The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-09-03
A SHOCK.


and looked into her moonlit eyes.
was twenty, she not quite eighteen.
was going west TO seek my fortune.
When | had made competence
couldn't bear to consider more than
three months sufficient for the pur-
pose-I was to return and take her
back with me.
Life In the meanwhile" she said,
will be one long period OF waiting"
1T will seem an age to me"
You will be engrossed in business.
That will make you forget"
- shall never forget. | shall lay
down thirty days for each month on
paper and each morning check one
off. To see them disappear will he
my only comfort"
There was silence for awhile. A
distant clock struck II.
I'm seven hours my train will be
pulling out the station. | have yet
to pack"
Must you go?"
"Yes. Farewell"
But another hour passed and ! was
not gone. The same clock struck ~.
! drew her to me. There was a long
long kiss. Then | turned and with
out looking back hurried away.
A month of daily letter writing. a
month of alternate day writing,
month of weekly writing-the three
months that / had laid out wherein
to attain the wherewithal TO bring her
TO me-had passed, and I had only
just found a position giving me S15 a
week. The correspondence died a
peaceful death. There were no re-
proaches on either side. In youth as
sociations are forming and reform
ing rapidly. One autumn it is Char
lie and VIII and Tom and Lucy and
Mary and Fannie; the next spring 1t
is Charlie and Arthur and Pete and
Ethel and Maud and Kate
Youth Is but a kaleidoscope-th he
same colors under different group
ings. Two years after leaving home
u could not tell who wrote the last
letter, she or l. Three years and |
couldn't have told whether her eyes
were black, brown or hazel Five
years, and one day in ransacking
among a lot OF rubbish | came upon
her picture--the picture had dream
ed over for hours at time.
She married and went to another
city to live. | didn't hear her mar
ried name, or If | did | forgot il. It
was twelve years from our parting
over the gate before | saw her again
II was at a summer resort. / had
become infatuated with girl of
twenty, fresh as a new blown rose,
and when the hot season came fol-
lowed her to the country. She was
chaperoned by her aunt, Mrs.
Schenck, apparently about forty,
with grizzly gray hair, a pinched ex-
preston and sharp voice. She had
five children, all of them with her.
and no nurse. Surely was not that
enough to spoil any woman's attrac-
tiveness?
| became engaged. 1t was evening,
and was obliged TO leave the next
morning. l told my story and was
accepted at the last moment before
my departure and as everybody at
the hotel was going to bed. When /
set off for the train she went with
me down to the gate, and we stood
leaning over it, | without, she with
in | held both her hands in mine
and looked into her moonlit eyes.
assured her that | should look for
ward to her return to the city with
eagerness, and she promised to cut
short her stay in the country. We
heard locomotive whistle, distant
rattle, drawing nearer, and train
stopped at the station below: then
presently the moon shone on some
thing white, and woman came up
the path.
"oh, Aunt Juanita," exclaimed my
hancee, where have you been?"
started. had cause TO remem-
ber that name-that uncommon
name-Juanita.
ITO the postofflce to get Franks
letter He always posts 1t to come on
this train" !"
Pm so glad you're here that you
may congratulate us on our engage
ment. 1t only occurred few min
utes ago. ! am so happy"
Il rejoice with you, my dear.
know just how happy you feel, be-
cause your lover made me feel Just
as happy dozen years ago.
you are"-I exclaimed
Certainly l am"
"Oh aunty, what does this mean?"
"A case of puppy love between
two puppies"
And did he-surely he did not
play you false"
mo more than / did him."
Singular" | interposed, that ]
didn't recognize you"
mot at all. "A woman, especially
a married woman with five children,
grows old very quickly, while a
man usually stands still till he is
past forty" Then, kissing her niece,
she said to her: 81 wish you every
happiness, dear. I can conscientious
ly recommend your lover and assure