The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1906-05-18

lonely, 50 pathetic somehow. that hs
found himself writing these letters u
her almost before be knew H. lie haC
IN idea, = theory-he was a great char
lor theories aud he kept himself il
me background. lie asked nothing Vi
The girl. lie"
lie Numbered" she cried. Sup
pose the woman Lad never had :
lover, suppose the sweep VI her life
a been away from men, that sh,
had been 30 busy that she had never
thought VI one until she got those
letters"
Child" The doctor spoke sharply
Suppose through the whole lon,
wonderful summertime she had reared
her JOY castle. at Erst afraid il would
vanish like the bubbles she had blown
In childhood, until She had come &c
believe in the writer Of those lettert
with the same terrible. childlike faith
she gave TO her Cod"
Child. child the doctor implored
her.
With a little unsteady laugh Miss
Carleton got TO her feet. How thai
big ~stares.' she said. Wouldn't
you like 10 climb on It's chin and sail
to your Hearts Desire? Haven't you
a land Of Hearts Desire, doctor?'
She leaned and looked deep into tbs
moon-dlled. sleeping valleys as she
spoke.
The doctor tried to answer He
drew back into the shadows as she
said goodnight. He had seen a wo-
mans soul. and tie sight had shaker
him.
Not many days later a fairy-tals
happening came TO Mary Carleton in
the shape Of a telegram that told hel
OF the death of an old great-aunt ane
the arrival of a fortune. all In a breath
The doctor came back from III,
valley settlement. where he had beer
visiting a patient. 10 hear the stor,
and slip away from everybody. IL
FIRE on the hearth fighting the grow
ing dusk, he tried to realize what lih
would De with the glory gone out of IL
A log broke and fell, shattering hin
reverie. The ire leaped, and she
came swiftly down the room to droI
into a chair beside him and nestl,
there as II she meant to stay indef.
nitely.
1T has been a discipline-waitins
for that fortune. she said c%heerfully
"Many's the time I've dened fate with
IL when I've been 20 hungry. Cocoa
and toast for breakfast. toast and
cocoa for lunch and my great-aunt's
fortune for dinner. How the money
has changed things" in sudden gaiety
I'm not going 10 ride on the moons
chin. II wouldn't be dignihed for an
heiress."
Don't you ever mean to grow up?-
The Doctors lips twitched in a way
that would have gone straight to q
woman's heart If she had loved him.
I'm grown up" contentedly. I'm
And I'm not less than Is more"
m%iserably.
Are your" politely. Il could never
DO arithmetic" The laughing shaft Of
Ter dark Eyes struck straight into the
OF a heart that wasn't aging
and the blood that wasn't faded
although the doctor had tried so hard
to think so. pounded and leaped. hot
and strong.
The doctor caught her hand IN
grasp hat hurt her.
I've been a BRUTE" he cried. u
saw that fellow leave the violets there
md 1t came 20 mo to try the expert.
| believed 10 interest you In
anything. anybody. was 10 save you.
There was no other way 10 WOO you
back to life. ! saw no other way.
Child, child, | never meant to hurt
Toul That first little letter--heart-
that you'd had 10 let so and
away from your work-touched
You know the rest. I've tried to
ell you-a hundred times. As ii was
felt that / had struck you-had
struck a little, trusting child"
He flung out his hands in tortured
ielplessness. Say something! Com
tort me-if comfort is left in the
world"
But there was silence in the room
he twilight had claimed
The Doctors head went down. He
had a new strange sense Of utter
i~esolation.
Don't you understand YETI There's
10 man Il the valley. There never
vas. I wrote those letters. | sent
hose violets. To save your very
A low little LAUGH had shattered the
tense stiffness and rippled over
lin.
But" her voice, very small and
and golden with content,
whispered, as she came close. close,
III the marvellous softness Of her
heck brushed bis. "but-since yester-
I've known-.Aere's neon the
nountain-top."
Not All Dead.
Dead little town you've got here,