Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-01-30

tremblingly she broke the seal.
Dear JAMIE" it began. The name
looked so familiar that it startled her.
No one had used it for years. There
was only one person in the world who
| had ever called her that-Henry Mi
chael, her lover, the man whose faded
daguerreotype she fondly cherished.
She turned kuickly to the last sheet.
His name Was this a message from
the dead? She stared at the writing
long and hard. jamie" Yes, It was
her Henry! None other would have
used that name! Joy for a moment
overcame her; then, an indignant flush
| Of crimson dyed her cheeks. She
thought Of her wasted life, of the hap
piness and Joy she had lost-and all
| through him. Why had he let her wait
all these years, desolate, alone, when
she might have shared the joys and sor-
rows of wifehood and motherhood with
her other friends? He had not truly
loved her.
She had a mind to burn the letter
without reading 1t, but curiosity over
came the desire. AS she read, the hand
writing grew to look more familiar. She
was sure it was the long lost MichaeIs.
! He had been in Southern France all
| this time making his fortune. How
many times he had written and re-
ceived no answer! He had begun to
| believe her dead, when, by chance he
ran upon a sea-faring friend from
America who gave him encouragement.
| She was still in the same old place, and
what If his former letters had never
reached her The thought gave him
| courage to try his luck once more, and
he prayed that the fate of this letter
would not be the same as that Of It's
| predecessors. He was so impatient he
| could not wait in France for his an
swer. He was coming to America
coming to find her. Was she free and
would she marry him? He would sail
from Liverpool on the Goth. He would
arrive in New York the first of the
week, and he would come direct to her.
| He gave an address in New York to
which she was to write, and he said
her answer would decide his fate.
The letter was so sincere, so sympa-
| thetic. so true, so like the dear Henry
| Of old, the indignation she had felt at
| first speedily changed to mingled joy
! and happiness. In nervous haste she
grabbed a sheet of paper and penned
the lines, "Polkville, The Old Home
stead. Dear Henry: l am as ever,
| JAMIE" Then, she stamped and sealed
the envelope and directed it to the New
! York address. The next morning early
when only the birds were awake, she
drove to OvertOn. This time it was
to post a letter to the man she loved.
Her precious letter mailed, she must
wait patiently for an answer; that was
the tedious part Of it. After week to
which there seemed to be no end, the
day came when he would arrive in New
York. She felt that she should hear
from him as soon as a letter could
reach her. Days went by, and no let
ter came She could not understand
| the delay. Had there been some mis-
! take? Her careworn face wore a dis
| appointed look. Must she give up this
one last hope to which she chung so
fondly, but which was growing fainter
| and fainter as the DAYS went by? 1t
was not right that others should have
all the happiness.
She felt very blue and detected as
she wendell her way homeward from
another fruitless visit to the postoffice
Save for the robins chirping their YES
pers and an occasional whip-poor-will,
nothing broke the silence of the dusky
road. All at once out of the stiffness
of the evening, came the sound of foot
falls not far behind her. With sud-
den intuition she became aware that
man was following her. Instinctively,
she ouickened her pace The man be-
hind her quickened his pace also. She
walked more slowly, and he retarded
his steps. She felt a little nervous, for
there was a long stretch Of woods to
pass Murders were often committed
on lonesome roads. But there was no
time to waver. She could not turn
back into the face Of the man behind
her, and there was nothing left for her
to do but to press forward unfinching-
", although her knees shook and her
teeth chartered.
She passed the stretch OF woods in
safety, but when she reached her own
gate, the man was still following her.
AS she lifted the latch, he called to her
ever so softly, Jamie" She turned
quickly. The man stood with out
stretched arms Again he whispered
the old name, the love light shining
in his eyes. It was her Henry! And
she had tried to run away from him!
She gave a glad cry and sprang into
his waiting arms just as Mrs Oak
drove by in her wagon. But Miss Jane
was too happy to notice her.
The next day the village was all
agog with the news of Miss James APP
preaching marriage.