Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-01-15
Short Stories For Evening Hours
LONGING OF MISS PAULINE

M usual, MISS 'Ou6h'h
tressingly. And then she smiled, be-
cause beautiful thought that was
like dream with white wings passed
through her busy brain. Somehow
she felt as II that great thing which
she had longed for and prayed over
for years was on the verge of becom-
ing true. She could hear the rustic
of Hopes garments, hour by hour,
and down in the noise-ridden city,
where men fight and plunge and sell
their souls for bread, she heard the
sound, too-always the rustic of
Promise.
That longing of Miss Pauline was
secret which she had entrusted on
ly to few. 1t had come to her
shortly after the serious accident and
subsequent fever which laid her low
in the springtime of her life and its
happiness. And all through the
strange years that had followed she
chung to the longing with the hope
that II must be fulfilled II she were
patient and good enough.
At first when she came out of the
haze of that numbng illness the
world seemed strange, unreal place
1T was like living among shadows
nut in time she grew used to It, and
forgot the meaning of her friends
saddened looks and fearful shakings
of the head. She was satisfled-sat.
isiied with shadows.
Then the great longing came to
dog her steps, and Love, which had
once looked in on her. fed. Miss
Pauline seemed to need but one thing
and Love, who was young and ignor-
ant, and who would not be second in
Ianybody's heart, forsook her.
After all the great longing was a
foolish one-the only sort that could
have bothered a little body like Miss
Pauline. She merely wanted to be
tall. You see, she was only four
something, and she wanted to be FIVE
something IL so that the
yearning became a tragedy. The fe-
yer had left her with this greatest Of
all foolish ambitions.
To be sure there was no hope for
her-nOne at all. She was poor and
little and old. Besides she had been
taught that no one by taking
thought could add one cubic to his
stature. She knew that II was wick
ed for her to long for something that
could never be-so wicked, wicked
yet she seemed to be driven on in
that way like drifting, rudderless
boat in n high wind.
Always when she had thought It
out to the wicked" stage she paused
to say bit of n prayer-until the
prayer became a daily habit.
Good and Merciful," the suppll-
cation ran unvaryingly, 81 want Just
the one thing II Thou wilt give it
the one grace. | ask not and seek
not beauty of face nor of figure
but, oh, Thou Good and Merciful.
would be tall--a little taller. Yet
not my will-not my will--but Thy
will be done. Amen-and for Jesus
sake. But II Thou woudst, Great and
GOod-Good and Merciful-"
A good many years OF praying had
made no difference. Each night the
yardstick on the door casing marked
the same old four-something - and
lately II had seemed to take the least
bit of tiptoeing to fetch the figure
with a sigh Miss Pauline would have
to turn away to her bed and continu,
her supplications all unsatisfied.
And now the prim freshness of the
gentle face faded, leaving only goot
brown eyes that looked out uncer
tainly through the encroaching shad
ows.
There came day, however, wheI
Miss Pauline awoke to great happi
ness. She had left her noisy thor
oughfares behind upon the moment
Gus occasion of her monthly shopping
visit into the heart of the city, ant
"uHucIlHS upOn lHt ltSS-lIuNtltN
streets came upon a crowd of people
gathered about wagon. In the vel
low-wheeled vehicle stood man who
promised the most lovely and lmpos
sible things to all who would pay fol
| them.
Ladies' and gent'men, he an
nounced, II have here the most pow
erful remedial agent known since
the days of Esculapius, the father o.
medicine. One dose, ladies and gent
men, will open up new vista; one
bottle will create new life; one
dozen bottles will make Il poor mar
rich and short man tall"
Miss Pauline heard nothing save
the last sentence as the crowd sweep
her on. But that one sentence wal
enough to set her wild with joy. PEG
Pile could be made to grow taller!
Back she fought her way to thu
wagon and reached her hand up Il
attract attention. When she hat
stated her question the crowd CAV
back and laughed good-humoredly
with his shining smile the fine gen
tleman in the wagon leaned out
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