The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1904-08-05
TANGLED
THREADS
BY F. B. WRIGHT
Copyright, 1904, by T. C. Mcclure

'Thanks! Have l really aged so
much since then?''
II mean until 1 saw you it seemed
thirty he explained.
"Three years-it goes very quickly.
You haven't c@nged much"
u? l haven't changed at ALL
She regarded him critically "No,
you havent-in looks"
Il haven't in any way" he replied
earnestly and with an undertone Of
intention in his voice. "And you
you are all 1 imagined"
II lima gined? Then l was not a
reality three years ago. 1 was a mere
Pigment E your brain. What do you
mean?'
II me. n-why-that in all these
years I have been imagining you-in
all sorts of ways, you know"
"Oh! Sometimes as fair haired,
suppose, and sometimes as dark hair
ed, sometimes with a hump and some
times cross eyed"
"Nonsense!"
"Well, it's what you said, all sorts
Of ways and yet-do you remember
the silly speech you made me when
you went away?"
"Of course-only it wasn't silly. It
was the frozen truth"
1T didn't seem very frozen then,
but perhaps it does now, however, at
this distance. You haven't answered
my question yet, though. What was
it you said?"
"Why-that-what' the use of my
telling you over again If your memory
is so good?"
Its your memory that's in ques-
ton, not mine. Confess you don't re-
member"
But do. Of course. 1t was that I
wouldn't forget" he said triumphantly.
Miss Travers dropped her eyes, raised
them again for a brief f1uttering mo-
ment and again dropped them with
pensive little SMILE
And you remember what it was l
said to you then?" he asked impressive
ly, leaning nearer and looking down at
the bent head.
You said-of course, you were just
saying it-but you said you would re-
member every word had said to you,
every look Of my eyes, every tone of
my voice You were quite sentimental
that night"
1T was meant, every word Of it. No
man could forget. I know it now
"Now? Didn't you know it then?
What do you mean? You talk as
though you were not the same man you
were. Aren't you?"
"Well, every man changes, you know,
every seven years. Scientific fact, l
believe"
But it hasn't been seven-only
three"
"Oh, Of course, not really change. I
was joking. What I meant was that
knowing you, having your image be-
fore me these years, has made chang
ed man of Unchanged the whole
course Of my life" he said earnestly.
'Ah, and you have that photograph
Of me yetT'
"Of course. AS If wouldn't! 1t
has never been out of my keeping since
stole it FROM
II thought gave it to you myself?"
she said, with some surprise in her
voice. Have you forgotten how you
begged it from me that night?"
"Of course 1 haven't forgotten" he
replied heartily. 81 know you gave it
to me-" But she was not listening.
Her eyes were looking off into the dis
lance beyond the dark glass of the con-
servatory.
"How beautiful the moonlight was on
the water that night, and far off some
boating party was singing! 1t was per-
fect.'
Eyes, perfect at least to me-"
DO you remember when we glided
into that stretch of lily pads and
lifted them dripping from the water,
each drop like a diamond. and you
said"-
And l said l wished they were real
SO that I could give them to you," he
said boldly.
did you? thought it was that the
drops would spoil my gown-the gown
you admired so much"
II did admire it. I have always seen
you in that gown-and your face lumi-
nous in half shadow, the CLINT of your
hair and your arms cleaning in the
moonlight as you trailed your fingers
in the water and made silvery ripples
over the polished black mirror of the
er--river."
He drew a long breath when he fin
ished, as one who felt relieved.
"And it was as we neared home,
wasn't it, that you told me that you
wanted my picture?'
Eyes"
The corners Of her mouth twitched
a little. "'What a splendid memory you
have" she said, "a marvellous memory
call it. I wish 1 had one like it,
though it's not what l would call ac-
curate-if that's a sample-because, you
see, you didn't ask me for my photo
graph that night. It was fall when
you left, and it rained bard that after
noon, and we could not go out, but in
stead sat in the drawing room by the
FIRE. 3 cept for these little details,
! 1oo 80