The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-09-18


AVA mense old-time cscrltoirc
ToFS which had held the minor
treasures Of a few generations Of the
Walkers, she had found in the bottom
OF so-called secret drawer a little
scrap of paper which, through some
chance, had for years escaped exam
ination.
1t was what many years ago when II
was written, she had believed to be
poem, and possibly she believed SO
still But it was nearly forty years
since he for whom those lines were
penned went away from her. and met
with his death rot long afterwards in
India; and just thirty years ago her
mother had died, and she, Ruth
Walker, the last Of the family. had
remained to grow old alone in Sun
croft, the old family home. But now.
as she pOndered over all this. and CON
Jured up hundred thoughts Of which
we know nothing, nor have right to.
she found that the markings of ner-
yOus fingers on the tear-stained scraE
OF paper had done it irreparable in
jury; so she produced from drawer
n clean sheet of fancy paper. chose a
pen with a great show of fastidious-
ness. and, adjusting her spectacles,
commenced to copy out the poem in her
antique, prim, italian caligraphy.
Miss Walker replaced in the escri.
toire the relic Of her long-buried ro-
nance, together with one of the two
copies she had made The other she
put into her pocket, just to have by
her, then she tidied her hair with
few pats of her hand, adjusted her
mob cap, wiped her spectacles and left
the room.
Arrived downstairs, she had tenn.
tation-possibly the outcome of the re.
aroused sentimental walk in the gar
den From the sitting room the old
fashioned garden looked inviting in
the waning beauty of a perfect sum.
mer's day. She was just about to step
through the French window when
some one entered the room.
"Ah! Rose" she said, Il am Going in
to the garden to enjoy the last mo-
ments of the exquisite evening. Come
with me, child"
The breaking-in upon Miss Walkers
meditations had evidently been acct
dental, for the intruder made as though
to retreat hastily. She was pretty
girl of'abOut twenty-five, brown-halred
and frank-lOoking; but there was an
expression Of trouble clouding her us.
ually sunny face, and she shrank back
as she said quickly:
NO, no-do please excuse me; I an
not feeling very well and shall go tC
my room to lie down for a short time.
And then she vanished.
The lines of Miss Walkers benevolen
countenance hardened, and she purset
up her lips and puckered up her brows
in perturbed thought. Was romance
when it came to Suncroft, always t.
turn to Dead Sea fruit? rhe world hat
taught even her. quiet and uneventfu
though her life had been, many bite
lessons of the UnfIlflment of hearts
desires; and yet she had al the SAM
time appreciated those lessons, and KEEP
intact the tender faith that most mel
and women should love and be the haI
pier and better for it. And this belle
had made her take n special interes
in, and do everything to encourage, tn
sentiments she had seen arise betwee
Rose Warden and her nephew, job
Walker. Rose was the daughter of
long since dead friend and John wa
the only child OF Miss Walker
younger brother
AS the wish had been father to th
thought, it CHANGED that Miss Walker
friends in London, where Rose was
governess and John a rising enginee
had, acting on gentle promptings, pl
these young people in one another
way as much as possible. The resu
was what had been foreseen and hope
for, and Miss Walker was inward
much rejoced. She had now mao
Rose spend a long summer vacatio
with her in the pleasant cid Sure
home and John had more than ONT
come to stay week or so, ostensib
with an acquaintance in the neighbo
ing village But something had gol
wrong There had come the little ri
within the late. on the previous afte
noon her nephew had left the hou
suddenly, be having before that bes