The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1906-09-15

|.F-r i5 20 justice to the occasion "
IL ,,as :ls least You could do. | should
,hr.' ME- Gordon declared, with
;ecars
I -D- 2-lhiSed 10 do mere than that
r. '1-.. .nshing q little, apparcntl,
,a-ar-.5 81! his feeling. u assured be-
.ha. a- cay, when was a man |
'Taai 5s.7e back and repay her for what
sa- I- CO. l promised never to for
e.. i-- qua never have forgotten
. Ig- i1- TIT matter; though, of course,
/ I r...r "ea' back there and never even
l.r.s l.r nzme' N'
.las really ought to have gone back
/ Nrr 0rc.t 70 have gone back and mar
riai her. 5li1 Mrs. Gordon. laughingly.
"I hats i.e way they do in books"
'pb, . .p 'te eNtrayagan,ly,' he admit.
t1d 3 lit,'e hurt by her tone. "A man
vii when he's just escaped with h.,
| life. a0tI meant it all at the time | am
not s=haned Of it. She saved NV life
and if ! c7lld have repaid her | should
have dOre II, And even now though
she Is q woman by this time and has
probably ffeotteH all about it, l should
Ike TO met her, ii only TO acknowledge
NY Indebtedness. Oh. no. A man
doesn't forget thing like that"
The retirement of the ladies inter
rur,-1 their conversation.
A, Nh: Gordon left him. she paused
to remark oh, | am sure | appreciate
your fee.'ag. 1t does you credit. And
i am very glad you told me this.''
A startling thought hid come to Mrs
Gordon as She was leaving the table, and
she was engrossed with the possibilities
il suggested. When the men struggled
in from The dining-room she was sitting
~ WIG W seat, quite alone. She looked
mp At Downs with smile, and as he
an. r1a he'd she rose, and with an irnpu-
sFc movement held out her hand. He
booked puzzled.
Il don't know but it was wrong not
70 tell YOU al the table" she commenced
hfrr-I.y, to let you tell me that story
aith0at knowing. But ] could not speak
somehow, there before them all. And
y have seemed not to appreciate your
noble remembrance of me. But / am.
ire you viii understand my feeling. |
did not realize it at first. And then it
al came over me-the rush OF old memo
ries--'
Downs dropped her hand and gazed
It her moment in sheer anazement.
Why" he stammered. why. i
Good heavens!' he exclaimed. do you
mean to say that you-"
Yes, she said Il think | was the
one | feel sure l must have been.
] hough, of course, was so young that
can't really be certain. | remember
such an incident-of Northern soldiers
stopping there and the horsemen riding
tip But | never should have guessed
it was you"
And you-you were the little girl I
found there at the spring house" Downs
exclaimed, why, its simply astonish-
ing He looked at her critically,
Black hair and eyes" he muttered. do
you know, | beieve-ihere's no mistake.
You're not as thought that girl-you,
| mcan--would look And yet he gazed
at her again, there is something about
YOU TIM seems familiar, too--an express
sion about the eyes, look that | seem
to have seen before. This is certainly
a wonderful coincidence"
Yes. isn't ii" She motioned him to
a seat beside her own. Il wish could
remember it better,' she added but I
was so young then, and so many things
hap0gned in those war days. ! used
oileg to watch the soldiers march past
Ill. house. And when the straggers
would come along | would sometimes
ZIP II down to the spring house, where
they topped.'
Well. I'm glad happened to tell it,
zaia Downs. And, do you know. felt
from the first that there was something
strangely attractive about you. ! must
tell Fenwick and the others"
No, please don't mention it, she
sid hurriedly, IT would be most EN-
ba--assing for me-"
OF course whatever you wish. But
I feel as though ! owed you the public
acknowledgment. l don't see why"
Call it woman's vanity" she an
swercd, with laugh.
Vanity"
Why, yes. Don't you see. if I was
eight years old in war times. l must be
oh ever SO old by now."
"Fh? Oh, yes, see. understand.
But I'm sure you don't look it. Upon
nv word, you don't. But I'm very glad
10 have discovered you again, for have
often wondered whatever became OF you.
B1t at all events, can thank you now,
after the years that have passed, with.
out fear OF being misunderstood. And
# there was anything | could do TO re-
nay you-I don't mean that. OF course,
/ never could repay you-but to show my
lp7-eciation-if there was anything !
r5a,d do to prove that, | would do it
gladly
Would you7' said Mrs. Gordon, low
erirg her voice and gazing earnestly INTO
HI, face There is something you could
d5-something that is of great import
an,e to me. But l fear-Im afraid l
ouaht not to ask you"
Downs gasped. If it had come in any
other way he could have met 1t. :.
Anything l can do-anything that it
is in my power to do, he began.
"It NAV seem very little matter to
vo,,n Mrs Gordon observed. 1T is only
s so,., shares of stock in the Manhattan