Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-10-10
JACKS YARN.


you never seem to have taste for mar
rying, you with your money, good looks
and jolly ways. Come along now, just
own up like man. What was it
Tilted, hopeless infatuation with a mar
ried woman, or what?"
Jack Holden looked at the speaker, an
amused expression playing around his
lips.
Very clever, but a long way off the
truth he said quietly, throwing his
cigarette into the fire and looking some
what moody before him.
"There must be some good and sufli-
cient reason for keeping you from join
ing the earthly majority"
Jack gazed intently at his companion,
and then his eyes roved from one to the
other Of his men friends who sat around
him.
He had never told the romance of his
life to a living soul, yet somehow to-
night he felt that the secret would no
longer remain with him-that he must
speak OF it-of her, Yet why he felt
this way he could not analyEe.
"She was flower girl" he said. soft
w, and at the information his friends
showed some astonishment, for Jack
Holden was to them the very essence of
all that is fastidious and of the first
water in excellence. No one spoke, so
Holden continued:
al had often passed her on the way
to the city. She made bright spot of
beauty in a sea of human beings, whose
one aim seemed to be to outrun one an
other in the race for wealth.
Her eyes were beautiful, and as she
stood selling the flowers | wondered
what mysteries her tongue could reveal
when her eyes alone spoke of a soul as
white as snow"
by Jove! old man, you had 'em pref
ty bad" murmured the friend in the
armchair.
After about three months l missed
her from her usual place, and then
realized by the emptiness of the day
that her eyes had taught me something
that would remain with me forever.
That day, as | was walking back to
catch my train from the office, felt a
jerk at my coat, and, turning, l found
that small child was looking up at
me appealingly.
"In another moment | had learned
from his lips that my flower girl was
| ill-dying, he said-and had asked him
to beg me to go to her and speak to her
just once before she passed into the
great unknown. Not in those words, of
course, but understood what the boy
meant"
You don't mean to say that you
actually "
Il didn't hesitate second, but, tell
ing the dirty mite who had arrested me
to lead the way, we both walked as fast
as we could in the direction of her hum
bic dwelling"
But, surely, my dear boy"
shut up, Gordon! Jack can't tell us
if you keep on interrupting."
Gordon Immediately relapsed into
silence.
Presently | found myself in a dirty
little room with only the presence of the
girl had learned to love to redeem it
from some of its absolute squalor.
"'Ah! / knew you would come.
Dickie, place chair for the gentleman
To sit on she said, in voice that
sounded strangely sad and weak
Her face had lighted up at sight of
me, but / could see the havoc wrought
by her illness of week.
You don't mind me sendin' for
your she asked
II was only too glad to be of any
service TO her, told her. and then for
about a minute we SAT in silence, which
was only disturbed by the terrible cough
that nearly broke my heart to listen to.
ITS mad wish / had and don't
think / can tell you now you have
come she said.
Il wondered what she had wanted me
for, but | thought l would wait and see
if she would tell me of her own accord.
The doctor sgays l am dying and l
shant live the week out; so, after all,
there isn't much harm in me telling
you
Again that terrible cough made me
long to take her in my arms and COM