Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-03-05
THE TURN OF
THE ROAD
Copyright, BY Ford Pub. Coz
by Pierre puoombe.

S A~J Al eAiSh WIcdluo III luo
roadway; the woman's tired feet
dragged through them, filling the hot
air with a fine, penetrating powder.
The walk from the town was long,
longer than she had thought, and
ABOVE her head brazen sun glared
from an arc Of tempered steel. She
was very unhappy, and very much
alone. The river sparkled through the
willows on her right like sunshine
upon passing lances. There led a lit.
tie path through the intervening mead.
ows to the waters edge, and further
On rose an old red house in a walled
garden, deep in trees, cozily, guiltily.
Her house, then.
The people that wear patentleather
shoes may walk through grass follow.
ing tramp along dusty road to the
oettermen Of their condition.
Those women who are sensible"
ana wear "blacking leather" boots, are
suddenly apt to feel fools on such q |
DAY. She looked at her feet and was
dissatisfied.
Sne was quite plain. Her drab hair
was the only part Of her person that
dio not show the dust. Her short tig.
ure was bowed unnecessarily, and she |
could not afford to lose the inch
wnlcn she was now carelessly relax.
ing. 1t had been freak, whim. un. |
Ike her usual conventionality, to be
vague at luncheon time as to how she |
was going to spend one of her brief
holiday afternoons, to start in the
blazing sun at two o'clock so as to |
Do back In time for tea" and to walk
out from the river town to the river
village, where lived the woman she
had not seen.
But George loved the woman
george, who had once said he loved
ner-and that was enough, because
sAo iOfeu UeOTSe.
She knew. How do women knovi
She loved George.
The towing-path ran like a sister
snake beside the solemn stream. II i
was dusty, but not so dusty as the
nlgn road. The ivied porch of the
req mousse gave upon the towing.path.
she wanted to 90 up and hold on to
tne quaint iron gate with both hands.
and press her simple face between the
Dars, and look, and look, and look into
tne garden Of the other woman.
Being neither a town nor country
child, she could not do this. She
paused and glanced irresolutely at her
dusty feet.
A gold thing glittered on the path.
q heart, with quaint old embossed
and enameled wreath attached to a
broken chain. She picked it I'D.
All her childhood it had been her
dearest possession; then had come
George, and the heart had passed with
her own into Georges keeping.
And he had given It away! And she
had lost him. p. Was thera anv.
thing left her-anything in the world? |
The iron gates swung apart, and
somebody came out of the garden.
There was the rustic of a print gown |
(but such a print gownD, and a light
laugh sounded, that of a woman who
mas laughed to please men all her
LIE. Heavy black hair in masses
above an oval face, hair half a shade |
less black than the velvet lashes, half
a shade blacker than the velvet eyes.
They two looked at each other. I'll
peg pardon" said the woman who
owned the heart to the woman who
had owned it you have found nv
locket, think. Oh, thank you so
much! missed It, and came out to
see il it had fallen anywhere about
here"
She took it from the other with
apologize grace.
I'm awfully obliged to you. It Is.
much too pretty to lose, isn't it?"
She looked again at the good plain
face, with its steady eyes, and thought:
Poor dear soul, ! don't suppose she