The Cairo bulletin., 1909-10-19
THE JUDGES
LOVE
liay ! read your palm. sir?n

iibhtcu hdH III tHS CITY Vi hlHHcoPF
lis. Judge Robert Underwood paused
In his walk through the crowded ha,
zar and, elancing in the direction Of
the voice. saw Just before him ~ ct
lily draoei tent with trio OF palm
lists plying their art
The sneaker. of whom nothing was
visible save a pair OF large brown
eyes, the rest of her tigure being
carefully shrouded In lace. so ar
ranged as to conceal all Identity, gave
him an earnest look In which Ee
fanried for 9 moment a gleam of
recognition dawned But the eyelids
drooped as he drew near. and seat
ing himself at The little table he es-
tended his shapely hand
"four life" began tie palnist. is
a long and successful one: YOU have
overcome difficulties by strong will
and lndomitable energy. and are now
wealthy, prominent and beloved. Am,
bitian prompted you to marry lady
of wealth and station. bur death
claimed her after few years; yon
have never filed her place. but oftt n
yCn arc lonely and the memory of q
boyish first love comes back 20 you.
and the brown; haired girl you left
sobbing in the distant eastern state.
as the train bore you away to seek
your fortune. brings a paHg of regret
She waited long for him who never
came, but mark We, sir. you will meet
again. Within a twelye-month she will
become yonr bride. and the best
y1ars OF your lie are vet to come
In the library OF his beautiful home
that nirht he gave himself up tn the
memory Of his first love, sweet Alice
Holden. How dear she had been until
ambition had driven her image from
his mind Twenty years ago, and now
he was o man of 40, "a wellpreservel
man, with only a TOUGH OF groy show
ing at the temples. and Alice was five
years younger. Only a slip of a girl
when he had left her, a woman of s.
now
y will find her" be said "and it
she is free she shall be mine"
Two days later saw the Judge
speeding back to his native town.
where he found only a few Of his bcyl
hood friends remaining From these
he learned that Alice. upon the death
Of her parents, had left the country
village to earn her living as a teacher
In a western seminary, no one could
tell him where.
The week that followed was q busy
one. Returning one night from a day
spent at court. as he stepped from an
uptown car, a pocketbook slipped ap.
parently unnoticed from Its owner
and fell at his feet. The car sped on.
and, stopping. he tucked 1t In an In
ner pocket, mentally resolving to ad-
vertise IT on the morrow He dis.
missed 1t from his mind until later
in the evening, in dressing gown and
slippers, he opened the pretty trife
II was Of Russian leather, and q
bin Of small dimensions, some silvey
0pin and an old-fashioned photograph
met his gaze. Idly he glanced at the
pictured face. then with an exclama.
tion of amazement he sprang to his
feet and looked again 1t was his
own smooth, boyish face.
Unable to believe his eyes. he
turned the card over, and there. III
his own handwriting We're the words
Robert 70 Alice Nizpah." Alice
sweet Alice; my first love" Wills,
pered the Judge = have found you
Fate has been kind to me. "
On the lining Of the pocketbook
was printed 10 small gilt letters Alice
Holden, the Thorndike, Radcliffe ter
race The next morning the Judge
boarded a car and sped on through
the great city ont beyond where com
paratiye quiet reigned. He found tho
Thorndike to be a modest apartment
house, His heart stood still; his
quest was ended, bnt how would he
be received after all these years? He
would soon kno~, for he advanced
and knocked.
A sweet feminine voice bade him
enter, and the Judge never forgot the
picture that met his gaze A simple
room in its appointments. but how
homelikel Plants blooming in the
windows, a bird singing ~ its cage
bright colored mats, writing desk
a bookcase, and there, sitting before
an open fire, was the. love Of his
youth, brown-eyed, brownihaired ths
same fair cheeks and red lips. onl,
more lovely The girl had maturet
into a most beautiful woman.
alice" he cried, II have come
back to you"
The woman. who had risen
stretched ont both hands In greeting
| The hour that followed was q happ,
one; each had much to relate, and =
its close the man pleaded humbly 70
the love that now meant 30 much L
| him.
"Let the future years prove my de
votion," he said. and she whispered
with trembling lips,
II have loved but you"
Fate has been very kind to me-
he said later; fate in the form of
| palmist and pocketbook."
TWAS not fate she said, after b,
had departed. "but he shall neve
know that was the palmist ant