The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-03-29

and polished till 1t cleaned like French
plate. and between the prim ruffies OF
an old fashioned dimity curtain peered
face in whose soft, blue gray eyes
hopefulness and inconsistencies strug-
gled for supremacy.
The train had slowed up for a curve.
and she studied the quaint picture hun
grily till the cars swept round the
bend. The next morning she watched
for the clean window, the dimity cur
| tains and the sweet English face and
| the next morning and the next.
The figure I'm the window was not
always idle. Once the supple hands
were polishing tinware. which, to the
| woman who writes. recalled faraway
| farmhouse. where rows of milk pans
once cleaned in the sunshine. Follow
ing an unaccountable impulse, she
| nodded cheerily. The blue gray eyes
opened wide In friendly surprise. the
| flush on the fresh English face deep
| ened. and from that day the morning
greeting was exchanged regularly.
The summer Quivered and simmer
ed into fall. and fall tossed its smart
colors and sparkling hours into the
| outstretched arms OF winter. The
winds howled and the storms ragged at
| the tenement window, now closed and
| stuffed about with bits OF rags. The
| blue gray eyes still smiled their greet
| Ing across n row of scarlet geraniums
| to the woman behind the car window.
| who. after the train had swept round
4 the curve. would lean back half wea-
/ rily and weave romances of the life
behind the white curtains and crimson
blossoms She could see the English
| husband coming In from his work. He
would be strong and straight and
/ young. OF course. very gentle and ten
der with the girl who had come TO him
from across the seas Wherefore the
happy lovelight In the blue gray eyes
II all these things were not so? Then
frugal supper. smoking hot, would
be placed on the table. The teapot
would be OF brown and yellow stone.
Ike the one at the farm. But the
woman who writes never mounted the
narrow stairs leading TO the tenement
room. She had been disillusionlzed so
often.
One morning In early spring she
caught her breath as the train slowed
| up before the window. No face peered
between the rufiied curtains A friend.
ly hand had bowed the shutters to the
glaring sunlight. That afternoon she
hurried to n shop where all sorts of
dainty baby garments are sold. When
she had selected a piece OF flannel rich
ly embroidered and robe OF sheer
E linen. edged with filmy lace. she actu
3 ally felt angry at the careless fashion
4 in which the clerk tossed the small
/ garments 10 the wrapper. II seemed
: almost like desecration. As she ear
e ried her package to the waiting han
D som she said to herself:
? 1t Is perfectly absurd. considering
Y their station In life But how her eyei
b Will shine
y She could not send her gift. for she
Y knew neither name nor exact address
e but she waited and watched. Al las
G one morning the shutters were thrown
n back. and in high backed rocking
chair. close TO the window. sat the littl
r English wife. her blue gray eyes shin
@ ing proudly above a long roll OF whit
: flannel. topped by n very small an'
n ~ red face.
Then the woman who writes did q re