The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-03-02

Is
ond letter reached Walter at Los An,
|geles, but contained nothing strangely.
new. Her welcome letters were cheer
full, bright, chatty, and full of local
events, but not word of love-an ex-
preston of which he much craved in
his lonely wanderings. His bore sweet
messages of devotion, but Mamie was
too practical, or cautious, perhaps, to
commit ito paper what other eyes
might possibly see. Love had been too
sacred to her to give opportunity to
Istrange, profane eyes to tarnish it,
Time wore on, the winter passed,
and spring found him struggling up
and down the coast or in the coast
range. Letters grew less frequent
; between them: In fact, her letters
could hardly reach him in his isolated
|evagations. He grew FESTIVE under the
seeming neglect, and finally, in an
, accusing, apprehensive state Of mind,
, wrote her, not tartly, but unwisely.
He never dreamt of the consequences
of his hasty epistle-was in truth, in
capable of weighing the possibilities
of his complaining words to spirited
little body like Mamie.
MAMIE" he wrote, ''why do you
. not write? Oh, if you only knew how
, Lonesome am. 1 can not think that
|you have grown tired and have ceased
:. to love me. I will not think of it. DO
Iyou, Mamie, wish to be rid of me-
drop me-play quits? Must I con-
: clude that you are inconstant, nay
tickle? I will not think it,
! There was more of this, but some
= what of a repetitious character.
Her answer preceded him day to
the City of Mexico. On his arrival,
he Instantly telegraphed:
/ "Here all O. K. Health improving
Y slowly"
G In an hour afterwards he had her
4 letter, which sealed his fate. Frenzied
}, |discouraged, amazed, he read again:
2 II have your complaining letter. In
n it I see an effort on your part to get
# angry and release yourself from me
S can not help it if you go. It il
= what one may. expect in general of all
t., men. They love, as a rule, the mex
: pretty face they meet. can not tel
: anything about you, you are 81
= changable-lik the barometer.
g have no advice to give you; you mus
If go your own way and lead on you
o course to the end. It is you who ha
e sought this quarrel and this ending
II and 1 release you. I will not as muc]
= las tell you why I do so. Yes-I will
1 will tell you. I think it best. Tn
If truth is, 1 never did love you.
a MAMIE BOWMAN.
j, This was the first time she had eve
n written Mamie Bowman" before tn
first name being sufficient.
r. He was tempted to hurl it away
J. then to burn it to ashes, just as h
ID had burned his love, and ended hi
r. doubt by concealing the cruel messag
in his inner pocket. ,
Id "Alas, Mamie, a long FAREWELL" h
er said to himself as he sailed ava.
I'd from Vera Cruz on a long trip thrt
Europe and the East. He merel
Id wrote his parents-he would not tel'
d. graph for reasons-that his healt
T. obliged him to take a long trip
d. Europe, and from time to time, PEE
H. haps at long intervals. they wou]
H. hear from him. He meant to writ
e. little, so that she would not kno
re where he was. He wished to be 10:
to her forever. - 5.a @
A year went by, but in all that Ion
WEARY time, notsa word did she hes
Z from Walter. Gerty Mccarthy, mea1
he time, had become Mrs. Ira Mcconnell
e. and had gone away, so that Nam
ID. had no one OH earth to whom ST
ed lcould confide and divide her sorro1
as |She could not account for her silenc
IT, Was he dead? That could not be, {
m, Ibis parents would know of it. ST
fe would ask no one, and all alone
lis |aloneshe sat at her instrument, fait
ed full to her duty, and no one dreame
of the struggle that was going on hour
n ly in her torn breast.
at And now John Stout never passe
but from his car door he tipped h
lis CLOSE fitting cap and smiled. It seen
lie, led so much to her as if he didn't mea
dy Iit-a mere mask for the occasio
1t was a feeling rather than an ide
ge Busy as he was with the pouches,
n hailed her one sunny day as the ira
is paused, for some reason, to recei
Il |orders. She had just handed the W
tn low paper to Luther Odell, who ma
m LACED to smile significantly, as he heal
ed EStout call to her. He neither o
|jected to nor approved of his profu
as bow and broad smile. OIL Hernd'
at leaned little further out of the ca
os- and positively grinned. Then he ella
tn, ged the bell.
st. MAY write?" asked Stout.
Ids II cannot hinder you," was her j
NV different reply. He received it affir1
tn ative]y, and was flattered and elated.
'as John passed and repassed all tt
Ter summer and winter through. H
~ brief letters to Mamie, about nothi,
Ter in particular, and yet containing u
i'm written messages that could not
i'm mistaken, came thick and fast, almo
tut like snowfakes. At first she paid Ii
ed tie attention to them, and it was
EN- month or more before she deigned
,ly acknowledge them. She burned the
rl, as soon as she had read them. The
was trite hollowness in them al
in an empty vaporness, a sky without
Sc sun. IT,
til. But She was so lonely, and he W.
Ike so faithfully persistent. He want'
tut to be her real friend, and would II
e. take no, and at last, in sheer despe
so alton, she permitted him, in one Of h
ell brief lay-offs,, to visit her. He WI
IN so gentle and mildly intrusive, al
lid meant so much to be her friend that
- e,k,