The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-14
AFTER THE STORM.
By Lulu Johnson.

nY AUI0 00Dn0O0,
 Copyrighted. 1907, by c; H. sutcliffe.
 Brooks raised the shade and looked. out. saying things softly to himself. A sudden landscape merged into leaden skies and fine, driving rain yelled but slightly the misery of the scene.
 Across the road score of ducks waddled contentedly through the mud. . corner of the lot. but half dozen be- draggled hens squawked dolefully as they picked up the angle worms driv- en to the surface by the continued rain and rushedSback to shelter. The cows in the side pasture huddled under the dripping trees and the dog trotted across the road with his tail dragging almost in the mud as he had made for the protection of the barn after being driven from the Inviting kitchen door.
 Brooks had come to Centerville for a purpose: purpose that was not best served by confnepent in country boarding house for seven days and nights. once or twice there had come break in the steady rain. but in an hour or so 1t only came down the hard or. as though. to make up for the time 1t had lost.
 the Big Rock where they had first met the summer before and there make the avowal of love that had hung trembling upon his lips ever since He had been able to take whole month the year before: four golden weeks filled with sunshine and love.
 Then Bess had gone to Europe as companion to rich relative. and just as she returned Curtis Brooks had been called to South America on a mat ter of great importance. They had cor- responded with such regulation as their uncertainty of movement per. mitted. but there had been no oppor- tunity for a proposal and now their waking time was divided between the parlor and the dining room of the old farmhouse
 Seven days of rain had gotten on Brooks's nerves. With his whole en- ergy bent upon taking back to town Bess's promise, the dreary round Of parlor life irritated him.
 Dickie Langdon, who had been the life of the stormbound party, had re- christened Willow Farm the Ark. with an allusion to the animals that went the colored servants Ham and his wife, and with a sudden switch to Pima fore' Langdon had insisted that Brooks was Dick Deadeye because of his dis position. and Brooks had not belied his nickname. It was not easy even for patient man to sit quietly andssee the hoped-for opportunity pass and Cur us bEOOk3 WdS HOt U pullcHl iHdH.
 All through those last weeks in Co., lumbia he gould shut his eyes and see the Big Rock with Bcss and himself standing beside 1t just as they had done the summer before. Now that he was here he could not even see 1t from the windows because of the curtain of mist and rain. Tomorrow he would have to return to town and then there was another long trip to Caregena.
 The frown was still on Brooks face when he went down to breakfast. Langdons jollity irritated him. and when they went back to the parlor af- ter the meal he was gloomy and dis pirited. Even Bess could not win him out of himself. and finally he went to his room to write some letters. he an- nounced.
 Writing consisted in sitting before table with pen and ink and paper near at hand. and staring at the dren- ched landscape before him. Even the ducks had sought cover. for now the rain was coming down In sheets. He could scarcely see across the yard, and with a groan at the lost vacation he let his head sink forward upon his arm.
 A light knock at the door had to be twice repeated before he heard it. Bess