The Glenwood post., 1907-05-04
OLD FoGY LOVE

my path. nave lhu uol aitoBetueh
unsuccessful life. Why should I de-
ny it? In outward honors at least l
have had a brilliant If not great career.
"Lucky"-well, Woodburn Will do; It's
near enough-was the name by which
men knew me at the bar. though It's
only the older generation now which
will be able to recall 1t unless indeed
some diligent and sober minded stu
dent, digging among the archives of
the past, should perchance unearth
certain book on torts and see the name
on the title page of this, alas, now an
tquated volume.
Then | am back again walking in
schoolboy cap and jacket along the
Avon banks with Hetty Price-bright.
laughing. quizzing Hetty. All. what a
sad havoc her merry brown eyes made
In my youthful studies! She lost me
the Latin prize and was the uncon-
scious cause of getting me more than
| one good swishing, and old Nobs-he
became a bishop afterward-could lay
| 1t on too. But nevertheless l would
| not part with that period of my life In
| spite of the swishings and for all the
| prizes that ever fell to the lot Of
| S-bury boy
1t was bright, merry, mischevous
face which ever played hide and seek
upon the pages of my books, and 1t was
corner by the river that l ever saw
in my minds eye when l should have
been following Cyrus in his intermina-
| bic wars or hammering out irregular
verbs with old lie Broeq, the French
master. And the fellows wondered
| what was up with old Woodburn,
whose interest in cricket had gone and
ever preferred his own company to
that of his fellows.
| Every half holiday when the others
fiocked to the cricket nets or the fives
courts betook myself off on my own
| business, meeting Hetty now here,
now there as the necessity for secrecy
demanded.
She was. | found, a curious mixture
| of sound common sense, which was her
own, and romantic aspirations, which
she had acquired from Bow Bells"
and such like literature
| Her great ambition in life was to go
on the stage and it was of this that
| she dreamed as she polished up the
| glasses behind the bar or drew tank
ard of ale for Ben Hoskins, the carter,
who winked his eye in un-Romeolke
fashion as the cool home brewed went
down his dusty throat But as she
shrewdly remarked, 81 am not such
fool as to throw up the Farmers for
! an uncertainty. | am waiting for
! chance"
Bow Bells' Bow Bells Hetty!
| Many a one has, like you, longed and
hoped for the fairy who is going to
change all that" and waited, waited
until at last there comes not the good
fairy, for she Is away in other folks
concerns, but a wrinkle here, gray
hair there and stern reality to obliter-
ate the rosy dreams Of youth.
Not long after this | left S-bury
through causes which do not concern
us now and saw no more Of Hetty
Price.
Our farewell was tender. At the
time thought it the bitterest pang Of
my life.
Once only | heard from her. long
years after, when l was no longer
amenable to school discipline, and as
her letter makes much plain l do not
hesitate to produce it in full. have it
still by me somewhere. 1t ran:
Dear Mr.. woodburn-You will doubtless
be surprised to hear from me after all
these years, but l thought I would like
to know how things are going on. There
is also another reason. as the inclosed
will show.
Well l remained at the Farmers for a
| long time after you left-much regretted
waiting for the chance which was so long
in coming, but 1t came at last. l answer
ed an advertisement and left the monot-
ony of the Farmers for the wider stage
of travelling company. by which means
| l hoped to reach the heights of fame.
Eighteen months passed by. but alas.
the fame was as far of ever and the
discomforts present, and. while at one
time l envied those behind the footlights.
1 now grew to envy those In front. until
at last / wished myself back again.
The chance came, and, as you see. 1
am here once again, not in my old ca
pacity, however for / have entered into
a permanent engagement, having, under
conditions. a theater OF my own now.
being manageress and part owner thereof.
In this business | am associated with
another, whose name may be seen on the
playbill over the door-to wit, Joseph
Maddox, once miler's foreman, now
landlord of the Farmers.
Now, If ever you come to s. again per-
haps you will come and have tea with
us If you have turned teetotaler, or a
glass of beer II you have not, and I will
draw it myself for the sake of old times
that is of course II you forgive Joseph.
who, / fancy, has something to say.
From yours, with kindest remembrance,
HETTY MADDOX (once Hetty Price,.
Heigho! So Hetty Price had mar
ried Joe Maddox! This, then, was the
end of her ambitions. Lord, how jeal-
Gus l used to be Of Joe, and Joe doubt
less of me! How mad. too. | should
once have been if l knew that Joe
would marry Hetty! But somehow
now l felt that 1t was only as 1t ought
to have been in the fitness of things.
Anyhow all is fair in love and war
/ suppose. Good luck to them both
and long may the Farmers Arms -four