Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1911-11-30
Coming Back
to ClariSsa
By JOHN o. FIELD


After David Walliston learned
through a two-line newspaper item
that reached him in his remote min
ing camp in South America of the
death of Mr.. Wynne, his first thought
was to come straight back to Clarissa.
But on second thought he waited two
years more-two long years of tortur-
ing uncertainty-not because he loved
or even respected the memory of the
stern old banker who, because of his
millions, had stepped between him
and girl he loved, but out of respect
to the feelings of Clarissa. OF course,
she could not long lament the taking
OF of husband who had been forced
upon her by calculating and ambitious
parents, but there was delicacy of
feeling about Clarissa-a delicacy for
which David loved her all the more
dearly-which he felt sure would
make her shrink from a hasty second
marriage
Exactly on the expiration of two
years David came north. During all
the eight years he had been gone he
had never forgotten his last words to
Clar1ssa. Those words came back
to him hundred times more compel
lingly when their chances of ever see
Ing each other were the slightest. Cla-
rissa had said nothing, but, as she
turned her face from his, David had
seen tears in the gray eyes; and it
was the thought of those tears, light
ly as they may have been shed, that
kept David from forgetting. And what
of Clarissa, David began to wonder as
the ship that bore him home drew up
the bay and he neared the time when
he should see her again? Would she
be the same Clarissa or would she
have taken on her warm sympathetic
nature something of the superf1ciality
and selfishness that had made him de-
test Wynne from the first time he
had met him?
David landed in New York and his
first move. he felt sure, would bring
him no immediate satisfaction. OF
Clar1ssa's whereabouts since Wynne's
death he had no means of knowing;
but David was determined to follow
her wherever she might have gone
and his first move was to go to her
old home-a conservative brown stone
front in a one-time fashionable neigh
borhood.
David's face still tingled with the
sea air when he drove up to Clarissas
old home. When he left the steamer
he had sent his luggage to the first
hotel whose name he could recall
while he hailed cab to take him to
the old house.
1t was early afternoon when he
reached there and, dismissing his cab,
he sprang with something like his old
time enthusiasm up the familiar
brown stone steps. He stopped sud
denly at the door before he pulled the
bell. He had not thought till then of
the possible embarrassment he might
experience in explaining his Grand
However the door opened before he
had touched the bell and in another
instant he stood before Clarissa.
In that first instant of almost oyer
whelming surprise David took in a
thousand impressions, and in his COM
plete surrender to the present Claris-
sa he dismissed for the time the
thought of the first Clarissa whom he
had loved eight years before. There
was no very great change. She had
naturally lost some of her first youth
full radiance. She was trifle more
majestic. too. he thought, with more
of womanly dignity at thirty than she
had had at twenty-five.
After what seemed many minutes
he and Clarissa were again in the
specious old drawing-room. Clarissa
was at the window drawing aside the
rich folds Of the curtains and he was
standing beside her.
Am l OBTAINING you?" was David's
first awkward remark you were 60
ing out Pray don't wait can come
again"
Clarissa put her hand gently on his
arm. How could anything be more
important than this? ?" she asked laugh
ing. NO, honest. David" He caught
that whole-hearted tone he had loved
SO long ago. II was just going out
for walk and haven't anything else
to do all day. Come David, sit down
and tell me what great things you
have been doing, and what brings you
back, and how long you are going to
be here"
For many minutes they sat together
and Clarissa listened while David told
her of the magnitude of the work he
had been doing-not that he cared
especially to have her know but sim
ply because she had asked him to tell
her.
Then he leaned forward and took
her hand gravely In his and kissed
it. "Clarissa," he said, II couldn't
wait any longer. You knew would
come back, didn't you?"
YES" said Clarissa, some time,
but why didn't you come sooner, years
and years ago? Was 1t just because
you loved your work down there that
you remained away? | sometimes
thought that perhaps you had forgot