The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-10-23
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II thought it was all dead" the
man said, pushing away his finger
bowl and taking two faded envelopes
from his pocket. They were scented
family.
"It's funny how things go on liv-
ing, isn't it," he unused, removing
the letters and spreading them on the
table. They were dated August,
1898. Il got them in the Philip
pines he explained after a pause,
Hand I replied to them in an ordinary
way. Idon't know why I kept them,
Or, perhaps I should say I didn't know
then," he corrected slowly, "but I
know now. It's very curious, isn't
5t?"
He took it for granted that
thoughts so familiar to his OWE mind
should be intimate to his friend.
II saw her again to-day" he said,
~and it's all come back again, just
as it was. Of course. she doesn't
know" being only a man, he elm
mated mere instinct from any mental
process, land she lever will. But
the first time l saw her down in that
dingy little newspaper office in Kan
sas she frightened it up like the scent
and color of a rose garden. She sat
there in the evening with the light
shining on her fair hair, all gold and
fluffy, and the skin on her white
arms glistening like ivory-and in
evening dress" He emphasized that
as being in some way final, and re-
lapsed into silence, wandering in the
soft twilight Of memory.
Il was "a country editor then" he
said, suddenly. rousing himself, "and
she had come as society editor while
the other was on vacation. She had
that trick Of bringing things with
her, flowers and books and-and
things you know"
He sought vaguely for terms in the
speech of milliners and perfumers.
"Ribbony and lacy things, you
know" he plunged at last.
1T made the old place feel awful
uncomfortable and shabby. We got
to Strengthening things up while she
was out, getting the windows cleaned
and the floors scrubbed, and I began
shaving mornings instead of nights.
: It felt cleaner.
"The pressroom was down in the
basement, and the comps. and press
men took to coming up quite fire.
quently. I knew what it was brought
them" he said sagely, "but she
didn't She just worked on quite in
n~ocently.
I, Il hadn't spoken to her." he ex-
planned, taking a knowledge of some
tender sentiment for granted, land
before the other one came back I
went out with the Twentieth Kansas
to the Philippines. 1 wrote her from
there, just an ordinary letter, and
she wrote these two back. There's
nothing in them I can't show you.
They're just ordinary"
They were quite ordinary. The
writing was characterless; the VERDI
age commonplace to the point of
WEAKNESS. She probably had been
only an Indifferent understudy of the
plain and useful person who usually
filed the chair of the society editor
on that country paper. They indi-
Gated neither humor or affection.
And he had kept them slowed away
for years.
Il saw her once, after I was mus
tered out" he said, putting the let
tiers away in his breast pocket. "And
she seemed just the same, as fair and
fresh and fragrant as ever. We
talked to each other casually. Some
how, I don't know why, I didn't even
Speak to her then; and I came en-
here. A month afterward I read of
her marriage to a row of apartment
houses and a coal mine"
He seemed to be cropping back in
his memory for some rag of a flutter-
ing passion, some shadow of romantic
regret. But he found none. The
sentiment seemed close all through
the years, but it moved on a parallel
track. 1t was not in his train.
"A row Of apartment houses and a
coal mine," he Illuminated, speculat-
ing on the probable income, and feel
ing dollars worth of change in his
pocket with reckoning figures. And
Il got married, too
That last he was cheerful about.
But the habit of being cheerful and
consistently tender about his owr
marriage was habitual. Then, OF
course" he said, Il forgot. o.
thought l had And I hadn't
. . It's a funny world, isn't it?'
He looked for exterior comment or
the inexplicable humor of things t.
explain the situation, skipping the
thought that visualized the tender
places as fingers searching for {
wound skip the Commissions.
"She never knew how it was" hi
said, quietly defying contradiction
"She didn't understand. I never
said anything; how could she? Ant
now she's living here, in the same
town, with the row of apartment
houses and the coal mine. I wonder
what he's like
He felt his own biceps in the prim
tive instinct Of the savage man war
ring for his own.
BALD. perhaps" he said, "ant
4abby, and Il wonder how she like!
it. She didn't look a day older; jus
as fresh and rose-pink as she Wal