The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1909-02-23
THE TURN OF
The ROAD
Copyright, by Ford Pub. Coz
BY Plerre Duoom be.

Copyright, by Ford Pub Coz
The dust lay in thick wreaths In the
roadway; the woman's tired feet
dragged through them, filling the hot
air with 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 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, guilty.
Her house, then.
The people that wear patent-leather
shoes may walk through grass follow
ing a tramp along a dusty road to the
bettermen of their condition.
Those women who are sensible,
and wear "blacking leather" boots, are
suddenly apt to feel fools on such
day. She looked at her feet and was
dissatisfied.
She was quite plain. Her drab hair
was the only part of her person that
did not show the dust. Her short fig
ure was bowed unnecessarily, and she
could not afford to lose the inch
which she was now carelessly relax
ing. 1t had been freak, a within, I'M
like 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
be 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
her-and that was enough, because
she loved George
She knew. How do women know?
She loved George.
The towing-path ran like a sister
snake beside the solemn stream. 1t
was dusty, but not so dusty as the
high road. The ivied porch of the
red house gave upon the towing-path.
She wanted to go up and hold on to
the quaint iron gate with both hands,
and press her simple face between the
bars, and look, and look, and look into
the garden of the other woman.
Being neither a town nor a country
child, she could not do this. She
paused and glanced irresolutely at her
dusty feet
A gold thing glittered on the path,
a heart, with quaint old embossed
and enameled wreath attached to
broken chain. She picked it up.
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
mad lost him. Was there any
thing left her-anything in the world?
The iron gates swung apart, and
somebody came out of the garden.
There was the rustic of print gown
(but such print gownD, and a light
laugh sounded, that Of a woman who
has laughed to please men all her
life. Heavy black hair in masses
above an oval face, hair half shade
less black than the velvet lashes. half
a shade backer than the velvet ewes.
they two looked at each other. Il
beg pardon" said the woman who
owned the heart to the woman who
mad owned it, you have found my
locket, l think. Oh, thank you so
much. l missed it, and came out to
see If it had fallen anywhere about
here"
She took it from the other with
apologize grace.
I'm awfully obliged to you. 1t 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, l don't suppose she
ever had locket in her life."
1T is charming answered the first
woman. Il had one exactly like it
once, and l lost it,"
Pity said the other carelesslv-
This was given me by man, and I
don't want to lose it, because | am
going to send it back to him." She
|
interesting friend my husband has. |
always say. But now he has made
up his mind to be married. This is
all very amusing for you'll
The ripples took the laughter and
echoed it idly.
Married! to a woman whose name
Is on the heart, scratched very fine.
and rather badly. He never noticed
1t, but l did. Jane Saintsl Fancy
a wife named Jane! And now he's 60
ing to have one. Wherefore, this goes
back"
WAS there anything now in the
world left to wish for? ONLY that
George had not been a cad; but that
never occurred to her, because she
was good woman.)