Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-12-21

IL was CHRISTMAS eve. Ing ar "a'
frosty. Mems boot heels made the
snow ereak under them as u,ey passed
with quick tread. There was rum
bio OF carriage wheels. rapid, hurry
ing tread OF thousands OF feet In the
crowded thoroughfare OF the great
city.
And amid all this Christmas activity
Philip Meredith walked with an acrlu
and indehnable pain at his heart. ne
was as strangely incongruous amid the
Joy, the color, the brlllianey OF thls
festival eve as skeleton at FEAST
He made n strenuous effort 10 forget
He had told himself that the coming
OF this anniversary should not over
whclm him with that agony OF recol'
lection which he knew down In his IN
Eermost soul he could not endure. Fos
days the approaching holiday had hlled
him with an unacknowledsed terror.
Il was the ilrst Christmas he had
spent without her. without MIrabel.
And. telling himself that he would for
get, that he would not remember. he
sraIghtway remembered with the in
;Imais fidelity OF palm all that could
wound him now.
4 breath OF fragrant air from out
florists shop made hlr turn his head
for 4 moment. and as he looked he saw
IoTget-me-nots. The sight gave him
pang. lie recalled the morning they
had frSt met i, was y morning In
spring. fresh with inaoeenec-one OF
those mornings that yet dawn on tho
world TO evoke images of pEimord!a!
daybrcakS when the world was young.
Her eyes werc bluc-biuc like tho for
ge,-me-no,a. Then. less than year
later. they we're wed. and tho one
Christmas they had spent together
had seemed to him more exquisite In
ia perfsci happiness than the one on
tho plains o. Judca could have been to
tho shepherds. Thea came misery:
scarcely had the echo of the chE!aimas
bells died away In the air than that
fatal episode had occurred that had
parted them. II arose In tribe. a
most Of the worlds misery and wars
have. and then before he knew II ha
had said words that had made a gulf
between them which IL seemed could
never be bTldE.d. She said she would
20 away and battle with the world by
herself: he made brutal reply. Then
they parted.
Again the opuicnec Of florists shop
me, his gaze. 4 sudden resolution
came to him: ho stepped up 10 tho win
dow and speculatcd between orchids
and lilies.
"Ah. Philip. sec you arc choosing
my Christmas sit;." said a vo!eo at hIs
elbow. He tuTacd-It was his cousin.
a woman born to bring TO others somo
OF the light and Joy denied them !n
their own poor lives. DO not heal
tate 80" she continued. laughing. "Yoa
know how easily I am pleased In the
matter OF flowers Shut your eyes and
choose whatever you see frs, when
you open them. and 1, will suit me-
at will give me more pleasure 10
sui. your taste than to trust TO n hap.
hazard choice" he replied. Give me
your parcels. you look like Mrs. Santa
Claus, and come with me straight into
the shop and say what you will have,
will sec TO IL that the Christmas
saint wears fiowcry garland 70:
you"
"oh. Philip" said the woman. he:
eyes fliins with a soft mist. you arc
always good and generous. and 1 will
10, you give mo bunch o. those
American beauty roses-but no, for
me. want to send them to tho Won
ans hospital in the morning.
T. a.
separated at the door.
Il was Christmas morning In st. Jo-
seph's hospital. There was faint an.
tlscptic odor in the air. Tho long lines
Of narrow white cots stretched their
serricd rows down the room in pi,ilcss-
iy quiet arraw. In one cot lay wom-
an. who was a mystery TO the hospital
officials. She had been brought in
late In the af,crnon of the day before
insensible. She was young and beau
liful; her clothing was that of a gen.