Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-05-04
"HIS IRISH CHIVALRY. !"


shipper of old. She was alone in the large
sitting room. Only the CHEEKY Goals re
lieved the gloom, and she nestled to them
as closely as possible.
From time to time she fed the CRATE
from the pile of old letters on the rug be-
side her. Letters from friends, young
and old, men and women; letters of yes
terday and of long ago-all were gradu-
ally finding their way to the flames. She
watched the sheets curl and shrivel and
char, then swirl ap the wide chimney,
rustling a final useless protest.
1t was the last day of the year and
| this annual sacrifice, or desk cleaning had
| become a second custom with Rosemary.
/ She went about it in a matter of fact
| and determined way. keeping sentiment
in leash. She knew that all of them
must be burned, yet when she came TO
| Longford's letters she dallied. Somehow
she had kept them for the last, and as
| she handled them gently her determine
| ton threatened sudden departure. She
WINGED as she loosened the little cord
| which bound them. 1t seemed so hard
| towel, she might read them once again
before letting that horrid, greedy ire de-
| YOUR them.
In the order of their receipt she read
| them. The first few began My Dear
| Miss Forbes the next, Dear Rose
| mary" Then twas it because she re-
| pked rather frigidly) the letters once
more swerved to Dear Rosemary, and
finally to Dear Miss Forbes" Which
was the history of their brief correspond
| ence.
His last letter was dated September
| 10. and she had left it unanswered. AS
she rc-read it in the freight she remem-
bcred that it had half-angered, half
amused her at the first reading. In it
he apolOgiZed for not answering sooner,
| or rather seeming not to have answered
| sooner.
This was the excuse he gave: Il wrote
| to you two months ago. Your eagerly
| awaited reply did not come | thought
| it was your desire to end the correspond
encc, or that | had written something TO
! offend YOU. | thought a thousand things,
never thinking the right one. Last
| Thursday evening l found the letter in a
| far corner of my desk! Imagine my sur
prise! There it was, stamped and adj
dressed ready to be mailed-1 could have
| sworn that l had mailed i'll was so
| yexed, | tore the thing into a hundred
| strips. What must you think of me:
| Will you forgive me for this unwilling
error? What | have written is the hon
est truth"
The last sentence particularly Jared
ON her. She had not replied because she
imagined that he really did not care for
her letters after ALL despite his ardent
protestation to the contrary.
The interesting letters that had been
exchanged at last became dull and per-
functory. He has ceased caring for her,
this jaunty young lrishman who had
| made love to her Il year since. She
smiled at the fckleness-it was an Irish
trait, she thought.
He had all the other traits, wit, senti-
mcnt, generosity, and pray, why not
hyI- .b,N Of
tolerant point of view, but the apparent
inSinuatiOn Of that last epsth disturbed
| her. He had thought her a veritable
child-to palm off such a threadbare ex-
cuse as that! He lad forgotten to mail
the letter indeed Her smile was very
scornful. No doubt he would have some
thing even more incredible as an excuse
for his next tardy reply.
And SO, she preferred not to write to
the dehonair Hal Longford. Yet She
missed those friendly letters Of his He
was rather clever and he wrote very
amusingly when he chose.
These and other confused thoughts
made her face wistful as she carefully
folded the last sheet of white bond
Gathering his letters, She held them ten
tatively to the flames; then, with a swift
movement. she drew them back and
claSped them to her breast
He had liked her so we'll that-surely,
f surely he could not have forgotten her SO
soon. And countless incidents flashed
through her mind as she knelt there star
ing steadily at the red tlicker-n Incidents
in which his Irish wit and his Irish senti-
= ment had alternately won the day
But that last letter-ah. that was his
Irish chiyalry, pretending that he cared
to save her feelings. Yes. pretending. for
those absurd eXcuses-pShaw, why need
she care? Why, why indeed?
Many girls would have passed him by
for the others. He was not Il bit hand
some, this Hal Longford. Only his eyes
well, he could look at one so, As if he
had known eternity ara would gladly re
iinquiSh it for one, i one chose to lei
2 him, Why need she care? He was clev.
err. but she had known many clever men
! Why Why? She REPEATEDLY asked her
, self the foolish question. bankly gazing
, at the hre; But the answer was fan
! from the CHEEKY CRATE
: Having decided that she really did not
A care, after all, she rocked her 1.-THE young
| body toward the flames to east his letter,
there.
Don't. Don't burn them
. Startled. She turned and quickly rose te
face the intruder. He had entered the
tmcklN-carpeted room, unheard, and ais,
unseen, because of the gloom which per
vaded it,
I and tremulous.
; tie seized the letters from her CRASH
looking reproachfully into her eyes.
They are old letters" she veutured
answering that look.
old? De you forget as soon as thar.
) And like a fool He laughed harsh
= ly: then he moved MS if to go.
. Rcmorscfully. she extended her hands
and he continued: Like a fool. kcam,
here because thought YOU would i,
glad 10 see me- 1t seemed as though
could not live without You. You glad
], find You destroying my letters ana
they have become merely old letters II
You! They are not so very old. miles,
one has bad memory. \ bad memory
makes all things seem TOO far 0a to care
about"
Her eyes were downcast as She re-.
Piled: II have very good memory. -
He claSped her hand lightly. And my
letters are not SO very old?" And as her
eyes met his something quite Irresistible
in his look forced her to say: They
could never he really old to me
And you were glad | Gamer Both
little hands We're in his.
oh, so glad. Hal, | thought Won did
not--carc-that--"