day. At last I was rewarded.
Again directly under my query appeared
this answer:
"Will see you Sixty-ffth street entrance Cen
trail park 4 o'clock Monday next. FANNY.
II don't know how I lived from the
Thursday the personal appeared until the
Monday / was to see her. l don't think /
slept u half hour night. / couldn't cat, l
couldn't stand still, I could do nothing
absolutely nothing.
II got to Central park at 2 o'clock and
waited. Up and down 1 paced, up and
down, up and down, until I ached. Fifty
times l pulled out my watch. At 4o'clock
l was almost distracted, at 4:15 l was
nearly crazy, and then right at my elbow
/ heard a voice-Fanny's voice-'How are
you, Levi she said quietly.
Il turned like a flash, Ben, and my
heart stood still. Face to face once more
we stood, and I stretched out my arms to
her, ready for her to throw herself into
them again, ready to press her once more
to my heart that had been hungering for
her so long.
"She drew back quickly, her face scar
let. You mustn't do that, Lew she said
hurriedly. I'm married now. There's
been some horrible mistake, l know, but
I'm married now, and neither of us must
forget that. Let's find a bench quickly.
I can't stay long
Mechanically, Ben, l led the way to a
bench close at hand. l felt crushed, stun
ned. 1t was for this I had striven and
waited. l had found her, and she was
married.
II told her the story of the big bunch
of violets-told her how Fales and Drum.
mond had done what they did out of the
goodness of their hearts, thinking they
were pleasing her and doing me a cour-
tesy, and when the truth dawned on hel
her lips quivered and two big tears rolled
slowly down her checks.
"We sat there silent for a long time,
each of us living over the past, thinking
of the days that were all happiness, think.
ing of those dear dead days and the joy Of
them.
And then she told her story. The day
after she arrived in New York she was
taken sick-brain fever. She went to a
hospital, met him there-he was a doctor.
After every one had given her up he chung
to the belief he could save her, and he did.
And through days and nights of careful,
the shadow. They married; she was
happy.
"'But why l asked, when you did
answer my personal, did you leave so long
a time elapse before you made this meet
ing?'
"'I did not think it right, Lew, for Inc
to meet you again, for l was married.
And day after day / saw your appeal, and
then L argued l will meet him just once
and find out the truth. And then weeks
passed before I summoned courage to let
you hear from me, and at last I put in the
personal you saw last Thursday. All day
today l have been wishing you would not
cOme-in fact, l started for the door and
went back three times before l really went
out. For I'm married, and, being mar
ried, I owe to myself and to my husband
all the respect that is in me. I had no
right to see you today, and yet-yet-
yet She choked and was dumb.
II don't know why, Ben, but always in
the great events of Il lives you'll find
little things-foolish things-take posses
sion Of ones mind. And all the time she
was talking I was watching q sparrow a
few feet distant trying to drag a tangled
bit Of Irvine from a twig and was wonder
ing if he'd succeed or not.
"Then Fanny spoke again, but her voice
was even now cold. l thought, You said,
Lew, that when either Of us grew tired
n of us was to send the other ~violets,
didn't your
"'Yes, Fanny, but
"She rose to her feet, interrupting me
with a "a of her hand. Quickly she UNI
did a fiat brown bit of paper she was car
rying, and there was a big bunch Of press.
ed violets.
"'All is over between us, Lew, she
said, her voice all a-tremble, so I give you
a bunch Of violets. They're the Same ones
I've kept them, 1 don't know why