Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-03
THE RECOVERY:
STORY OF KENTUCKY. I
BY JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER.
Copyright 1908.
Entere at
BY Joseph A. ALTSHELER.


many bills they brought me for sig
nature or veto. or how they wranSled
over appointments. Work had q won
derful SAVIOR, as Seth remarked more
than once that the task of governing
Kentucky was easier for us than it
used to be.
Much remained to be done in Fran;I
fort long after the Legislature adjourn
ed. and | fingered there through Ju:ls'
and into the hot months. Joint letters
from Uncle Paul and Aunt Jane arrived.
asking me to come home for vaca
ton. and telling me how l needed the
rest. but one emergency after another
arose and I was still at the capital.
1t was autumn before / was able 10
leave Frankfort, but it was one OF Tie
most beautiful autumns that I have
ever seen in Kentucky. Never before
had the colors of this most glorious
the reddest and its gold the purcst: ali
the world was ablaze with glow and
light, and I. Harry Clarke. felt new
life in every vein of me when I took
the train for my home.
l had not told Uncle Paul and Aunt
Jane the exact time of nv arrival be.
cause ] wished to come without. noise
and to surprise them. Hence there was
nobody at Carlton when | left the rain
except the station agent and one or
respectfully. but without any undue
Difference. They had known me in my
boyhood and they would not be over
powered now by a governor.
Didnt expect you today. governor.
but l can get YOU a carriage and send
YOU over or telephone to your Uncle
Paul to bring one. whichever you
wish. said the agent.
Neither. thank you,' I replied. II
want to walk"
Don't blame you" he said Wish I
could get away from here myself and
take a plunge into that.
He looked at the great glowing forest
or red and gold that curved about the
station. and shook his head lugubriousIy.
He felt the wilderness spell that comes
over all OF us kentuckians at times-we
are not yet far enough away from the
wilderness days for it to grow farmland
felt it, too.
1 turned away from the station alone
and plunged into the splendid mass of
red and gold. and my mind as it always
did when / came to Carlton, went back to
my first returning. Truly much water had
flowed under the bridge for me. 1t had
been rapid and turbid current but I
felt more at peace now than at any other
time in my life. The sea does not go on
forever. One must come to port at last.
fingered little in the forest which
was but a narrow belt, seeming more
massive than it was and l felt here the
freedom from care that comes to the
strong men in the woods. / marked with
glad eyes hillocks and little valleys where
l had played when boy and | resolved
that they should often know me again.
l left the woods and approached our
home, its warm red brick walls glowing
In the brilliant October sunlight 4 tall
stiff figure was upon the front porch,
welding broom. and l knew that it was
Aunt Jane. sweeping away the falling
leaves of autumn. She saw me- cast aside
the broom and with an unusual appear
ance of emotion came down the steps
Harry" she exclaimed. Here you
come walking home. alone and without
warning. Will you always be a boy?''
would you have me to be an old man
before my time 1 replied, as l kissed
her.
Then we went into the house, and soon
Uncle Paul came. He said nothing un-
usual but gave my hand powerful grasp.
Before night Seth arrived. having taken
a later train with the baggage. and in
the evening. which was sharp and crisp.
We sat around Il great glowing fire of logs
and talked laZily of many things. They
gave me all the gossip of the neighbor-
hood, details about every body except
Alicia. They did not refer once to her or
her mother. and / did not expect them
to do SO. There was an innate delicacy
in Uncle Paul and Aunt Jane: they under
stood. and / was yet content to wait.
We had no light save that of the fire,
but the mellow glow on the walls and the
floor deepened and with it deepened the
feeling Of peace in my heart. 1t seemed
TO me llaL the SlOfT11leSI my DAYS were
over. and fate having used the most cruel
of her weapons against me would be COM
PEELED to spare ME now. When Uncle
Paul and Aunt Jane rose to bid me good
night Aunt Jane said:
Harry, We never abated a particle of
our faith in you during that awful time,
when they were attacking you, nCr did
we change when you made your speech to
that meeting.
Il knew you wouldn't God bless you
y, md
eyes.
other October day of glowing colors and
gorgeous sunlight. and. after breakfast
strolled away alone. across the fields. All
the time something had been calling me.
The invisible current created by intense
feeling was established between Alicia and
me. and knew that was going to her.
left the field. entered the forest. and APP
preached the little EMPOWERED spring set
in it's cup of a valley. 1t had always been
left just as it was i'll the Indian days and
it was never to be defaced by any So
called improvements.
looked down at the clear water of the
pool and then felt with the certainty of
knowledge that she was coming. The call
her through the trees. Alicia coming to-
ward me! All. God. 1t was worth our
years of suffering this one moment.
She was in gray-the mourning that was
no mourning was cast aside-and the
bloom Of girlhood was on her checks. She
was a girl again and I was a boy We
were not old i'm years. only in life. and
suddenly l realized our youth.
1t was the first time in all these years
that I had seen Alicia happy, and she
was very human and very beautiful made
to love and to be loved. Pinned upon her
breast was a sprig of some late wild
flower and its delicate rose matched the
delicate rose of her checks.
81 felt that ! must come she said
shyly from the other side of the pool
ut was foreordained that YOU and l
should meet here at this time, l said.
Il know it, she said.
Curiously I felt no shyness. 1t was no
boy love of mine. but one that had been
tried by every test. and | had come forth
with courage to seek what I wished.
| went around the pool, and | took both
of her hands in mine.
.Alicia - I said, graveiy. God would not
have brought us through so many ev Is
to meet here today if He had not intended
from the first that we should belong to
each other.
She was silent. but agreeing. and. put
ting my arm around her waist, l kissed
her on the lips. while the color flooded
her cheeks.
You will marry me in the winter. Will
you not. Alica?" I asked.
Il will marry you Harry. whenever
YOU come for me-" she replied. and she
sighed in deep content She. like l. had
found peace and rest at last.
/ repeat that we were not boy and girl.
The gossip of the world had had its Will
with us and would touch us again. had