The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-01
Miss Langdon's Charm
By MaRY UooD.

He marched away with his regiment and
she waved flag and cheered with the rest.
Afterward the weeks stretched out into :
months, punctuated by letters written on
shipboard and finally from the Philippines.
She forgot her interest in her charms and
herself. 1t was new experience. Between
mail days she went to Red Cross meetings
and read war bulletins She told herself
that it was her latest fad.
One day a newspaper telegram taught her
the truth. it was the account of paltry
skirmish, and it said, Many killed and
missing.
1t was his regiment. A dreadful fear seized
her heart.
Later aews gave the list of the missing.
She swayed az she read it. But the horrible
certainty o: his name in print could tell
her nothing. She had guessed it before. Rob
was dead! And now she knew that some-
how all the sunlight had gone out and LETT
| life gray und hopeless.
Her charm chain dangling from her
belt, and swift stab of reproach reused her
| from apathy. She had been SO unfeeling that
| last night. But, then, she did not know that
she loved him. The chain brought it all back
| too vividly-tha fire light and his face. She
shut up the glittering thing in the depths of
her treasure box If she could only have bur-
led memory with 1t!
! And now as the days went by she watched
with horrible intentness for the heart to
| come back to her. He had sad "If anything
should happen to me, it shall be sent back
| to you in safety
| She knew that somehow or other it would
come back to her, and it did. She opened the
| box with trembling fingers. There was no
word, but wrapped in coarse paper was the
silver heart, furnished with a dull brown
| stain.
| She awoke one morning to find that she had
| been ill for many weeks. When memory
came back to her, she wept that there should
| have been an awakening. Through the long
| Gays of conYalescence grew bitter realization
| that she had still work to do and she must
live-in loneliness but bravely. She was not
| resigned; she simply endured.
| The gray fall and early winter went by, and
one evening found her sitting in the fire light.
She had pleaded her delicate health as an ex-
cuse for refusing all invitations. Yes. she
would face the coming of this new year alone.
She was absorbed in memories and heard
nothing till voice from the past called her
to the present. She looked I'D with slight
SILVER tall figure stood in the shadow
Slowly she rose. Her lips parted, but no
sound came Suddenly she stood upright
The figure came froward into the circle of the
fire light.
Don you know me-"
This was no ghostly Robert Meredith. but
veritable flesh and blood. and at his side
hung an empty sleeve She sank back In
her chair with faint cry.
He knelt beside her, his forced calm broken
at sight of her emotion. She was sobbing con
yulsively. He did not know how the suffering
of months was being washed away. and a.
grew frightened
"Alice, ALICE he cried, 81 never meant Il
. come back, crippled as l was! l meant you
to think me dead when l sent you the heart
I thought you did not care. But could not
bear to go away forever without seeing you
| once more so l stole back
He stopped short at sight OF her face Iears
still shone in her eyes, but as she looked at
. his face so white and worn. at the empty
sleeve her own shone With the light of some
thing more than compassion.
He knew the truth before she spoke, and
the uninjured arm drew her to him as ne
, said with sob, My darling, how have
made you suffer-
He could hardly hear her tender voice as
she whispered, I'VE have both suffered,
| DEAR
TIE BELLS were ringing in the new year, and
they listened to the chimes in happy silence.
When the last echo had died away she took
t furnished heart from a ribbon round heI
S neck and said in tone half mirthful, hall
serious: You have not asked to have you1
charm back, but l shall give it to you as q
New Years present Take better care OF it,
for this time my own heart goes with it.