Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-06-17

swept down from the hidden choir.
| A door at the back of the pulpit
opened and the preacher stood be-
fore his people Miss Dorothy knelt
with the others, but she heard no
word OF the prayer. In an instant
| she had gone back over the years to
time long ago when the preachers
face, eager and boyish then, had been
| close to her own, when his voice; low
and passionate, had pleaded with her
! for a goodby kiss! For this only
when she would have given herself
to him for the asking. She heard
and saw and felt it all again.
Wont you kiss me goodby, Dolly?
| shall be gone such long time" She
| remembered the little break in the
| low voice.
Where had she found strength to
smile and shake her head?
Il thought you cared for me, Dolly.
Don't you?"
She had been able to laugh softly
though her heart was breaking for
| love of him. He must declare himself
| before she let him know. Perhaps
he was only amusing himself. Per-
haps he cared and dared not tell her
so. She was so poor and he was am
bilious. SO she laughed again and
said lightly: IF you are going to say
all that to the other girls you ought
to be going else you won't get
around"
| The look in his eyes went to her
Heart like knife, but he turned away
with the odd little smile that belonged
to him. "I've told the others goodby.
If you won't kiss me I shall not care
to come back any more. Goodby."
And he was gone.
This was the end of Miss Doro-
thy's romance, the last of the one
love story. A thousand times she
had gone over the scene. If only she
had been wiser, more tactful, clear
er of vision. Had he loved her?
Something like a prayer, wild and
uniformed, rose from her heart to
her dumb, quivering lips. Then she
rose with the others, calm, digni-
fed, beautiful woman with two SOL
emn-eyed children clinging to her.
The preacher stood tall and hand
some before the people. His grave,
steadfast eyes swept the sea of up
turned faces and stopped where the
light from stained glass window
fell upon woman whose eyes met
his steadily. Miss Dorothy held her
| breath. The preachers face paled
to the wilderness of his snowy sur
plice. Ben put up his dimpled hand
and drew Miss Dorothy's head down
that she might hear his repeated
whisper. The spell was broken. The
woman folded her arms about the
| child and turned her smiling face to
the pulpit. Ben wondered at the
heavy throbbing of her heart.
| People noticed a new quality in the
preachers voice. He had seemed
formal and distant. To-day he was
| close to their hearts, man among
men. The joyful felt thrill of sym
pathy, the sorrowful were contented.
Miss Dorothy's cool reason gave
way to a heart that sang for joy.
She heard nothing of the sermon
Then her heart leapt, for low, deep
voice and extended hand stopped her
Il
to see YOU" was what he said.
And Miss Dorothy, who had in her
superior wisdom pitied the simple
| girl she used to be, answered:
Thank YOU" and nothing more, as
she drifted with the others down to-
ward the door.
The terrific headache that followed
the churchgoing shut Miss Dorothy
in her room all day. Bess and Ben
tiptoed in and out and Katy suggest
ed remedies in vain.
Miss Dorothy went to the office
next day, but she worked listlesslv.
When the old man in the next desk
noticed it she laughed at his kind
| questioning.
"Ili? No indeed. 1t is a little of
this find crisp air that need. I'm
park and listen to the swish of the
falling leaves and smell the ripened
woods and feel the tingle of the late
evening air. I shall get tired and
hungry and sleepy, and tomorrow
you will find me quite myself again.
The park was still and sweet, like
the real country. A little pavilion
near the tiny station was already
| atwinkle with light. A band hidden
away in one of its corners tuned and
scraped promisingly. Miss Dorothy
had wandered away from all this to
the woods. She found a rustic seat
beside the path where the music of
the woods and the music of the band
met n soft, heart-breaking waves.
step on the path set her heart
beating wildly. Was she never to
forget? But she looked up with cool,
smiling eyes, for she was a woman
now! "Why, it is YOU" she said in
friendly fashion, holding out a
steady hand.
He stopped, confused for a mo-
ment, then the old glad light came
into his eyes. Dolly! What are you
doing out here alone?"
1t was the old tone of authority
| that used to bring the hot blood to