Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-03-21


the latter part of February. was rag
ing, and forbade him to venture out.
Tired with the unwonted inaction of
the past two days, the editors thoughts
turned to his work. and he began to
consider the makeup of the number
now In preparation.
I'm not quite satisfied with the May
number" he murmured. Its a little
heavy for May; there ought to be more
OF the light and life and blossoming
OF May in II. Now. those .Pastelles'-
we haven't any really good spring
story In them"
The "Pastelles." new department
OF the magazine, were short sketches,
with hardly plot enough to be called
stories; sometimes light character
study-a delicate word painting of
some aspect of nature.
Mr.. Ashcroft took an art calendar
from the wall by his side and turned
the leaves until he came to the May
page. The picture was IN excellent
copy Of water color painting. 1t rep
resented an orchard Of apple trees, COW
cred with their pink and white bloom.
A y0uEg girl stood under one of the
trees, leaning gracefully against the
gnarled trunk. her hands clasped loose
" before her. The whole was delicate
" tinted. and seemed almost to carry
with 1t q faint fragrance Of the bios
som-laden May.
His thought went back to the village
Of Raynor, where he had spent a few
months years ago. Some college prank
had brought him into touble with the
faculty, and he had been suspended
for four months. His father had sent
him to the little Connecticut village to
spend the time with an old college
classmate.
One of the village girls, shy little
Faith Thorne. had from the first held
captive his boyish fancy. AS he came
to know her better. her influence in
creased, and he said to himself that he
had found the pearl among women.
Brought up in a Quaker household. for
Faith was an orphan and lived with
her grandparents. certain quaintness,
a chlld-like simplicity and dlrectness.
made her seem unlike the other merry,
chattering country lasses.
Little by little he and Faith came tn
be more and more to each other: the
Wild rose flush in her cheeks deepened
when he was by, sweet shyness made
the blue eyes droop before his.
She would not let him bind himself
by any promise; they were both too
young. she said. He must 60 away
now. finish his college course with hon
or. and then. when he had taken the
place waiting for him In his fathers
Office. he might come again to Raynor.
and he would find her waiting for him.
So. on this afternoon, with the Feb
ruary storm raging without. Ford Ash
croft's thoughts went back and linger-
ed on the springtime idyl Of those long
ago years. Could 1t be twelve years
Faith would be 20 now, but somehow
he could not think of her as looking
much older than the young girl he had
left In the orchard. Surely she had
not lost that pure. child-like face-a
little older, perhaps. little sadder,
but still with those innocent, wistful
eyes. And well-he was "a; he had
lived In the midst Of the rush and whirl
Of city life.
ut would make good 'Pastelle,'"
he finally remarked, and turned to his
desk. took up his pen and began to
write. Slowly at first. then. us the past
seemed to come nearer. his pen moved
more rapidly over the page. He told
of the college youth in the little village,
Of the shy maiden who won his boylsh
heart; be described the old orchard
with Its glory of apple blooms; he
seemed almost to inhale their delicate
fragrance as he wrote. The whole
pretty idyl was old in simple words,
but with such exquisite art that one
who read might almost see the pretty
picture Of the girllsh Faith, with her
pure. trustfuJ eyes, and the >boyish
lover who bent to kiss her cheek be-
meath the orchard boughs. Then the
story Of the young lover who went
away, who grew older and sterner, who
struggled and won-and forgot.
After a while he took the pen and
wrote again.
. 80
A month later the editor was startled
TO find among his personal mail at the
bftice an envelope bearing the postmark
spf Raynor.
"My Dear Ford: ] have read the