Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1906-01-19


years since | had. waited at that cor.
ner, and yet nothing seemed to have
altered. The warm sun shone on the
big lilac bush that hung over the wall
so fragrantly, as 1t had hung over the
very same wall, in the very same way,
beneath the very same sun fourteen
years ago. Il was true that the house
had different coloredi sun blinds to the
windows, otherwise II had not changed
In the least. The name of the road
was still painted up in the same plain
black letters: doubtless II had been
repainted many times since l had
seen IL last; but the style of the let.
tiers was exactly the same. How my
heart used to beat at the very sound
of that roads namel With what al
thrill had ! addressed my first letter
there! I was very young then not
more than 19-young enough to thrill
through and through. And. miracle of
miracles, sixteen years later found
that was not too old to thrill. For
ts | stood at that familiar corner and
stared down that familiar road. II
found. my heart beating with some.
thing Of its youthful rapture. There
was sound of freight trucks, shunt.
ing on the neighboring railway line; a
sound that had almost learned to-
love because | had heard II so often
at that corner. "Clank, clank, clank.
clank" II went, and the tears of happi.
ness, expectant excitement, almost
came into my eyes. | had looked at
my watch impatiently, as had looked
at 1t sixteen years ago; now II was a
gold watch and valuable; then It had
been silver watch and inexpensiv
"A boys treasured property.
! At last ! saw her coming. There
/ was the same unmistakable walk that
my eyes had watched for so eagerly
sixteen. fifteen, fourteen years ago.
Doesn't this seem funny?' she saId.
as we shook hands.
IT'S delightful" said fervently.
We'll, | think it's rather nice" she
admitted, and glanced up at me, almost
Bhyly.
Instinctlvely we turned to the right
and went up the hill. She asked me
hundreds OF questions about myself.
What had | been doing all these years?
And she was frank Of information as
10 her own history. She thanked her
ftars that she had no children, and,
although II did not seem to concern
me, ! thanked my stars on that &C.
count, too. Each of us could tell
tale of tolerable worldly success. We
were both comfortably off. Perhaps
Il we had been as comfortably off
fourteen years ago we should not have
lost sight OF each other.
| 10 80 ,..Aa
started, and clambered onto one Of
them. II was probably not the tram
that we had clambered onto fourteen
years ago. In fact, It is almost certain
that II is not, for fourteen years ago
our tram had been drawn by pair
Of horses, while this one went by elec.
lrlclty. But. seated side by side un.
der the golden evening sunlight, we
ignored the progress OF science. The
IRAN whirred and grated along but
our reminiscent ears could almost
catch the clatter of horses hoofs.
And the golden sun sank lower and
east longer shadows, until the dusk
came and the stars twinxled out faint.
W. to be dimmed by the staring arc
lamps at the roadside. In this way
The summer stars had struggled with
the arc lamps fourteen years ago.
1T seems like yesterday when we
nsed to come up here nearly every
evening. doesn't it?" she observed.
When the tram stopped finally, we
descended and emerged from the
crowded main street into a neighbor.
hood of dimly lighted thoroughfares,
full Of old brown brick houses almost
hidden away in their long, leafy gar.
dens.
DO you know what feel llke?' she
ssked.
"What?"
81 feel like one of counting cou.
ple" And she laughed.
II fancy am one" assured her,
very earnestly.
you don't mean to say
Il do" | assured her.
But after all these years." she
protested, with an incredulous tone in
her voice, although ! fancy there was
not so much incredulity In her mind.
tor somehow half a generation had
slipped from her, too.
"Never mind about those years." |
said. "And doubt II there have been
any years. We were here last night"
| And as we walked she took my
arm affectionately, as she had taken II
fourteen years ago.