The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-10-23
Quite Contrary

"Oh, they never come back from San
/ Fancisco. They just turn into paleosoic
| vestiges and stay there
I She watched him until he passed oui
through the dark Italian cedar arch above
4 the gateway and disappeared under the
pepper trees Then she looked straight
at the dropping branches OF the eucaiyp-
tus Just outside the garden hedge
Il do not see why people want to plant
/ eucalyptus trees. They are just the gloom
/ lest trees In the whole world. Folks say
| they are healthful. The idea that people
/ are improved In health by living under a
/ tree SO dismal that all il needs to be a
/ tombstone is an Elusive epitarh recitins
/ the imaginary virtues Of departed one
Il always makes me want TO cry to SSe a
eucalyptus"
! AS Sylvia was much in the habit CT do
! ing what she wanted. she sat In the rose
! arbor and cried.
That was Just before the hurricane Wis
ted San Francisco. The city OF the
Golden Gate does not expect hurricanes.
/ She has never been taught by experience
! 10 look forward to such events and pre-
pare for them. When a hurricane strikes
san Francisco she is as much surprised
as a politician the day after election
Many a person was astonished quite out
OF the little circle of human oscillations
/ by the hurricane that dashed against San
/ Francisco a few days after Jack had said
gcod-by to Sylvia in the little garden.
sylvia was watering the lilies whica
! had been SO happily rescued from desuuc-
/ ton. What a pity 1t was about all those
poor people in San Francisco. What II
! JackI-oh, Jack was not in the storm.
Jack never was around where things nap
peued. He was too slow ever TO eaten
| up with q hurricane.
A newsboy threw the evening paper over
the hedge as he ran pass. She took IL up
and glanced al the headlines.
zone of the victims from Los Angeles!
| Jack Morelard Killed
| She threw down the paper and sank
upon the ground under the rose tree, COW
ering her face with her hands. AS she
sat weeping the soft voice OF Ramon arift-
cd through the darkness that seemed 10
| have fallen over her.
"why do you cry. Senorita mia? VIII
you not tell me?'
Go away ] hate you9'
THAT is a reason that l should cry, not
you"
| she threw out her hand passionately.
If IL had not been for him and his hate
| full gopher she might not have been SO
bad TO Jack the last time she could ever
see him.
What made you come around with
your old gophers, making me Wretehed
| Go awayi don't want you!
| He looked at her with eyes hllea Win
woe.
II am sorryl / did not know that you
| loved gopher. l know where there are
many gophers. Oh, muchedumbre' WIZ
catch them and turn them all loose In
your garden. You shall have heaps Oh
them higher than San Bernardino."
II don't want gophers. hate them and
you, too"
"You will not let me comfort you? But
/ am very sorry for you. Remember, you
have always friend in Ramon"
| She would not look at him as he went
sadly away.
The sun dropped like ball Of fire be-
hind a distant mountain and its reflect
ed rays struck amethystine sparkles from
Old Badly and HIS brother peaks, but she
did not see. A silver star twinkled out
Of a rose-tinted cloudlet and looked
down softly and sympathetically. but 1t
met no gaze Of grateful admiration in re-
| turn.
Suddenly the handkerchief was plucked
from her face. and she looked up to meet
the eyes of Jack.
"Oh, Jack, l knew you would come
back to me even If you are dead"
But I'm not dead, Sylvia"
"Oh, yes, you are. / have read that
| they do not know 1t at first. Sometimes il
takes several days. But you are dead. The
| paper said so'
Then the reporter killed me. 1 can't
blame him. He has to make a living.
| lived such an exemplary life when l was
| in flesh that / could better afford to die
| than he could. Besides, am rather oblig-
ed to him for killing me. Otherwise
should lot have found out that you loved
me so much"
II don't love you, Jack, Of course But
suppose I'll have to spend the rest OF my
| life in looking after you. You couldn't
| take care OF yourself, even when you were
live man, and OF course you can't now
| that you are a ghost
IF had known how delightful il Is TO
| be ghost" said Jack, taking her IN his
arms, Il would have become one long
ago."
Copyright 1900. Daily Story Publishing Company }