The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-06-06

The hot, tedious days heightened, and
Elizabeth went through her routine OF
duties with the soulless precision of a
machine
"Are you under the weather, moth.
err" asked Sllas an evening two weeks
later as he sat absorbed In the drowsy
comfort Of his pipe, his chair tilted
back against the house. his slippercd
feet crossed upon the porch railing
"You seem sort OF tuckered out"
Elizabeth looked away as she an.
swered. She dared not trust too much
TO the deepening twilight. The next
day would be that Of Kitty's gradua.
ton.
"Shucks," calculated Silas, shat was
the gates click. Who can be comm
this time of night? Why, If 1t amt
the doctors wifer
Mrs. Farland| Self reproach min.
gled with tenderness in the question.
ing. In the stress of her own unhappi.
ness she had forgotten the anguish
that her dear little friend must be suf.
fering as she looked forward to the
morrow, for during the first years at
college Ethel Farland had been Kit.
tvs classmate and only the preceding
summer, one of typhoid at Hillsboro,
had the sweet young life been called
to higher school. Elizabeth's bitter.
ness shriyeled in shame. and. holding
out her arms, she ran down the path
No words passed between the two wo-
men. The unaccustomed kiss, the out
stretching thoughts of each mother
heart, was speech enough.
Don't disturb yourself. Silas," said
Mrs. Farland gently as they came up
to the porch. NO, Betty, dear, can't
stay" Her voice tluttered nervously.
II came only to give you-this," She
slipped an envelope into Elizabeth's
astoniShed hand. pressing 1t with
trembling fingers. "The express passes
through Hillsboro at 6:15 and gets to
Centerville at TO- The commencement
exercises don't begin till half past. you
know. It's my own ticket-the one I'd
have bought for myself Tiff things
had happened different This is the
only way you can help me bear to.
morrow, Betty"
She turned from the spellbound wo-
man on the porch and darted up the
path. The gate clicked The dark 81.
lence was broken by the hootlng of an
owl. In patch of sky above the shad-
owing branches of the trees shone
star
Sleepless hours of happy planning,
htful dreams Of thrilling adventure.
and Elizabeth's night had slipped into
dawn. For moment of ecstasy she
fingered at her window, eyes uplifted
to the glory flushing the eastern sky:
then she stole downstairs to a hundred
little commonplace deeds of love, from
giving the chickens fresh water to cut.
ting pie for Silas' lunch.
After they had hurried through |
breakfast, Elizabeth chattering so
much that she forgot to eat, Sllas
Glumly acquiescent in his wife's 'fool
hankerin' after graduatin' shows" |
came the excitement of dressing |
Standing before her cracked mirror |
her shaking hands tying the black lace
veil with its elaborate border about |
the dingy straw bonnet trimmed in
purple ribbon and red currants. she
proudly surveyed herself, glad that she
had yielded to Silas five years ago and
bought a cinnamon brown alpaca in.
stead of the coveted gray. because 1t
looked more 'partyfed" for the present
occasion.
She who had for years experienced
no more exhilarating motion than a
lolting ride in the farm wagon passed
through the whirl on the express in Il
trance. But a shock of awakening
came when the express had left her