The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-11-09

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Copyrighted 1slss ~, lkSlocl ate y
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49,
overnieiif tiis sIlee srIieF li1 pos.
sorned out tn amp lIlles Dine chest
mt stands, topped BY The roaster.
which sent out the fraeTance Of the
mealy nuts.
A crisp tang In the air sent the end
less procession Of workers along at .
sTnarter pace. Only an occasional deere
Iiet sauntered along at q laggard'E
gait. Overhead thin haze veiled the
sky, changing the blue Of the cloud
less armament to softer tint, and
through this yellow sun burned
duly.
paul Westfor(l as he hurled toward
the once smiled the odOr OF the roast
ing chestnuts and smiled remEniscents
". OF course chestnuts roasted In q
nan over a charcoal IRE could not be
as good as when they were gathered
in the. wood and reacted In IRE
shovel
1t took two to roast chestnuts prop
erIy. two In cozy parlor, with an
open IRE for the. only illustration.
He knew all about roasting chest
nuts. 1t was while they were roasting
chestnuts that Carol Ryder had prom
ised to be his wife. Ever since that
night the perfume OF the chestnut
stands had reminded him OF the girl
he had loved and lost.
The course OF true love had run with
Its customry trregularity, so it befel
that during one OF their misunderstanding
InSs John Ryder, Carols father, had.
fallen upon evil times. Els invest
ments were threatened. for lack OF
ready money. Another man. had come
TO Ryder's aid and had claimed Carol
as his reward. t@
The girl had married him In the mis-
taken BELIEF that. she. owed 1t to her
father. obey his wishes, and when
Paul sought reconciliation he Had
found that 1t was too late.
He had come to the city that he
might not be reminded daily OF his
loss and had prospered greatly. He
had found engrossmertt--i IL not forget
fulneSs in business.
Yet always the smell OF roasting
chestnuts brought back to him TINT
night in the Ryder parlor. and he could
feel again that thrill of joy when he
heard the whispered Yes"
Today It came back TO him more
strongly than ever, ana on the pages
of the letters he opened he could see,
the picture of the woods about CnrrisA
vile, riotIng with color under the au-
tnmn sun.
He had never gone back to the town
since his first departure. He had never
wanted to see the place. But today he
heard the country calliehIm. and the
call was not to be denied: He arrang
ed with his chief clerk to slopk after
afCalTa for {: few days, and that night
he left on the sleeper for CarrisvfIle.
He found the town was sadly
changed. Paul arrived In the early
hours, when few were stirring, and as
sleepy hacEman drove, sleeper
horse through the silent street Paul
felt lump rise in his throat as when
one greets an old friend and finds him
that friend no longer. but even more
foreign than an actual stranger.
The old brick schobIhouse had grown
into u stone structure several stories
in height. There was n new Methodist
church, and many of the old houses
had been replaced by more imposing
structures. while in the business sec
ton the store fronts had been altered
to present metropolitan aspect.
1t was not until after lunch and Paul
had started out into the country that
he began to feel at home. He had
looked up none OF his old friends, fear
ing to find them as sadly changed as
the village itself. -
There was "A trolley now TO take him
to the outskirts of the town. but he
dropped or when the cnnal bridge
came in sight and the trolley turned
on the road to the river. The bridge
was not changed.
1t was the same low. white structure
from which he had dropped many a
time TO the deck of some passing canal
boat to ride down to the lock and beg
a ride back.
Beyond the bridge too, the road
looked the same. The trend of prog
ress had been along the line of the
trolley. and on this side of the canal
the farmhouses were unchanged.
They had not even mended the break
in the fence where he formerly slipped
through for the short cut to the marsh.
Here the largest frogs were always to
INn aud paul faInDfad Tn