The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-30

| lHtQ tIlO ItNCI anu aihkoob itt6htSH yO into saying 1t? And did another sni
 of strand of your hair quick? And di he, he, Lucy Jane, take one dozen in stead of only just one?"
 Lucy Jane leaned over the girl breath
 lessly: for the moment they were girl.
 together.
 Yes" she said, just over her breath Tt was on my eighteenth birthnight.'
 'Then why why?" the girl stammer.
 cd. her eyes questioning Lucy Jane's.
 Never mind" said the woman gently She opened the door for the girl to pass
 out and put an impulsive hand on her shoulder. T hope you will be happy,
 dear" she said.
 Lucy Jane went back to her work-but ntnlnyn ntrhe gninrln'sn nbninrtnhdayn
 presently the girls birthday gown fell from her hands to the floor and lay there
 It was Lucy James birthday-she was 70
 Her eyes wore faraway. look as she gazed down the long road she had trav-
 eled since that eighteenth birthday. The states cut her feet, the dust choked her
 as she went with memory over it. 't
 At knock at tho door she stsrted from
 her revcrie. It was more dresses, no | doubt. She was thankful for work of
 course. But sometimes, when the house
 was piled ceiling high with work that I HettT SecHleu tO COtflG 10 a UnlSn anu | tired back and nerves cried for rest. she
 wondered wearily if the villagers would ever give her time to die.
 | At the door pink roses were thrust in her face by little black messenger, who beat hastry retreat.
 1 She recognized the roses-only one garden in the village produced such--she recognized the messenger and although | she wondered at the unusualness of the occurrence. she sniffed them delightfully. She loved flowers as her neighbors loved | their babies.
 When Lucy Jane drew a card from | among the roses and sead. If it's yes, wear these," she was almost stified by her hearts, swift beatings. Her lips | trembled; her eyes blurred. The rough road of her life had a turn in 1t and she | saw glimpse of the blue sky. caught Q snatch of song from the birds glad | throat.
 | There had never been time when Lucy Jane hadn'd loved the sender of | those roses. Their laughing little faces had kissed each other through a broken paling in the fance: they had sthoien out on snowy mornings to their rabbit trap | 1t was on his sled she had coasted and later their voices had mingled in the vil- lage choir. .N'- K z | ~~ASS e0hS S CS GS WILL DdCh lO tIle NTlv-
 ton wordsone couldn't doubt written words. She had waited, wearied, won.
 dered, watched; then. seeing her faded l lace in the mirror, she had crushed the | dreams into a tight little ball down in
 the bottom of her heart and gone through her days in coolrless content
 As Lawyer Coates awaited Lucy Jane
 Tn her prtm little parlor he fidgeted. His errand was an awkward one. He had come to explain about the roses and some old-time memories had overtaken hinN He had loved Lucy Jane since their ba- byhood days when he had pulled the pai- l ings of the back yard fence that divided
 them: she had given him letters to mail
 to his rival with such persistence that he
 had ceased his attentions to her. As he sat there he remembered the mad whirl of love and anger that had swept over him. and he smiled somewhat grimiy as he told himself that the fire of that old love had burnt itself out Poor Lucy Jane Life had taken the roses out of her cheeks before they fairly bioomed. He wondered for the thousandth time who was the mysterious Jim Jackson, and what had come between them.
 When Lucy ane greeted the lawyer she wore roses in her cheeks, in her hair and nestled in the belt of her gown-and ds he saw her thus attired a great dismay fell on Lawyer Coates. He had come to tell her the roses with which she had decked herself were for the young widow across the street.
 He sat down and looked at Lucy Jane out of the corner of his eye. There were little furrows of loneliness in the checks that had been so round.
 Lucy" he stammered, Lucy Jane."
 She turned her happy eyes upon him.
 The lawyer was a tender man and he edged a little nearer, didn't he have to tell her about the muddle the little nig. ger had made of things.
 You don't care, Lucy?" He biurted out the words and hung anxiously on her answer
 Care" she said. q have cared all my life"
 Look here, Lucy" the lawyer said, earnestly. I'm not worth it! And I want to tell you"
 You needn't" her soft little laugh filled the room. ''I always knew that you'd come back to me when you found out the truth.
 Lucy Jane!' desperately.
 And you are just as scared, now that you have got here. as If you were step- ping on eggs. How did you find out? I used to pray till l wearied the Lord when l heard-never mind how-that you were jealous about those let- ters. Lord. let him find out that Jim Jackson was the cooks beau and not mine.
 The lawyer stared at her stupidly. He had been jealous young fool, but Lucy, his Lucy. had loved him straight through; they had lost more than twenty good years of happiness. and now, he groaned audibly. he was still a fool-the worst kind-an old one. He had rescued a lir- tatious young widows boy from q mud hole and her pretty thanks that sounded through his sentimental, empty soul through the long hours of the summer af- ternoon and prompted him to send the roses and with them an avowal of love.
 With the instinct of the homing pigeon Lucy Jane nestled to him at the sound of that heartfelt groan.
 Dear" she said, what troubles you%'
 The lawyer folded her in his arms. He didn't care a rap for all the scheming widows in the land-not if he had sub merged them with roses, and pursued them with attentions-he would confess like a man. But suddenly, 1t came in a liberating flash of thought. he remember ed that there was no confession to make to the widow-Lucy had got his roses; she had his declaration-the widow wasn't even aware that the tranquil waters of his life had been ruffied by pulling her Bobby from a mud hole. But Lucy was her smothered voice coming from the depths of his coat, already she was taking the airs of a matron and saying: Some men get such poor wives. I'm sorry for the poor young fellow that's going to marry the pretty widow across the street, even if l have just q picture