Sharp County record., 1909-12-24
Hearts | United
By STUART B. STONE

In spite Of his frGCkled face and his
head Of bristly tow, Tommy Burns was
a sentimentalist. His leisure hours
were devoted to the reading of "Woood
and Wed" and the whole Heart o.
Heart series. Many's the time the lad
busted the shelving in siipshod way,
while in fancy he Travelled along the
Riviera with the rich Miss Dukenheim-
er, and Tommy had q name tor every
lfe-insurance-ca beauty in the
dinGy suite.
Mr.. Tommy Burns went one night
to the play The Grantham stock
company would render whistler the
Noble Engineer" and Mr.. Burns had
been attracted by the panorama of a
wild-eyed man grabbing babe from
iron wheels. Also, Miss Olive Bates
would appear as Bertha, the Beautiful
Knitting Needle Girl,
Now, while the minor lights drilled
through the preliminaries to the great
rescue scene, Mr.. Burns read dosuItor-
lily through the pages Of why She
Loved Him" and thrilled as much over
the dilemma of Countess Helene, in
the book, as at the sad plight OF Maud
Mumford, the dashing adventures in
The Noble Engineer"
But now the great Bates was coming
on, and Tommy slipped the yellow
backed book in his pocket. Here would
bo acting worth while, and Mr.. Burns
held in his dirty hama bouquet OF
reddest roses. They were for the great
Bates when she passed through the
valley OF the shadow Of the great
Crisis.
There was a rattle from the snare.
drum artist and boom and rumble
from the man with the bass, and red
lights flashed and trains Crasned in
the painted scenery.
Saved" shouted the noble en-
gineer.
Saved" repeated the great Bates,
Saved" echoed the audience.
Tommy Burns made reply with his
posy, and then q passage from "Why
She Loved Him. flashed through his
sentimental brain. lie scrlbbled the
words Of the elegant countess on the
tug Of his red bouquet;
"All is forgiven. There Is 10 one In
the world but you and me-"
After the burning words Of Countess
Helene he wrote Tommy" Then he
hurled loves nosegay on the stage as
the Scene.in.the.Alps curtain went
down to music, fast and furious.
Mr.. Thomas Burns went on with the
beautiful idyl in saffron covers, but be.
hind the Alpine curtain a gruff stage
Eand brought bouquet Of red roses
to the great Bates in her circumscribed
dressing room. 1t was q gaudy, tat
tered thing, and the leading lady at
first elevated her dainty nose and Won
dered at the economical habits Of GER
tain Johnnies. But the fine gray eyes
caught the name Tommy" and the
leading lady stopped short and read
the scrawling message
"All Is forgiven, There Is no one
IN the world but you and me-"
"Oh bless his hcart!' babbled the
great Bates, and she laughed, and
cried and gave the grinning stage hand
dollar, Dear old Tom" she
chirruped, 81 knew he would give In, y
The leading lady sent a perlumed
pink note by the grinnng stage hand,
and the note found its way to very
elegant gentleman in box, Then
the very elegant gentleman hurried
down behind the scenes, and there
was q drama In real lie played right
there in the mimic trappngs. There
had been differences between these
two, and tho very elegant gentleman
Thomas Wardley-had declared he
would never look at the leading lady
again. But he had regretted the words
IN the bitterness Of his heart and the
pink note had brought him in very
quick time,
"Wh0t can't understand muir
INJURED Miss Olive Bates, "I3 why you
wrote In such serawly hand"
Thomas Wardley dissemblod II
merely wanted to see II you would
know, dear,
But down in his heart he knew that
Tommy Burns, the Romantic once
Boy--hls onlce loy-had been ut more
OF his "Thorns and Orange Blossoms
business, and he raised that gentle
mans salary when next they met,
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