Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-05-22
What a Dress Was
Responsible For
tOriginal.l

There Were music and dancing and
| feasting. In recess sat couple, as
couples have sat from the beginning OF
the world, first under the primeval for
est, then in skin covered dwelling
and now in splendid residences. The
man was in the conventional black
the woman in dream of costume
that had just been turned out at the
hands of an artist
"Your answer is final?" asked the
man almost with Il moan.
Yes"
But you have admitted that you
could be very happy with me-
THE happier l could be the more
miserable would be-
What do you mean?"
I'm poverty l would suffer in seeing
you suffer"
But you might wait for something
better than poverty At the gold fields
/ shall
"A bird in the hand is worth two in
the BUSH
"Well?" anXiously.
"Within a few days l shall be en-
! gagged to man whose fortune is not
! in the bowels of the earth
1t was with Il sickening sensation
| about the heart that he went away
| from the place where he had been told
that all he cared to strive for was de-
MED him. He turned and looked back
/ at the lights. and the music came to
| him in mockery. Should he go to the
! river and end it all or carry out his in
! tention to go to the gold fields? The
! former course was but momentary
weakness; the latter would take him
| far away from the girl who was about
| to pass to another.
A man with few streaks Of gray in
! his hair and beard entered ballroom.
! At the farther end a woman stood with
her back to him. The moment his eye
lighted on her costume he started. Fiji
| teen years before the girl who had
worn that dress or it's counterpart had
refused him and told him that she was
! about to marry Il man whose fortune
was real tangible thing, not a dream
| of the future The figure was the
| same. and the hair. like hers, was jet
black He advanced, and when still
at distance she turned. She was like
! his lost love. too much like her for the
| interval of years that had passed since
he had seen her. He had expected to
see her look older But it was she.
| OF that he was quite sure.
She walked past him on the arm of
an attendant, but gave no heed to the
newcomer who was so much interested
in her. He was not surprised that she
| did not recognize him. If she had not
changed he had He had been buried
in a wilderness and had done nothing
| but dig in the earth.
| That" he said to friend, pointing
| at the same time to the girl sis or was
Miss Howes?'
"Yes. Miss HOwes."
| please present me to her without
! speaking my name plainly. so that she
| will not hear it,"
The introduction was made and
Donald King" so distorted as to sound
| like another name.
"Are you resident of the city?'
asked the girl by way of introducing
! conversation.
II was ut one time. / have been
away a long time"
Il thought you must be stranger,
since / don't remember ever to have
seen you before"
"You have known me we'll"
"I?' She looked ut him searchingly.
81 must admit that you have passed out
OF my memory"
That's natural. It's years since we
parted. l might not have recognized
you had it not been for something to
guide me-"
And that isl"
The orchestra gave the call for Il
dance. A man came hurrying up to
Miss Howes and led her away.
Donald King laid his plans to make
more than casual acquaintance of his
former love and kept his identity SO
well concealed that he did not reveal
himself He was careful to chat with
| her only on subjects entirely discon-
nected with their past affair and learn
ed little more about her life since then
than she knew about his. He wished
to know why she had not married, as
she had intended but feared to reveal
himself 10y asking. He made rather
quick love, but the lady seemed in
clined to listen.
| Finally he revealed himself in this
wise:
"When | went away you said that
you considered bird in the hand
worth two in the bush. Why did you
not take the bird in the hand?'
"You speak in riddles
! "YOu are the woman | loved and the
only woman | shall ever love. I might
not have recognized you on my return
had ii no. been that YOU wore the same
dress as the night before my depar-
! ture. when you told me there was no
hope for me on account OF my poverty.
/ But on my return | recognized you,
and you excited in me the same
"Are you bereft of your senses, or
J have you mistaken me for some one
else? That dress was given my older
sister years ago by my cousin, Edith
Howes. My sister wore il occasional
". and now that its sleeves and other
things in its makeup have come again
into fashion l have been making use
nf itv