The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-01-03

he could Lay successful siege to several
feminine hearts that be was stin quite
capable Of victory
BE had been spending August aIone
up in the mountains, and he had en-.
joyed 4 month Of fishing. trampIng and
dreaming TO his hearts content. on
his way home he'd stop for a week OF
two at certain little hotel reported 70
have good cuisine and rest strained
wrist before going back TO business.
CHANGING casually over the hotel reg
ister, he saw the name OF Mrs. John
Burgess There arose IN the mans
breast a curious sensation, but he pnll.
ed himself together.
How absurdF' he upbraided himself
AZ he walked away from the desk. As
II there were not hundreds Of John
Burgesses, Why, might even have
eoaxed myself into believing that / 70.
membered her handwriting
An hour or so later, however, be met
her on the lawn. Their eyes unexpect.
edly encountered one another.
Can II beT' cried he, with boyish
incredullty. She extended her hand.
Il think II 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
kittenlsh 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
a streak of harshly revealing sunlight
playing havoc with such lovellness 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 checks 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 wom-
ans ieeting half smile, yet 1t returned
to haunt him with all its old sweet
allurement. Finally be fell asleep and
dreamed OF her.
The next morning at breakfast he
found himself unaceountably agitated.
She was not in the room when he ar
rived, and all the other boarders, even
the pretty young girl with the quiet
gray eyes, seemed to him like so many
fgureheads. What If he had not really
seen her yesterday? What II 1t 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.
icacy and serenity.
he recalled how. being essentially
feminine, she always pltied suffering.
So now be made his strained wrist a
pretext for being near her. She her.
self mlnistered to him, binding II arm.
ly and gently. Her breath, sweet as an
Infants, touched his brow. They lunch.
ed en- tete-a-tete and that afternoon
took a drive together In hired trap.
Mr.. Walsh's 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 ap.
proved. She thought OF her position,
her children OF what might be ridicu-
lous In the situation, OF the gossip and
espionage Of the guests. Once or twice
she bad heard few scofings, with
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
the day when he laid his heart bare
before her. when he showed her thai
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. II you would marry
me-" he was saying as they walked
slowly along the road the day before
his departure. Her arm lay lightly
upon his, her eyes were shining, and
there was warm glrlish tint in her
pale cheeks.
won't your need you sor. he
pleaded. Just then they were passing
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
they'd started a bit when they heard
approaching footsteps, but they might
have spared the start. Neither of them
was observed.
81 always did think Mrs. Burgess was
sweet looking, Billy" said Miss Ty-
son, absently pressing a cool, bending
branch of willow across her hot cheek.
'fbut Just then she looked positively
beautiful"
Eyes. sweetheart" acquiesced the
wise Billy. "why shouldn't she? She's
having har 81 MARITIME gumunar vo,,