Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-08-13

one saturday morning MISS MOllie
was thrown into quite little futter OF
excitement by seeing the postman turn
and come up the steps instead of pass
Ing on after his usual greeting. 1t W.
not the day for the paper to arrive. wha
then could be bringing him? She
dropped the dead leaves which she haC
Just picked off the vines. instinctively
smoothed her hair and came TO meet
him. The reason of his coming was
soon explained by his holding out to her
letter. In her excitement Git was
such an unusual occurrence for her to
receive letter. she failed to keep her
hold on it as it left his hand. and ii
huttered to the floor. Both reached for
it, and in doing so their heads came into
such proximity that a button on his
cap caught in her hair. Miss Mollie
laughed a little embarrassed laugh
while she frantically tried to disengage
the button. He laughed also. and joined
In the endeavor to liberate his cap
from the soft meshes of brown hair.
Their hands came in contact and the
touch sent thrill through Miss Mollie
that was both new and strange to her.
When finally the cap was restored
to It's rightful head, Miss Molie's face
was crimson, and she FASTENED into her
room to smooth her disheveled tresses
and to quiet the rioting of her heart
She had quite forgotten the letter.
When she did remember to open il
she found it was from a distant reIa-
tive whom she had not seen in years,
and who had written merely friendly
inquiry as to her health
Every time Miss Mollie thought of the
episode of the entangled button. which
was quite often, she blushed at the re-
membrance of the thrill which she had
experienced, and wondered il he had
felt the same.
Miss Mollie continued to appear on the
veranda each morning, and occasional
ly now the postman would stop for a mo-
ment, on other days besides Thursdays,
and remark about the weather, the
beauty of the flowers or, when birdie was
In an uncommonly hilarious mood, lis
ten in silence and watch the soft Pushes
come and go on Miss Mollie's face, while
q smile TREMENDOUSLY played about her
| lips.
Gradually a subtle understanding
| grew between them. Both felt the bond.
| though no hint of it was ever voiced.
| A new interest had come into the life
OF each. Miss Mollie would hum little
snatches of songs she had learned in
| her girlhood's days, while her fingers
/ deftly wrought the dainty designs she
was fond of embroidering. And often
the weekly" newspaper would lie on
hat
| happy dreams brought q tender light
into the soft brown eyes.
As for him-his route no longer
| seemed monotonous. There was always
| now the anticipation or remembrance
f, OF the gentle presence as he passed the
| vine-clad cottage, and he also had
| dreams which were, perhaps, more def
mite than hers. He meant soon to ask
| permission TO "call" some evening. So
the days glided along full of sunshine
| and contentment
One particularly brilliant Thursday
| morning Miss Mollie had given un-
| usual care to the arrangement of her
| hair, and OF the little knot of ribbon at
/ her throat, and she was conscious of
1 looking uncommonly we'll. so there was
/ an eXpectant little hutter in her breast
while she busted herself with the vines
and listened for the familiar step. But
| she was startled at hearing an unfa-
miliar step and seeing stranger come
upon the veranda and hand out to her
the paper. An underlined fear cIutched
her heart, and her throat choked so that
| she could scarcely articulate the words:
us he-the other-sick-has something
! happened?"
"Yes'm." answered the new postman.
| without stopping, as he went down the
steps. There was an accident. He
was trying to stop a runaway horse. and
was run over and killed; at least he
| died In little while and they've sent
him 10 his folks They didn't live here"
Miss Mollie caught and held to the
railing Of the veranda while everything
seemed circling around her then set
| tied into the blackness of night. Final
ly she tottered into the house and fell
| across her bed Alone she fought her
| battle with great anguish; and in the
| days that followed, the shadows of a
deep sorrow settled in the gentle eyes.
For weeks she could not bear to hear
the step Of the new postman. and every
| day about the time for him TO pass the
| little cottage she would go into a back
room and shut herself in. And on
Thursdays now Susan receives the pa
per.