The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-02-09
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. THE DAILY STORY c
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&c parnIc pIume 81 Lonq Aqo

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The Purple plume Of Long Ago
tBysEditn Grayl
Any one Watching Edwin Jordan
eISsAss rushed his wayalongalsAerowfl
4 w roughfare Of i lafgts'GHs=sqoAt
~ aMdlately class him akS lSSssS cdEs
3W husincss man and, MitFF1o rs
as a happy one .~Nls clMf.
smooth-sbaven skin, reflected perfect
physical hcaltb and his broad should
cred. Yet slender frame. as he moved .
with little confidence among the
hustling throng. limited nothing OF
twenty years Of ceaselcss business
.drudgcry. Surely, he deserved the
envious glances of The two office
boys, splendid in uniform of the
film. Jordan & stokes" who turned
with a glance OF recognition as he,
unconsciously, brushed against them,
Yet the dark eyes beneath the
straight lined brows were restless,
troubled, unsatisfied.
Edwin Jordan was not happy He
told himself that as he rurtivcly com.
pared himself with his hurrying com
panions. Perhaps much of the hap
p'ness that he saw in the faces about
him was superficial. Granted, but
still there was great deal Of the gen.
ume besides. For Instance IN bls
face of that we'll gownel woman who
was listening so intently to the gai
chatter of the slender mite of a little
& ri at her side. there was happi-
ness. Such happiness Jordan had not
found
For he had never married Il have
no time for romance, he used to say
ito his friends, when they unmcrciful-
" chaffed him for a crusty old bach
elor He had spoken truly; the years
Of his youth had been spent in climb
iag, step by step. the ladder of for
y tune At last when he had reached
the top. and had leisure TO coItem-
, plate the utter worthessness of his
hard-earned wealth, he discovered
/ with bitter regret that romance had
now no time for him
Jordan turned with relief from the
May afternoon promensders of the
| fashionable thoroughfare into a quiet
T. Ell bv-street. He modulated his pace
4 here, and altogether stopped, now and
then. to gaze though only half-inter
i estedly, into the little shops along
e the way. He paused before cottage
s window, arranged with a wealth OF
: old china bric-a-brac mad antique Jew
S el.y. His eyes grew soft as he look
n ed He found himself thinking o.
5 his mother, and as he paused AT th'
o next window, with strange start, o
4 Lucy.
Lucy? lie had lost track of Luc.
j long ago Why should he think 0
4 her now? Jordan was calculating
h speculative even. For the momcn
Y he was almost !, awakened from HI
9 everyday self BY the strange. almos
y forgotten, memo.ies that crowde'
" over him. lie wondered as his hca'
h searched out the reason for tn
e strange, unwarranted beating of hi
d hear. Then, IN, 2, flash he found tn
! clew
ID The sign of ,lhc build'rg nest IN
rs little antique shnp read Nine. Brior
j lrcuch cleantT Madamcs gooG'
ID cleaned and ready. for returning en-
y. tamers.i were arranged neatly in tll
le window Among the array of linens
ID silk waists, cbldren's bnnnels AN
&c emb~oidcries was a long fluffy feitl
er, purple lilunie, cxtraordinaril
a rich in shade ana texture. loug az
n lucy had hat-it was all so ciea
r now large plain hai turned upo
pr enc side aud gloriously wreathcd Hit
u the one long Feather.
lie recalled as he walked back I
fc bis lodgings in, the gathering dnsl
lt with strange renewed tenderness, III
ID fragrance Of the yiolcls that She use
d 70 wear in hcrybeli.
y After his discovery Of thc plum
~ Jordan often wandered down the Il
" tic sheltered street and his fiienc
OF 81, the club noticed with surprise til;
sk he sometimes wore tiny boulonniel
of violets in the lapel of his Goa
" Moreover, his eyes bec7me calme
~ mGse, gcstful, ana he no longer inte
N rppted discussions OF The frivolous d
TN 'ngs OF the outer world with "E1
NJ that's not business" Young EYerei
u one of his friends. caught him O
l guard one evening as he stood
y, he heavy green curtains Of the rea
|, re room looking out oyer the grin
iN rooftops and beyond the dingy lit
" park to where in the west. across T.
s river a golden gleam in the sky hir
- ed Of sunset He clapped him {
o., the shoulde. bo'strously and Jorda
~ usually so stolid and full of nois
~ iumped as II shot Everett laugh,
nd said: Some woman. I'll
bound But Jordan only smiled
re. havent spoken 10 a woman, except
,s business way for twenty years"
nd said.
In One day-it was bitter day
nj late autumn-the plume disappeare
rs. Somehow, with its going Jordan b
all can to fall back into his old way
What fool he had been, anyway. Luz
was probable dead-or married-lol
since AT any rate. what busine
@ had a gray-haired bachelor TO
o tainlng. on the vaguest provocaiio
9 the slightest excuse, OF an old swe'
g heart? His dreams had come 10 ligl
c just as some foolish little violets
IA the autumn. gay and happy for
minute, and then dead as the brow
he leaves beside them in the blight
the unfailing frost.
ia Well, he would go back TO busine
TO il WAS ali thai he was good for no
He felt tired and detected I'm q
w MAN, as he turned from Nine. B'ion