The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1900-10-25

iege-I was going to say slept together,
but Jonathan seldom slept. He smoked
and drank coffee and worked Instead,
Snd blossomed into winner OF prizes.
AS Jonathan was In love as well as III
debt, and just as prone as TO supst-
tute pipes for meals when the larder
was low, we learned to love each other
during those four years with an afree-
ton that was firm and confding.
Jonathan used to advise me to fall In
love, too. Il tell you, old man, he
would say, when opening a letter OF
familiar blue, when you are not feel
ing well, and the world CRATES on you
like a camel's- hair shirt, there Is moth
ing SO good as an old-fashloned love
letter"
The writer of the old-fashioned mis-
sives lived out West, in Harrods ma
tive town, and. although l never met
her, came to know her almost as well
as Harrod did, he spoke of her SO often.
And then | used to watch his face
when he read her letters. They must
have been tender and sympathetic, but
withal q dash of ambition and inspira-
ton in them. No tale of village gossip
could have brought that light into JON
athan's eyes nor that flash Of color to
his cheek. Al their conclusion he would
dream a while. perhaps, and then fall
at his books and work like mad.
He showed me her picture one night.
She was dark with n high forehead
and shadowy eyes The mouth and
chin were both we'll formed but rather
masculine II was beautiful face,
though not pretty.
Although IIarrod 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 queter than ever before, and If
possible, more gentle and sympathetic.
He and had rooms together, where, In
lieu of other inexpensive pastimes, we
were wont to spend the evenings work
ing and reading. ! 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-
tons. 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
enc cheerless, gray November after
noon, the picture of AFFECT melancholy
In mis- hand was a erumpled 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 descrlb-
ing in fiorld 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 effuslon through, then
I twisted it to pieces and dropped IT
into the waste basket.
Jonathan, my boy" | said, going
over and seating myself on the arm of
his chair, who sent you this thingf
81 do not know" And there was a
world Of sadness In his voice. ''The en-
velope was addressed in a strange hand
and not a 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
I came here to you just now" he said
81 was chilled and lonely-the day IL
30 somber and | had been tramping
all over the country, and-well, | came
to say good-by. | wanted to leave this
life and wait for Winifred In the next
for'-his voice went straight to my
heart-"ah, Billy, love her sor' l re
garded him with compassion. You lii
down here on the lounge before tn,
fire" commanded him, and stop thii
brooding" pushed forward thu
couch as | spoke, and he dropped on |
like an obedient child. He gave me on,
grateful look. and then, under the In
fluence of the genial warmth and thu
fatigue of many yigils fell fast asleep
There are days in the lives of US all
l fancy, when vague and subtle sens
of mystery invests the commonest oh
jects: when our minds recognize new
qualities in common things; when tn
look in the eyes of child, the CLINT o
sunlight in a woman's hair, the SCUM
: of a distant churchbell stir feeling
, deem within us we have never know
: before. That afternoon there vas
: white earnation In the vase on my writ
3 ing table. and as | sat there ponderin
Z Jonathan's sorrows its perfume stol
into my brain like a sweet and poten
9 anodyne. 1t conjured up visions ms fai
8 ss the dreams of DR.. Faustus. and yet
Q and vet, there was sense of forebod
{ ing. premonition of something abou
TO occur.
q Whether or not | dozed cannot sa,
+ but suddenly | was aware that som
other than Jonathan was In the room
/ nd that he was wide awake aid lool
ing Mt me lntently. | raised my eye,
9 and there. to my Infinite surprise an
IL establishment. | saw standing opposlt
5. me. across the table a stylishly gowne
young woman
=. started to my feet with an apolog