Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-03-10
Jerry's FaithfUlness
BY ELEANOR H. PORTER

It's more than I deserve fh.< -.
should even speak to me. afts~ II
those years Of silence" the man ~
ried on. but when explain =.
hesitated. and she plunged a. o..
into the pause.
But you don't need to cxnl,,.
Don't you sect It Is /. Just a. nock.
that is. more. Er--I didn't writ.
either"
He shook his head and smiled saa,x
And when think Of all thos.
years." he resumed. "and see ron no,
and know that year after year you',.
been right here. and-and haven't ion
gotten, l.
But haven't been right here. IA
forget" broke In Mrs William ssv.
brook. frenziedly. Its all mist.ks,
You don't understand. I'm not Mis-
Hartley. at ALL"
Jerry Hapgood stopped short HIs
face grew white. then red
you mean that you're-marriec~
he burst out.
Yes. yes; don't look like that
pleased 1t was so long. ard Vss a
young. and you didn't write" she rum
ed on childishly. not realizing xkaI
she was saying. And don't thin
you ought to blame me. saw WI
liam-that is. he saw me first. d
>course-not that mean that Tn som
he did see me; but-Jerry, why DOM
you say something! Can't you 'indar
stand?"
But you'll called you Miss Hartley
at the first and you--you- II
stopped helplessly.
Yes, yes, know did" she moan
ed, keeping her eyes resolutely tun
ed from his face. Il was taken b.
surprise. and didn't think. But siLc1
then. all the time I've been trying b,
tell you
But, Marion"
mo. no. not word, please, II yoe
ever cared for me, 60 now! tel Jon
she knows who you are-who yov
were. Please. go!"
/ And Jerry Hapgood went
| For week Mrs. William saybroel
wore the air of gentle gloom that b
longs to those who. through no fauII
of her own, have sorely wounded
much-loved friend. Then. one day, b
letter from her husband In Ne7'
York. she found these words:
/ Il heard such good story the ot1sI
day that I'm going to pass II on to you
/ I ran across fellow that met down
in Panama. and saw quite a little d
that year before came north and
found you. 1t was he who told she
story.
1T seems that years ago he'd h<5
the most romantic sort OF love a.
flair with an eighteen-year-old miss
somewhere up here in New England
They had vowed undying love and :ot
J atty after the fashion of impetuoH
youth. and had then parted. he TO eee1
} his fortune In the wide. wide world
; she to watch and wait
aWell. It seems that he traversed ~
wide. wide world before be -
through with 1t, and. youthliko, ~
vision OF the eighteen-year-old raN
grew dim, aided By particularly e
! citing series OF adventures. includlut
wars and shipwrecks, not to ment1u
, imprisonment and serious Illness 2
u was the last that was his undoing r.
liz was while he lay tossing with fsrE
that his new love--a beautiful 81
whoro he had been ardently cour!l1f
, for a year or so-found out about ~
II old She got enough from his ray'ngs
, and from q letter she found tFn1',
hunting for some friends ZANE 2
write to of his illness) to make PEI
suspicious; and when he got pe''sk
she put him through meTcilsss ce'>
: cbism. 1t was all up with him t1e1
: The girl refused utterly to have -
, other thing to do with him. and p:
, emptorily ordered him to go back az
marry his boyhood sweetheart who
In the letter-had promised fnitnk9'4
. to wait for him--forever, X need p
aWeI. he went. He got the oce.e
TO write first, and sort OF break
ice; then he followed the letter "
: owned up to me that he was asna1''. .
of himself and meant to make tne oe''
Of things. Girl Number Two %!
. opened his eyes to what a rascal p
? been to Number One. and he cam
back with determined resoiutioE ~
he'd make good. Indeed. he weE8'
himself up into really very 7irl5''.
state of martyrdom by the tine =
2 arrived here duly prepared 20 rex1,.
the long. dreary watch Ct the fs'<a4'
maid OF eighteen.
I. ~Then came the joke-the 81
hadn't waited. Shed married.
had one romantic meeting 'nss1n -
q green spreading trees. then parteo 9
o meet no more. TIE fun OF Il = <'
. were interrupted. or something
he didn't even have a chance 20
out the name Of the chap who
4 cut him out. or to explain 20 ~ q
. that he wasn't quite 80 broken-n9 a''
b after all. He left the town on ~ 1e7
d train and there the matter endfo 2:
l cept that he's gone back to bis -
Number Two.