Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1909-02-04
FOUND IN
THE WOODS.
By GRANT PACKARD.
Copyrighted. 1905 by Associated

somed out with implanted pine chest
nut stands, topped by the rooster
which sent out the fragrance OF the
mealy nuts.
A crisp tang in the air sent the end
less procession of workers along at
smarter pace. Only an occasional dere
iict sauntered along at a laggard'
gait. Overhead a thin haze yelled the
sky, changing the blue OF the cloud
less armament 10 a softer tint, and
through this a yellow sun burned
duly.
Paul westford as he hurried toward
the office shifted the odor of the roast
ing chesmuts and smiled reminiscent
IL. or course chestnuts roasted In q
pan over a charcoal fire could not be
as good as when they were gathered
shovel
Ii took two TO roast chestnuts prop
erly. two In a coy parlor, with an
open fire for the only illustration.
He knew all about roasting chest.
nuts. Ii 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
be had loved and lost
The course OF true love had run with
fits customry irregularity, so il befell
that during one OF their misunderstood.
ings John Ryder, Carols father, had
fallen upon evil times. His invest.
ments were threatened for lack OF
ready money. Another man had come
TO Ryder's aid and had claimed Carol
as his reward.
The girl had married him In the mis-,
taken belief that she owed It to her
father to obey his wishes. and when
Paul sought reconciliation he had
found that II was too late.
He had come 10 the city that he
might not be reminded daily Of his
loss and had prospered greatly. He
fulness In business.
Yet always the smell Of roasting
chestnuts brought back to him that
night in the Ryder parlor and he could
feel again that thrill Of joy when he
heard the whispered Yes"
Today 1t came back to him more
strongly than ever, and on the pages
of the letters he opened he could see
the picture OF the woods about Carris-
vile. rioting with color under the au-
tumn 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 call him. and the
call was not to be denied. He arrang-
ed with his chief clerk to look after
affairs for few days. and that night
he left on the sleeper for GAINESVILLE.
He found the town was sadly
changed. Paul arrived In the early
hours. when few were stirring. and a.
a sleepy hackman drove a sleepier
horse through the silent street Paul
felt n 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 schoolhouse had grown
into stone structure several stories
In height There was a new Methodist
church. and manv 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 a 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 trolley now to take him
to the outskirts of the town, but he
dropped OF when the canal 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
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
be caught. and Paul was tempted TO
push through just to see II he still was
slender enough.
1t was a 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 its way between
grassy banks. the towpath. dotted with
toiling mules. showing white against
the green.
Farther yet the river flowed placidly
on to the churning foam of the rapids
below, and between lay the level acres
now yellow with stubble. In the val.
ley. the autumn tints were not yet pro-
nounced, but at his back. on the
heights, the woods were glorious with
red and gold.
Paul started on: at brisk pace for
the chestnut grove where the nuts
were always biggest and best On the
SATURDAY. holiday the woods would be
dotted with the nutnickers. but today
ne had the place 20 himself He was
on familiar ground now. and he head
ed straivhf IN the grove
There were few NUTS on the ground
but PM WINS nrt onfent with these,
ana sNFl'Hs ''i coat a,gfsrest b.