Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1903-10-23
Miss JOS Romance


even for the village school. The small
blackboard ON Its trestles stood In the
bay window now.
Guy never wrote to her. but every
year on the anniversary of her birth
day, which should also have been
their wedding day, he sent her birth
day card. She had nineteen of them
now, and they came from Canada.
They were quaint things, made Of
two thicknesses OF birch bark laid
one upon the other, with fringe run.
ming rounds of strings OF fibre some.
times of silk.
She carefully treasured them In the
lavender scented drawer in the living
room. and had wept over them
many times. 1t was the twenty fifth
OF June now, her fortieth birthday,
the last she would ever spend In the
Mill House, aud a strange fancy
seized her.
From out the long drawer upstairs
from Its wrappings OF soft paper, she
took her wedding dress-it was to be
her shroud, TOO; that she had long
ago settled. and she held 1t up and
shook out the folds OF the skirt
1t was OF lilac-colored material, and
cuffs and collar We're edged with lace.
She put it on. laughing mirthlessly.
and looked ut her attire In long.
old shioned mirror coeval with the
settle downstairs.
Slim. graceful and erect she stood !;
her ring of tiny diamonds on the left
than ever gold FURNISHED, looked like
halo.
There was smile on her lips as
she went down the narrow, boxed-in
stairway. The door was still open,
the black board lay on the table, and
on It, written large In the handwriting
she knew and loved: Guy Hale 25th
June, 1003.''
Then, | think, she tainted.
"Jol Jor'
Bearded and bronzed, the man had
stepped into the room and raised her.
Her hand lay upon his breast, his
arm was around her and he pressed
his lips to hers.
She revived almost at once and
sprang from him, standing erect,
looking taller and more graceful than
ever in the well fitting wedding
gown.
How dare you? How dare your
she gasped.
WHO has better right, 10? After
long years, Jo, sweetest and most
faithful"
You have right? You have a
right, Guyp'
You gave me the right twenty
years ago. my poor, thin. wan Jor'
She is deadp'
Her voice was soft, tremulous, ca,
ger.
"You, who know me- know | should
not be here II she were not"
He did not attempt to embrace her
again. but stood apart while this new
wonder sank into her heart.
This woman, the girl woman of
forty, had starved for love, pinned and
fretted for one look from the eyes she
SO dearly loved, for one cadence of
the voice that had just rang clear in
her ears.
And hope fulfilled held her straitly
tonguetied,
Come to me, Jo." There was a
futter In his tones that WAS not there
before,
lie held his two hands out to her
us II they had been manacled at the
wrists, big aud ungainly In everything
he did Gently. looking straight into
his honest eyes, she patted the TWO
brown hands, and the girl-woman.
who rarely shed tear, was sobbing
happily upon his breast.
But why do | find you still here,
my 10? | thought you would have
taken one OF the new houses over
harrington way. We were 10 have
settled there when we married, dear
heart" Iaa
''Guy-thls is my last night In the
old house"
And she told him of the overdue
rent, of the awful struggle the last
few years had been, and what from
pride her lips did not tell him her
eyes did,
but, child, you had a birthday card
from me every year.
Il have nineteen. / think
There was no think about 1t; she
knew the exact number
Then you have about eight hun
ared pounds in the house, II you have
kept them. My dear, things have pros
pered with me beyond all knowledge.
| went to Canada when-when we
parted. and one of my, patents was
token up almost at onee-that was a
tiny fortune. Then | discovered q
method of treating stubborn ore-but
this of course, is Greek to you, and
a,rst, urtnkle your forehead like that,