Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1909-05-05
The Secret Of
the Oak


stood John Matthews. To all save
one or two he was stranger, yet less
than half score of years before he
had been known by almost every one
n this little village.
But during the years of his absence
most of the older folks had gone to
their last home, the companions Of his
youth had married and moved to
larger cities, while the children had
grown to manhood and womanhood.
and to the present inhabitants John
Matthews, owner Of the big house or
the hill. was somewhat of myth.
He had returned from Africa thu
day before, returned upon the urgen-
request of his solicitors, who needed
his assistance in settling the estate
He had come from the city on an early
morning train, anxious to close up his
affairs at once and get away from the
village as soon as possible, for he
had no desire to remain there.
He had expected to find strange
faces and many changes5 but was
hardly prepared for the scene before
him, the destruction of this woodland
the Black Forest of his boyhood
days, in which he had slain imaginary
giants and dragons, and where in his
gentler moods he had hunted for fair
les with Mary, his little playmate, his
later sweetheart, and the cause of his
desertion of home and country.
AS he stood looking on, the chop
pers paused to select another tree.
and cry almost escaped him when
he saw that their next victim was to
be great oak. 1t seemed to the man
that an old friend was about to be
sacrificed.
Under this great oak tree, centuries
old, perhaps, he had spent the hap
piest hours of his life. There was
hollow in 1t that they had discovered
one day Mary had trained wild vines
to grow over it, and they had called
1t the treasure keep of their castle.
Then when they had gone away to
school and college, it had been their
post Office.
Returning for the holidays, If Mary
was absent he was sure to. and a let
ter waiting for him in the hollow, and
he would leave one for her when he
went away. At last, when school days
were over, and they were home once
more, the oak had been their 'rysting
place, until the summer that his rival
had come to the village.
A strong will, new scenes and
friends, had helped him to forget, but
now the memories came rushing back.
Once more he could see Mary as she
paused at the entrance of the woods
when he had pleaded with her to give
her answer to the question he had
asked so many times that summer.
"You will find your answer in the
oak at sunset" she had said.
He had come back at sunset only
to find the hollow empty, and then he
knew her answer, knew that the other
man had won, and that she had let
their old friend, the oak, tell him what
her lips could not. That had been the
end, for he left the village that night,
and now after ten years one would
scarcely recognize the b., in this
stern, gray-haired man.
The blow Of an ak brought John
back to the present. AS he was about
to turn from the scene of destruction,
he saw something small and white
balance moment on the edge of the
hollow and fall to the ground. The
woodmen picked It up, consulted a
moment, and then one of them came
toward him.
"The boss thinks this belongs to
you,~ he said, handing John small
envelope, stained and yellow.
John nodded to the foreman, one OF
the few that had recognized him, and,
with quick-beating heart hurried
away from the curious throng. Ar.
irving at the house he went quickly
to the study that the care-takers had
made ready for him. Hastily he tore
open the little yellow envelope The
note it contained was dated ten years
before. Don't you know the answer
is yes, JACKIE" was all 1t said
Then the truth came upon him like
flash. A wind had carried the note
upwards as she tossed it into the hol-
low which she was not quite tall
enough to reach, and it had lodged in
crevice above instead of dropping to
the bottom.
The woodlands ak had Jared it
from its resting place Of years. In his
haste that day long ago he had over
lboked 1t and had misunderstood. It
had been he that she cared for after
all and not the other man. But what
must she have thought of his sudden
departure, what had she thought dur
ing those years Of silence? He would
ind her
There was a CLEAN of the fire of
youth in his eye and the sternness
had vanished from his face as he has.
tily glanced over some mail which his
lawyers had forwarded.
'Tbat can wait" he said, but one
Aostmark seemed to catch his atten.
ton; be could not understand why,
but 1t seemed vaguely familiar and he
opened the envelop.