The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-01-23


mp IN the mountains, and be had en-
joyed month Of fishing. framping and
dreaming to his hearts content. On
bis way home he'd stop for week or
two At q certain little hotel reported to
have good cuisine and rest strained
wrist before going back to business.
CHANGING casually over the hotel reg
lister, he saw the name of Mrs. John
Burgess. There arose in the mans
breast curious sensation, but he pull
ed himself together.
How absurdr' he upbraided himself
as he walked away from the desk. As
II there were not hundreds Of John
Burgesses. Why, might even have
coaxed myself into believing that re-
membered her handwriting
An hour or so later, however, he met
her on the lawn. Their eyes unexpect-
eddy encountered one another.
Can it be-" cried he, with boyish
incredulity. She extended her hand.
Il think it can" she answered. with
that little half smile on the corner of
her pure lip which he remembered SO
, WELL
Mrs. Burgess had escaped the half
kittenish challenge of the middle aged
woman who will not abjure conquest
She did not move to the shade of the
tree nor even open her parasol She
stayed precisely where she was. with
streak of harshly revealing sunlight
playing havoc with such loneliness as
time had left to her. After awhile the
warmth of the sun or some other
warmth she knew not of brought into
her pale cheeks that glow which James
Walsh's first roses had brought, oh, so
many years ago.
That night time and again Mr. Walsh
drove away the memory Of the WON
| ans feeting half smile, yet it returned
to haunt him with all its old sweet
| allurement. Finally he fell asleep and
dreamed of her.
The next morning at breakfast he
found himself unaccountabIy agitated
She was not in the room when he ar
rived, and ali the other boarders, even
the pretty young girl with the quiet
gray eyes, seemed to him like so many
/ igureheads. What if he had not really
/ seen her yesterday? What if it had
/ all just been in the dream last night?
| But at last she came. and the beauty
/ of no radiant goddess could have
! pierced SO straight into his breast as
did this woman's tired loneliness. In
her simple white morning gown she
! seemed to him the soul of sensitive del
icaey and serenity
| He recalled how, being essentially
/ feminine, she always pitied suffering
| So now he made his strained wrist a
pretext for being near her She her
self ministered to him, binding it firm
| ly and gently. Her BREATH sweet as an
infants, touched his brow They lunch
ed en- tete-a-tete and that afternoon
took drive together in a hired trap.
Mr.. Walshs intended week was pro-
longed to fortnight. During that time
his eyes followed Mrs Burgess, and
indeed his feet did also, very much
more frequently than she herself APP
proved. She thought of her position,
her children, of what might be ridicu-
lous in the situation, of the gossip and
she had heard a few scoffings, with a
note of mirth at the devotion of Mr.
Walsh, and it had made her super
sensitive.
But all of these trivial objections
vanished like mist before the sun on
tbo Nn La; II
before her, when he showed her that
beneath his apparent prosperity he was
hungry-he had always been hungry
for companionship and sympathy
And you could make me SO happy,
oh, so happy, dear, if you would marry
slowly along the road the day before
( his departure Her arm lay lightly
/ upon his, her eyes We're shining. and
there was warm girlish tint in her
pale cheeks.
Wont you? | need you sou he
pleaded Just then they were passing
4 a huge willow tree.
Now. yelled and Swallowed from the
world by the Willows dropping green,
sitting on the lush grass Were two
young people to whom love had just
sung its first sweet song. Naturally
4 they'd started a bit when they heard
4 approaching footsteps, but they might
have spared the start Neither of them
was observed.
4 Il always did think Mrs. Burgess was
sweet looking, Billy" said Miss Ty-
son, absently pressing COOL bending
branch of willow across her hot cheek.
"but just then she looked positively
beautiful"
Eyes, sweetheart" acquiesced the
wise Billy "Why shouldn't she? She's
having her st. Martins summer, you
see''