The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-16
From the Kansas City Star.

From the Kansas City Star. THE "bunch'' at the club often won-
 dered about him. He was dull and
 ! uninteresting, and seldom spoke. When the other men played cards, the dull, uninteresting one seldom watched, and never joined the game. There all ways was something at which he ap- peared to be looking, either in the coals of the fireplace, or in the shading Of the colored window just above the stair land ing, orwell he was always looking, look ing at nothing, and dreaming. Once in a while he would talk to an elderly man whom he had known many years. And the rest of the story, that which really deals with the heart part of 1t, is told by James Hopper in Memories in Mems Souls" tn the American Magazine.
 The dull, uninteresting man had loved girl. whom he met on ship return ing home from France, and they made vows and planned. When they landed they thought the parting was for a few hours only. But they thought without taking into account the girls rich uncle, whose ward she was.
 Two years he sought her, desperately at first-it was the craft of age against youth-and finally he gave up. He be- came unhappy with thinking of the won- derful Russian girl he loved. After that he married two children were born and he prospered in business. He acquired prestige in the community, but grew ''stout'' and his hair was leaving him.
 T %1,A ryiv Fl 1nr the panic came-15 years after their part Ing It struck him hard and he had a conference with his creditors before him one afternoon. As he was sitting In his office worrying about 1t his telephone rang.
 T must see you at once,' a woman's voice said It was the girl of the boat talking She was urgent and there was queer catch in her voice. He told her to come to his office and named an hour after the conference would be over The conference was serious, more so than h4 had expected, and he was threatened with bankruptcy. It left him numbed and dazed.
 The girl broke out passionately when she came in. One fact became clear in his muddled mind: She was free-her husband had died. She was rich-her uncle had died. And dying. he had con fessed the plot to keep them separated. Now she had found him, and she was his, his with her $37.OOo,0OO. She threw her self at his feet, panting and half sob ping. The panic and the $37OO0.000 he thought of, but he told her of his wife and children.
 q know it," she cried. 'I know it. But what of that? I'll buy them off. have s37, ,00O ,00O I'll buy your wife, I'll buy your children! I'll buy back time, oblivion of the past 15 years. I'll buy them back. those years fiiched from me. and we'll begin again, begin where we left off, go back to the nght-you remember?-when we stood above the sea, enwrapped in moonlight and I promised myself to you and you promised yourself to me. and It was before God"
 But he was looking beyond her and saw himself in a mirror across the room-- soggy faced. fat bald, solemn little man. He stopped her.
 But" he said gently, you don't mean to tell me that you love me! Me! Why. look at me. -Look'-he placed his square finger upon his head-'look" touched delicately his waistcoat. You don't mean | to tell me that you still love me. me! Why, you have not looked."
 l She went on-she loved him. While she told him how her love had lived and thrived during those 15 years, the tele. phone had set up an insistent ringing Mechanically. he put the receiver to hil ear. It was the voice of his wife. ask