Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-09-28

NJ POfclly uVSS AOI TGu0SI d LILA
morbid it makes him gentle an
kind-hearted. That Is what 1t di
for Jonathan Harrod. In the earl
days we had roomed together in co
lege-I was going to say slept together
but Jonathan seldom slept. He smoke
and drank coffee and worked instead
and blossomed into a winner Of prizes
AS Jonathan was in love as well as il
debt, and just as prone as 1 to substl
tute pipes for meals when the larde
was low, we learned to love each othe
during those four years with an affec
ton that was firm and confiding.
Jonathan used to advise me to fall Il
love, too. 81 tell you, old man." b
would say, when opening a letter o
familiar blue, when you are not feel
ing we'll, and the world CRATES on yo1
like cameps-hair shirt, there is moth
ing SO good as an oId-fashioned loy,
letter."
= The writer of the old-fashioned mis-
sives lived out West, in Harrod's ma
tive town, and, although l never me-
her, came to know her almost as wei
DS AAoii oo uld, AC SpOhC VI ASS 81 OAtSh
And then l used to watch his face
when he read her letters. They must
have been tender and sympathetic, but
withal dash of ambition and inspira
tion in them. No tale of village GOSSIP
could have brought that light into Jon
athan's eyes nor that flash of color te
his cheek. At their conclusion he would
1asl ar,I fol
at his books and work like mad.
He showed me her picture one night
She was dark-with a high forehead
and shadowy eyes. The mouth and
chin were both well formed but rather
masculine. 1t was a 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 fol-
lowed his graduation When he re-
turned East the following autumn he
was quieter than ever before, and, if
possible, more gentle and sympatheti
He and had rooms together, where, in
lieu of other inexpensive pastimes, we
were wont to spend the evenings work
ing and reading. l saw from the first
that something allied him; and, as he
no longer received the blue envelopes,
nor counseled me to lose my heart,
guessed the reason and asked no ques-
tions. He did not become apathetic-
Jonathan didn't. His old habit of work
was stronger than ever. And now his
stories began to appear occasionally in
the magazines. and the dear public to
recognize his name and to read what
went with it.
Two years had passed away before
Jonathan had made even the slightest
reference to this love affair of his, and
that was when he came into my room
one cheerless, gray November after
noon, the picture of abject melancholy.
In his hand was a crumpled piece of
paper. This he placed before me on
the table, then he went and seated him
self before the fireplace, where | could
not see his face. The paper was a clip
ping from some inland journal describ-
ing in fiorid terms the wedding of Miss
Winifred Conover to one Amos Schen-
eek. Only half the article had been
clipped, evidently, and this had been
pasted on a half-sheet of note paper.
Tread the tawdry effusion through, then
twisted it to pieces and dropped it
into the waste basket.
Jonathan, my boy" 1 said, going
over and seating myself on the arm of
his chair, "who sent you this thingT'
II do not know" And there was a
world of sadness in his voice. "The en-
yelope was addressed in strange hand
and not word accompanied it,
We were both silent for a moment.
The logs were burning cheerily, outside
the wind was blowing gale. Jonathan
sat with his face in his hands. when
/ came here to, you just now," he said,
II was chilled and lonely-the day is
so somber, and / had been tramping
all over the country, and-well, l came
to say good-by. I wanted to leave this
life and wait for Winifred in the next
for'--his voice went straight to NV |
heart-"ah, Billy, love her sop' 1 re-
garded him with compassion. "You lie
down here on the lounge before the
fire" | commanded him, "and stop this
brooding." l pushed forward the
couch as spoke, and he dropped on it
like an obedient child. He gave me one
grateful look, and then, under the in
fuence of the genial warmth and the
fatigue of many yigils fell fast asleep.
There are days in the lives of us all.
fancy, when vague and subtle sense
OF mystery invests the commonest OBJ
jects; when our minds recognize new
qualities in common things; when the
look in the eyes of a child, the CLINT of
sunlight in a woman's hair, the sound
Of distant churcbbell. stir feelings
deep within us we have never known
before. That afternoon there was a
white carnation in the vase on nv writ
ing table, and as sat there pondering
Ionathan's sorrows it's perfume stole
into my brain like sweet and potent
anodyne. 1t conjured up visions as fair
Is the dreams of DR.. Faustus, and yet
and yet, there was a sense Of forebod-
ing. premonition of something about
to occur.
Whether or not dozed cannot saw.
out suddenly l was aware that some
other than Jonathan was in the room.
md that he was wide awake and look
ng at me intently. raised my eyes.
ind there, to my infinite surprise and
1 saw standing opposite