Wallowa chieftain. [volume] (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909, 1902-09-18

You Will thing this a short, abrupt let
Ter, but when the heart would be most
eloquent the tongue is silent and the
pen refuses to be fluent. Thus il is
with my pen tonight. 1t will write
nothing but what has rung in nv
thoughts long, long time; Mira, love
you, | love you, love you, over and
over again. Write to me, dear. and
tell me, If you can land oh, hope you
canD, that have not been deceived in
thinking you not quite Indifferent to
me- Yours, for life, death and for
ever, Caleb Thomas"
She had answered his letter. Yes,
she had answered it with words that
came straight from her heart, and told
him of the love she bore him, and that
she would be proud and happy to be
his wife. And-that was ALL He had
never written to her again, and when
he came back to Brentley they had met
as though his letter had never been
written and answered
She raised her head wearlly and con-
tinued her search. At last she found
coat that had belonged to her brother
George married now and living in a
distant state), and several other gar
ments with which she could part, and
making them into parcel sent them
with one or two articles Of furniture
oyin, nfh hi 90 %bn
where the rumpage sale was to be
held.
1t was on the evening of this bright
October day that the sale was to COM
mence. The town had been ransacked
from end to end, little judicious ad-
vertising done, all the articles collected
and arranged, and now. with sigh of
relief and anticipation, the maids and
matrons of Brentley stood and looked
a moment on the work Of their hands
ere they went home to snatch hasty
supper before returning for the open
ing of the sale in the evening.
Among those who dropped in that
evening to "see how the women folks
were getting along" was Caleb Thorn
as. He passed down the hail. eXchang-
ing Il pleasant word with an acquaint-
anca here and there and amusedly in.
specting the heterogeneous cOnglom-
Grafton of donations, until he came to
a counter presided over by the daugh
ter of an old friend, who laughingly
challenged him to pick from her stock
in trade the style which suited him
best. She had charge of part of the
clothing and merrily exhibited her as
sortment, commenting gaily on each.
At Last she held up coat in the style
of twenty years ago See" she said
gleefully, Miss Almira Hunter sent
this in: how old-fashioned it is! One
would think it came over in the May
flower and hadn't seen the light of
day since; and, indeed, it must have
been laid away for ever so long, for
she"
"Ill take it." interrupted Caleb short
ly. How much is it!'
FIFTY cents" was the wondering
answer. The girl watched him with
perplexed, musing eyes as he threw the
coat over his arm and made his way
straight to the door. She wondered
n there was any truth in the gossip
she had heard but hardly needed,
which called him an old lover of Miss
Hunters.
Meanwhile Caleb Thomas took his
wav homeward, the coat pressed tight
" 70 his side Once in while he
stroked it tenderly, almost timidly-it
was something Mira had touched.
Arrived at his bachelor home, he
snread his purchase on chair and sat
down facing It Somehow, the sight or
something connected with her brought
tbronging back the old PAIN the old
question. "Why?" Why had she never
broken her proud silence?
With the question still echoinG in bis
heart he took the coat and slowly put
II IN 1t fitted well. He remembered
that her brother George had been about
his size He ran his hand over it In
ON awkward masculine way, patting
II ohstractedly. Suddenly, near one OF
tbe pockets, something rustled' he
folt in the pocket but there was moth
ing there. Still the rustling continued
whom he touched that part OF the coat
Il occurred to him that there must be
-on,otbinp between the cloth and
the lining, and searching carefully ne
found rip and drew out-a letter
scaled. stamped, but not postmarked,
ond addressed to himself In hand
thot sent a thrill along every nerve
Siowly and wonderingly he broke the
seal and glanced at the date IL was