Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-28

house each was silent and rather sober.
| for Jacks people had objected so strongly
that he was leaving home. and had Sc
cured a position purser on a Pacific
steamer. 1t was the only thing for him be-
sides foot ball. and he had given up the
| latter after q short. hard struggle. This
| was his last night at home, and they had
| left the party early, as he was 10 take a
| midnight train. They reached the door at
| last, and stood on the porch in the shadow
of the vines and big trees that surrounded
| 1t. He was the first to speak.
Now. sweetheart, you mustn't be lonely,
for the year will soon pass. / Will write
you a long letter every week. and you
will write to me, and all the time you will
be getting ready and thinking about me,
and l will be thinking about my little girl
all the time, and making plans for next
year. l can get you all sorts of pretty
things in Japan ana China. IT won't be
long, dear. Now kiss me goodbye, In.
just exactly one year you will see me
again.
You will surely come back to me next
Halloween she asked, as she put her
arms around his neck.
II surely WILL Nothing could keep me
from you. / would come in spite of every
thing; come to you, my dearest, with heart
on fire for Madeleine "
Then goodbye. my love. and God keep
you safev'
He strained her to his heart for a mo-
ment, then, with a last kiss. ran down the
There he stopped to look back. She stood
on the steps, waving her hand to him. He
waved back. and called out, gaily: Until
next Halloween Then he passed into the
shadow of the elms that bordered the walk.
Madeleine went first to the little room
wnere she had passed many happy
hours. The tears sprang to her eyeSNas she
went in but on the table was a small pic
ture frame containing Jacks portrait.
note lying by 1t had another loving mes
sage, and in small box little cross
of gold set with amethysts. and chain on
which to wear it. SO she went to sleep
with smile on her lips and a prayer in
her heart, murmuring to herself. He will
come back 10 me. He said he would"
After this, however, the days did not
travel so rapidly Letters came, and she
replied, and all the time the love grew III
her heart; but all the time she feared some
thing. When she met any of Jacks family
on the street and they passed her by
hurt. She never told him of It, nor would
she mention any of her troubles at home.
for her father was a grave and silent man
of whom she was a little bit afraid HIS
business absorbed him. and called him
away so often that she felt at times as
though she scarcely knew him Then the
great-aunts were fussy, little old ladies who
required more care than they could give,
although the tradition was that they looked
after Madeleine. She would sit in her lit
tie room and dream of Jack, and wonder
how he would return, and write her pretty
girlish fancies to him, and then reread his
letters winch t0lQ or the beauties or the
great ocean, the busy life he led, and the
glimpseS he caught of the mysterious orient
when his vessel lay IN port fer several days.
Souvenirs of the east came to her from
him-soft silks and crepes, carved bits OF
ivory, subtle perfumes and pretty fans. All
these she put away In an old oak chest
which she found in the garnet, but of the
oriental bonbons and fruit she would make
little feast IN her room at midnight, as
she dwelt once more on Porphyro and his
romantic coming.
But the winter wore and fearful
storms ragged her heart would beat in terror
for her loved one out on the great sea.
Then came one ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS day
in March when she picked up the paper and
read that Jacks ship had gone down, and
that he was among the missing. The shock
and her frantic grief SO Frustrated her that
the aunts were frightened into sending for
the doctor. When he came she was in her
little room softly playing on. the guitar to
herself with burning cheeks and eyes which
cleaned with unearthly brightness Brain
fever set in at once and for months Made
leine fingered on the brink Of the dark
river. Toward the end of summer she got
up, a wan little ghost Of her former self,
but with her mind still blank. Her one
idea was to wait for Halloween and for
Jack to come back to her. She would sit
in her little hall room, play the guitar
walk In the garden and sing to herself, and
every day she would ask, when Is Hal
loween?" At first they told her, mot for
a long time yet" but as the weeks wore
away they feared for awakening. Mel
low autumn came. and with 1t the golden
rod, the purple grapes, the red apples ripen-
ing on the trees. the blue haze on the hills
and the golden glory of the Indian summer
sunshine. The harvest moon rose and
waned. But still no news or CLEAN of hope
The ship had truly gone down, and with it
GOO souls. Jack Leland had helped to save
a score of lives, and then had disappeared
Others had been saved and heard from
weeks afterward but no such fortunate
60 c~a tC yKyqXr To d1
September came and passed. A wealth
of gold and crimson glorified the forests,
and the pale yellow leaves of the fading
elms dropped gently on Medicines head
as she walked up and down the path look
ing for an athletic form she had seen so
often striding toward her under the same
trees. Jacks sisters, softened by a COM
mon grief came to see her but she did not
know them. Her strength came back slow
ly, but the doctor said that as a great
shock had wrecked her reason they could
only trust to time to bring 1t back or pos
sibly some striking, unusual occurrence.
One day she opened the chest where she
had stored the things Jack had sent her
from China and Japan. That afternoon she
told her aunts that she must get to work
so that she would be ready for Jack when
he came back They thought It best to
humor her. and bought linen, lace and lawn
for her to work on. She would sit and
happily for hours at a time, making
dainty garments and putting them care
fully away in the chest The old ladies
would look in the door at her as she sat
thus, and then turn away, blinded by their
tears. He will be here Halloween"
she would say, land must get ready How
soon will Halloween come? Nobody will
tell me when 1t is"
One beautiful October day, as she walked
under the bare elms in the twilight little
boy ran by carrying a big yellow pumpkin
in which the usual weird face was cut.
Something about 1t made her turn and look
The boy held it up for her to see
What is it?" she asked.
For the Halloween party he said, as
he ran on.
nv