Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-10-19
LANDRY'S
LETTER -
By GRACE c. BosTWIcK
Copyright, 1904. by Daily Story Pub. Co.,

/ FELT horribly sorry for Katherine
| when Landry died. 1t must have
been an awful blow, for she seemed to
lose every bit of her spirit and went
about pale and listless for months
You see. Landry was fine fellow,
an unusual fellow. l don't believe
there was a selfish fiber In the mans
whole makeup He was essentially
big-hearted and lovable. Homely in
feature to positive ugliness, he was
still attractive in appearance. He was
famous in a small way as the author
of certain delicate love sketches, very
tender and dainty in sentiment. and so
unlike him as to seem inconsistent
with what we knew of his character.
A right jolly good fellow, with plenty
of sense and a cheerful lot of brains
under his sandy poll.
He and Kit had been engaged for a
long time, and | knew that he fairly
worshiped her. though he was very
quiet about it. l felt mild sort of
envy, for | had never plumbed the
depths of love myself I'd had my
little affairs, but | always hated my
couldn't really feel-I was only amused
and entertained, never touched. My
friendship with Kit was the one real
sentiment of my life, for we had been
like brother and sister for ten years
Ever since she had begun to yearn for
long skirts and put her pig-tai!s up
into the crown of womanly dignity.
Whenever Landry was away ] took
his place at her side. aud jolly good
times we had, and many of them,
A few months before Landrys death
Kit semed to change some way. She
took to incoming about for all the
world like a disappointed lover Ian
dry, too, went into the dumps He
grew thin and pale and more imper-
sonal than ever. He was very tender
with Katherine, and so | knew that T.
was no lovers quarrel that was wear
ing on them. She sort of chung to him
as though she felt him slipping from
her, and I've sometimes thought since
that she must have had a premonition
of what was coming
One morning. on my way home from
an all-night vigil, old Damon lost his
head and came pretty cropper 1t
wasn't far from home. as luck would
have ii, and | managed to get to the
house. ! was pretty much used UP
taking my WEAKNESS and the shaking
up together and my knees shook as if
Ia been officiating at my first opera
ton. Afterward, when Kit came in to
see me, / tried to laugh it off. and
jollied her up,
Landry II be good and jealous if
YOU don't watch out | told her. 81
believe you're in love with me, old
girl" Her face famed sudden Grim
son over its old pallor, and she looked
at me sharply. Then l caught her
hand and pulled her down to me. I
kissed her, as l always had, and for +
moment she laid her face against nv
cheek
What If you'd been killed." she
whispered. What If you'd beea
killed?"
You'd still have Landry" 1 retort-
ed, and Kit slapped me- 1t wasn't the
first time by any means, for you see
we'd been boy and girl together. l
couldn't help seeing that her eyes
looked funny A new expression. I'd
never seen there beforehand 7 won
dered
1t was shortly after that poor Landry
came down with typhoid. 1t was hard
case from the start. Sometimes 1t gets q
grip on man and an NJ. D. can see
that there's no hope whatever. Than,
goodness, we were all there with him.
He wasn't alone, as he had been the
greater part of his life-since Re'I
been little chap. in fact. He wasn't
lonely. Sometimes it seemed to me
that he was happier than / had ever
seen him. | felt that he was glad TO
go, and couldn't understand il. II
broke us all UP, every one of us. for
we loved the poor fellow.
found her on the veranda one eve
ming, alone in the soft darkness /,
felt bit down myself Things weren,f
going very well. and began to think
that WAS not fitted for a profession
al life after all. l felt too sorry f.
my patients. | couldn't give a judicia;
impersonal sympathy, as a physicfan
must to be among the ranks of the
successful Every death that came
under my notice worked on my mind
to such degree that 1t untitled me 20
care for the living.
She took my hand and held it tightly
IN both Of her own. felt q sudden