The Tupelo journal., 1910-11-04

~ NM AAAs 04A0e ~~s
lsale OF the house.
There's somebody considering the
OFFER he said brusQuely. II can't gel
anything decided out of him yet. ri
know next week. You seem In a bur
Try to get away, Emily"
II want to get settled before winter
comes on" murmured Emily.
The evening Of the party came. and
lshe sat there in her shop lonely. I'M.
happy. or course she knew why
Flora did not want her at the party.
1t would be embarrassing indeed for
,Anson Cook to meet this faded little
woman who cnce had been engaged to
marry him. If Emily had married II
would have been different: unmarried
lshe was still a reproach to Arson. 1t
was not the party itself that caused
bitter tears to rise to Emily's eyes; Il
was the thought that she would not
be permitted to move with freedom
here and there among the social at.
fairs of the village because Of this
old affair with Arson Cook. II people
would only forget all about the mis-
cradle affair.
|. Eight, nine, ten, the courthouse
clock rang the hours. Now and then
music drifted up the street, setting her
tall a-tingle. Her little slippered feet
beat softly to the dance tunes. and she
was lost in dreamy retrospection of an
lother Halloween party years before.
when the shop door opened suddenly
and somebody entered.
"Anson Cook!r' brcathed Emily sharp
ly. She arose and stood poised as If
for fight.
He took off his soft hat and, leaning
tagainst the closed door. looked down
lat her from his six feet Of muscular
manhood with such a smile in his gray
kyes that Emily's heart 1uttered in her
breast.
Emily Paine" he said softly. why
aren't you at the party?"
II wasn't invited. ! belong to an
older generation" she laughed, with a
fittle catch Of the breath.
N"Ah, you belong to my generation.
iEr,iiy. l was afraid you might not be
there, and yet l hardly dared ask Flora
Lee. I thought / might come upon you
lall of a sudden there, but l heard some
one say you did not come"
He moved away from the door and
sat down near Emily.
I'm q fool. Emily, but not such a
one as left you in anger ten years ago
when you postponed our wedding be-
cause Of your duty to your father. l
wish | could tell you how bitterly ]
have repented Of it-how I've tried to
make myself better, stronger, SO that
some day l might come back to try to
win you once more il you were still
free. I've only been here a week. and
I've been hungry for a sight Of you.
Inf not worthy Of you now, Emily, but
/ will try to be. Is it too late? Is
there anybody else"
There never has been anybody else,"
sobbed Emily into his convenient
shoulder.
A half hour before midnight h Hal
loween party was at the height Of its
merriment. When the grandfather's
clock in the hall should strike IL then
Flora Lee. bewitching indeed In her
red cloak with pointed black hat atop
her sunny hair, would command the
dancers to unmask.
! She was watching a couple who had
recently arrived and Of whose identity
ishe was quite ignorant.
Flora watched the newly arrived
couple dancing toward her. The man,
tall, wore a dark suit OF
clothes, a gray wig, and his face was
quite hidden behind a black mask.
His companion was small and slight.
Igowned in bridal robes, faded and vel
china silk. creased as II long
laid aside. A veil of white illusion
'foated all about her. and her face
also concealed behind a mask OF
white.
The clock struck II, and the music
stopped.
'Unmask!" cried Flora sharply
And there was q rustic M then uni
,yersal laughter as they recognized one
another. F1ora's eyes were on the
bridal couple.
The man tossed aside his mask and
wig and became-Anson Cook. He
assisted the little bride to remove her
mask and then led her to Flora Lee.
'blushing like a rose.
Emily Panel" laughed Flora rather
THAT is a disguise. Emily.
no one would have expected to see
you in bridal robes!"
Arson Cook stiffened a little and
drew Emily's hand within his arm.
He turned to the company. with his
old familiar smile. They had all
known him from a boy.
.Friends and n~eighbors." he said
proudly. This is not a disguise. You
see, Emily and l were married at II
Halloween is the night to
peer into the future and see what 1t
holds for you. You see. I've gone SO
far as to make sure Of my future hap
piness"
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