Putnam patriot., 1908-11-06
FOUND N
 THE WOODS.
Ry CHANT PACKARD.
covy.sa'.a. iss. sy As'oeia's'


 which sent oat the fragrance ef the mesiy nuts.
 \ crisp tane in inc air sent the end los procession ef workers aioaE at T egaarter pace only an occasional dere. llsf aauugered along at laNsarts gaIt. 0ferhsad . thin haze FeIlei the skv. clan .ae fhe blue of the. cloud lees firm uent to softer tint. and through this T yellow sun burned duly
 Paul Wexford as he hurried toward the office aHIned the Od6T of the roast. ing chesin, md smiled reminiscent. Iy. Of course tbestnuts raasted in IaH over i charcoal fire could not be ns good as when they were gathered fin fhe wood and roasted in fire shovel
 II took tsp 10 roast chestnuts prop erIv. two ii eozY parlor, with an open fire for the only illustration.
 He knew all about roasting chest nuts. If WIS while they were roasting ahestHnts Hat Earel Ryder had prom ised to be Ais [ ife EYer since that night fhe perfume 0f the chestnut stands | q reminded him of ihe gir' be had lrsel and lost
 The course f true love had run with it's eusiefffF fire alarlis. se ii befei that during c ef tbelr inisnuderstand imrs Jabu Ryder. earofs father. had fallen upan evil times. Ills invest. meats were threatened for lack of ready maecy. Ar0thor man had come ie Ryder ela ahd had claimed eafa Hs his Fes HId.
 Tbe elil had married him tn the mis taken belief that she owed Il i9 her father 10 et.eY his wishes, ani when Paul sought reconciliation he had found tint II was too late.
 He had come to the city that he might mol he reminded daily ef his loss and lad prosrerea greatly He had fonnd engressment if not forget fuiaess in business.
 Yet alwafs the smei of roasting ehestnnts brought bnck to him that night in the Ryder parlor. and he could feel again that ibrlil Of Joy when he heard the whispered Yes"
 Today it came buck to him more strongly than ever. and on the pages of the letters lie opened he could see the picture of the woods about earrls- ville, rioting with color under the au- tumn sun.
 He had never gone baek to the town since his frat departure. He had never wanted to see the place. But today hc t.t 4 call was not to l3e denied He nrrang cd with his chief clerk to look after affairs fer t few days, md thnt night he left on the sleeper for caffisyllle.
 He found tue town was sadly changed ram arrived in the early hours. wien few were silrri4g. and IA il sleepy haekmsn drese sleenier horse through thc silent street Raui fclt n lunB flse in bis throat as when one greet an Il friend and finds him that frterd no lenger hni even more foreign fhHh an aetuHl stranger.
 The old brick srhoplhonse had grown into q stone strn tnre several sturies in hcieht There was n new Methodist church. and many ef the etd hauses had been repiaaed izv mnre imposing sirnetuHes. while in the business sec lion ihe tore fronts had been altered C present | metropolitan aspect
 II was not unttl after lnaehan rnal had started out into the country thnt he began h feel at home. He had looked np none of his old friends fear ing to find them as sadly changed as the villnge Itself.
 There was a trolley now to take him to the outskirts of the town. hut he dropped ofr when the canal bridge came in sight and the trolley turned on the road to the river The bridge was not changed
 IL 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 te the lock and beg ride back
 Beyond the bridge. too, the road looked the same. The trend of prog reSs had been along the llne If the trolley. and en thls side of the canal the farmheases were unchanged
 They had not even meuded the break in tue fence where he fefmerl8 slipped through for the short cut te the marsh. Here the largest frogs were always te he caught aud Paul was tempted te push through lust to see if he still was slender enough
 II was Il sharp climb up the hill and Paul was glad to pause and rest for a moment when he gained the crest. Be low. the canal wound it's way between
 st toiling mules. showing white against the green.
 Farther vet the river flowed placidly on to tb. chnrning foam of the rapids below. and between la, the level acres now yellow with stubhle. In the val. ley, the autumn tints were not yet pro nounced. but st his back. on the heights. the woods were glorious with red and gold
 Paul started out at a brisk pace for Che chestnut grove where the nuts were always biggest and best On the Saturday holiday the woods would he dotted with the nutpickers. hut today he had the place to himself He was on familiar ground now, and he head ed straight fnr the graNe.
 There were few nuts on the ground. but Paul was not content with these. and. slipping ar his eoat and vest. he swung ap into the biggest tree to shake som. down
 He feif an odd sense If elatlan as he found that hs comla climb as well as ever. iii spite of city fife and elevators. aud he deteruine,i ta climb to the very -. .x .A. AZ. | .....-. e.-... u V. U. U.