Smyrna times., 1908-06-24
WelCOminS
a Wife.
BY Lulu Johnston.
Copyrighted. 1908, by Associated
Literary Press.
BY Lulu JobnSfon.

Little Miss Merrington hurried from
the postOttice clutching tightly the
precious letter the clerk had just hand
ed her. She had not needed to glance
at the foreign stamp to tell that it was
from Harvey Rial. The clear, bold
handwriting of the address had told
her that before the letter had been re-
moved from the box in which it lay,
together with the local paper.
There was flush on the kindly lit
tie face not due to the spring breezes,
but to the hope which had risen in
her heart. Twenty years before she
and Harvey Rial had been engaged to |
be married A lovers quarrel and |
| pride too stubborn to confess fault had |
resulted in Rails marriage to Marga |
ret Bond.
Then Miss MerringtOn had settled
herself 1ncOmplainingly to a life OF
| spinsterhood. rejoicing that her ia.
theirs provision for her future did not
make it necessary for her to marry in
order to find home and taking pleas
ure in the hundred little acts of kind
ness which had made Little Miss Mer-
rington" village institution
All too soon Rial had discovered his
error. His new idols feet had turned
to clay Margaret's tongue was as
sharp as her face was fair, and. with
stole resignation, Harvey Riai had set
tied himself to lifelong penance for his
error
The thought gave him and Miss Mer
ringtOn something in common, and,
a though neither ever alluded to the
matter, there was a silent bond of
companionship that was none the less
sweet because it found no expression
in act or word.
Now, then, two years had passed
since Margaret had died, and Rial had
taken his son to Europe in the hope
= that travel might benefit his health
Since then letters had come by every
steamer-not the romantic epistles Of
youth, but entertaining stories of trav
el, infused with a tender sentimen
that was implied rather than express
ed There was always the note o
longing for home. with hint that b
wished Miss Merrington to shar
home with him.
The last letter had told that Ralp
was we'll enough to return, and it wa
h probable that the letter she now SOFT
!, patted in her pocket would name hi
- date of sailing.
&c Miss MerringtOn hurried into tt
neat front room" and with tremblir
fingers slit the cover.
I've told you all there is to te
about London" wrote Rial. This
Just to say that am sailing tomo
row. We are taking a ten day boat f
the sake of the sea air. and this lett
O. goes by one Of the fiers. And now +
the surprise | promised in my last.
81 am bringing home a bride. May l
ask YOU to see that the old house
opened and made fit to receive he
We should be in Fairlands five da
1V after you receive this. That shot
i give you plenty of time to prove yo
self the model housekeeper. ! leave
the arrangements to you, dear friel
-- and | know that nothing will be ]
undOne to make welcome the new NJ
n Rial will tell you all about it whe
r arrive"
II. That was all, scarcely page OF
familiar handwriting but the Ii
cnn died in Miss Merrington's eyes.
Wv" the beauty of the spring day faded.
For an hour or more she sat Quit
in her chair the letter in her lap
touched. She had felt sure that W
oee the time came Harvey would speak
words that should make her the
:. piest little woman in all the wo
" and now he had married another, 81
9 foreign woman whose youth and b'
tv had proved a subtle attraction.
- She could not altogether blame
" She was forty. No man would car
Id marry woman past her prime. 1t
e. hut natural that he should seek S
Younger woman.
And vet had Miss MerringtOn f;
the tall pier glass standing DetV
,ck. the front windows she would
lav- found reflected there face unma
ties, nv lines OF care. but lighted by
glow of earnest brown eyes.
She had scarcely lost her yout
the placid helpful life she led
ware cheeks were still smooth ana un'
kled tinted as SOItlY as tue Pe'"I9
blush rose Her hair was soft
brown. with never hint of gray.
sensitive tender mouth with its
bles, slant smile was as appealing
oets, cbild's. mouth surely made for K
'2Hs, 1;s, The tiny maid with her ammo
urse, ment of the noon dinner brought
Nerrington back to earth. The
MS she tucked in her pocket and a
ate her simple meal she planne'
<D work that must be done to max
IN' big Rial house habitable and hon
- in spite of its two untenanted ye
AIO Once every week in all that tin
NO had gone to see that all was we
now that it was to be opened ther
much TO be done. In work sne
find forgetfulness of her dlsaI
cbn would not II