Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-22

window before 1 opened the dread, tell.tale
leaves.
Ny oldfashioned sense of the fitness Of things
makes 1t impossible for me to reveal these inter
pretations. Their whole story win be plain
however, when you know that they were writ
ten by woman whom had never known, and
that they were filed with the specious reasoning
OF the Platonist, whose philosophy was new and
startling to me.
When had read all the six letters took
up the old package again and turned it over and
over, realizing that to my newly awakened i'm
agination this was only the beginning-not the
end.
Before another long night had passed and an
other morning dawned my racked brain had pic
tured thousand sequels to the letters. The
days were days of torture after that, and
hoped and feared by turns for Johns return.
AT last he came but long before his return
this whitening sorrow had passed from my heart
to my face, and John saw that l was ILL
ut cannot be that Tou think hard of me for
remaining away?" he said. No, assured him,
it was not that; 1 knew that his absence was
necessary. But he soon discovered that | was
more than physically i'll, that 1 was heartsick.
could not conceal it from him, and could not
tell him the reason. 1t seemed so trivial, that
old, timeyellowed package of letters; and yet
that very little thing was eating my heart out.
Time and again took them from their hiding
place on the shelf and put them in his desk
where he might find them unexpectedly, 50 that
might see his face as he made the discovery
But just as often did / put them away again,
fearing I knew not what. At last, one day,
left them too long. John came in hurriedly to
write a receipt for man who was waiting out
side I entered the room with him, saw nm
open his desk and Immediately lay his hand on
the familiar packet. He picked it up, read the
inscription, and instantly opened drawer and
laid il carefully-tenderly, thonght-inside. lie
/ - 4. - 1rzt trtlth
think he knew that I in the room Then
he wrote the receipt and took it out to the
man. / went out too, for I felt that should
faint if I remained In the house. was about
to pass on into the garden, where l could be
alone, when John came to me, put his arm about
my waist, and said
"Come in, little wife, L have confession 10
make to you"
NV heart stood still. and knew that grew
white and cold We sat down on the sofa togeth-
er. Johns arm still about. me. Suddenly he
said
"Where did you find them, dearie!
"FTnd what?" 7 said
.sWhv. the letters, the old letters-I have not
seen them for years. Were YOU surprised! You
did not care did you? I always intended to con-
fess some time. Why what is it, dear wife!
What is the matter?"
Rut could not speak. was growing colder
and colder and the room was turning black.
remember that John held me closer to him, and
Che faintness passed before he realized it. He
was still talking when / recovered, and the flrst
words heard him say were these;
"You know it was when Tom was little tel
low and we were getting ready to move to this
house that we decided to burn all our old let
ters We spent nearly all of one Sunday after
noon looking them over and reading bits of our
schoolboy and girl talk to each other Then !
took them in to the garden to burn, and l told
YOU that fiad burned them all. But. dear one,
| there we're few of yours that could not bear
TO give to the fames-they were SO sweet and
nnre and true. so like your dear self. You will
forgive me for saving them. won't you"
may as we'll end my story right here, for J
can never describe the warmth that came into
INV breast with Johns words, nor the rosy glow
that sbone far back over the past. and far into
the future, and lighted all my life
VT au, in lifes evening now and my cheek Is
faded. but I never think Of the "reader Of life
who visited our little town without feeling q
crimson glow mount to my torehead ana sinA
slowly away into my shamed heart
Dear, dear John!
Copyright by ]. B. Lippincott Coz