Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-05-09
DAILY SHORT STORY
Anniversary Flowers.


village in New Hampshire.
There are no hotels in the place"
said my client, worthy of the name,
but l viii give you note of introduce
ton to u family who may consent to
take you into their home"
The letter was to a Miss Colburn,
middle aged spinster who lived with
her brother. few years older than
herself. and q sister u few years youn-
ger. l was received into the family
and provided with every comfort at
their disposal Great stress was laid
upon the fact that l lived ia New
York. For some reason New York
seemed to them to be q Mecca, n Jeru-
salem, Bethlehem, place holier
than other places. None of them had
ever been there and knew nothing
about what n wicked city New York
is | did not enlighten them for fear of
touching some tender spot. some grief
with which the place WAS connected.
l noticed that only Mr.. COlburn and
the younger Miss COlburn ever re
ferred to New York. and when they did
so the elder sister, Mary, maintained
perfect silence, as If they were speak
ing of the tomb of some one well be
loved.
One day I noticed on n table in the
living room 4 vase filled with 4 dozen
American Beauty roses. l also noticed
that the members of the family spoke
low and trod softly.
That evening the sisters went up
low with me.
Il wonder" he said, eff you know in
New York Mr.. Theodore Carroll?"
Il DO not | replied.
lie looked surprised.
You must remember" | added, that
New York is n very large city"
Then he grew confidential and gave
me an explanation of what to me had
been Il mystery. y quarter of cen
fury before man had appeared in the
village to make it his headquarters for
the time that lie would remain in the
vicinity while making surveys on the
railroad that was then being located"
He was thirty five years OLE. college
graduate, and had charge of the en-
gineerlng work of that division of the
| at the Colburns'. the father and mother
| of the family being at that time living.
| He fell in love with Mary C0Iburn,
then eighteen. and his love WAS return
ed. Notwithstanding that he was city
born and bred and she Il country girl.
| he asked her 10 marry him, and she
| consented.
! Preparations were made for the wed
ding. which was to take place as soon
| as Carroll concluded his engineering
work on that division of the railroad.
! Mary was Supremacy happy. Carroll
| was ut times buOyant. at other times
| depressed. lie was all that 4 lover
| could be TO his fianccc. Indeed hc
| seemed to have u morbid dread that lie
| should lose her.
The very morning of the wedding
| misfortune fell upon the lovers, the
| family. indeed the whole village. since
everybody was interested in the affair.
| When Mary'S brother went to Carroll 5
room to announce that all was ready,
| he found him in IL Swoon. Beside him
| on the floor was letter from wo-
man who claimed to be his wife.
When Carroll came to himself lie adj
mittcd that the woman had really been
| married to him. but he had left her.
! and he had evidence to Indicate that
| she was dead. She had heard of his
| approaching marriage and had written
him to say that she was living and so
| long as she lived eShOuld never wed
| legally.
| That was the most melancholy day
the village had ever known. The girl
| who had expected TO become n bride
| bore up bravcly, but it was plain that
| she suffered ineXpressible agony. Car
roll pleaded his cause with her. eXcuS-
| ing himself for not having told of His
| former marital complication on the
| ground that it was n thing of the past
| which was horror to him and which
| he believed ended forever by death.
| Mary did not blame him. She sat list
| lesSly while he talked Of it. and when
| he had finished and he pressed his lips
! to hers I'm an adieu she went to her
room and did not see him again. Car
roll went to New York to take steps TO
secure q divorce, though Mary told
| him that she would not marry Il di-
! vorced man. Hoping TO win her con
| sent I'm time, he commenced proceed
]
/ lily heard had never ended. On every
anniversary of the wedding day there
| came n box of flowers Carroll had
/ continued TO write for two years. then
! his letters had ceased. But the flowers
! kept on coming.
Such was the statement given me by
Mary Colburn's brother. l was pro
| foundry interested in it and determined
when l reached New York To look
! Carroll up and solve the mystery Of a
/ divorce case that had lasted n quarter
of a century. On returning to the city
l sought my client. reported my action
in the case upon which had been en-
| ployed, then asked him if he knew OF
the romance that hung over the Col
/ burn family.
Yes" he said, changing his tone
! from n h1lSiDcSS IN n SvInDa thpfic one