The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1903-09-04

ford had not long to wait. She was in
the parlor when he tapped on the
door. After she had called, Come
in," he continued to stand there as II
he were afraid of meeting a disap-
pointment. But when he had peeped
in and caught sight of her smiling
face. his cold fear was melted.
"Here it is" she said, holding the
letter out to him. Almost at one stride
he crossed the room and seized the
letter. In the light Of the window
he stood to read it, but it 1uttered
away from him the moment he saw
that there was a greeting in it for
himself. He grabbed at it as if, poss-
essing life, it were trying to escape,
and with a tight grip upon it he said:
81 knew she would write and l am sure
she would have Written sooner tiff
it had been necessary
Mrs. Cranceford was laughing tear
fully. ooh, you simple-hearted man,
so t~rustful and so big of soul, what is
your love not worth to a woman"
"Simple-hearted? l am nothing of
the sort. 1 try to be just and that's
all there is to It,"
mo, Jim Taylor, there's more to it
than that. A nan may be just and his
sense of justice may demand a s~tricter
accounting than your ask for"
81 guess you mean that I'm weak"
ooh, no." she FASTENED to reply. 81
don't mean that. The truth is l mean
that you give something that but few
men have ever given-a love blind
enough and great enough to pardon
a misdeed committed against your.
self. 1t Is a rare charity"
He did not reply, but in the light
of the window he stood, reading the
letter; and Mrs. Cranceford, sitting
down, gave him the attention of a
motherly %fondness, smiling Upon him
and he, looking up from the letter
which a pleasurable excitement caused
to shake in his hand, wondered why
any OilS olloulu SNSi hoNS Shai Z III
kindly matron with a cold lack of sym,
pathy. So interested in his affairs was
she, so responsive to a sentiment
!, though it might be clumsily spoken, sc
patient of his talk and of his silence
that to him she was the Roman mother
} whom he had met in making his way
through a shortcut of Latin.
t Jim"
eyes, NAM"
t 81 want to ask you something. Have
you talked much with Tom lately?"
| mot a great Zeal. He was over al
my place the other night and we talked
of first n thing and then another, but
l don't remember much of what he
said. Why do you want to know"
Cant you guess?"
: Don't know that / can. I was al
!, ways rather slow at guessing. AND
J don't let me try; tell me what yor
mean.
r "You are as stupid as you are no
ble."
What did you say, ma'm?" Agar
, he had given his attention to the let
| ter.
"Oh, nothing"
/ "But you must have said, something,
he replied, pressing the letter into
narrow folds, and appearing as If hi
| felt that he had committed a crime il
having failed to catch the meaning o.
her remark.
: ooh, it amounted to nothing"
He stupidity accepted this decree
J, and smoothing out the latter and fold
: ing 1t again, requested that he nigh
4 be permitted to take it home; and will
: this reply she gladdened him: II in
|; tended that you should"
At evening old Gid came, with many
a snort and many a noisy stamp at thu
t dogs prancing upon the porch. Int
!, the library he hustled, putting ant
important, brisg with the air Of bust
;, ness. John he said. as he sat down
| "the, last bale OF my cotton has heel
4 hauled to the landing. 1t will be load
ed tonight and tomorrow morning In
going with 1t down to New Orleans