Norwich bulletin., 1911-05-27

your paper seems to be lost: but
there's a heavy letter for you, and rerS
haps you can make out the postmark,
but / must say it's beyond me-
The guiIeless innocence of the hon
est old postmaster WAS SO familiar to
Miss Alden by this time that the smile
which Overspread her features would
have been said by the casual observer
to be due only to the pleasure OF re-
ceiving a letter.
The unfamiliar writing caused Alice
Alden to wonder, and as she reached
the seclusion of the shaded path She
hesitatingly drew forth the enclosed
missive:
Dear Miss Alden it ran: 'I am
s,lr.7 YOU will be surprised to receive q
letter from me; and consider it q bit
of good fortune to be enabled to write
to you in this way. About twenty
years ago, before 1 left my old home,
correspondent with you, but in the
confusion of moving away your aG.
dress was lost. Many times I have
thought of your splendid influence in
the old days in Pinewood and would
gladly have written to you, but all at
tempts at finding your address failed.
/ suppose you cannot realize the CRATE
fulnsss your former pupils feel toward
you. Recently upon coming back here
from the west, to take up my residence
on the old home place, I found that
nearly all of my old schoolmates had
| iOchtS0 SoWHeTt-SuCh CIldHSS az
twenty years createl
| AS I visited the old boyhod haunts,
and especially the schoolhouSe, the
| loneings for friends of other days re-
solved themselves into a concrete form
1.-The suggestion of an old home week
Ment onine this matter to several OF
| the townspeople, I found much enthu-
! STA snl. and the unanimous opinions was
that YOU should be chosen the guest
| of honor: but all said your present ad
dress was not known, that in the many
years since you had left Pinewoo6
! there had been so many changes that
now no one here correspondent with
| you, and that the name of the towr
to which you had moved had been for
/ gotten.
Now this was where 1 could be OF
| material assistance. In the genera
cleaning and preparations incident te
moving back to Pinewood, we looked
| over and DESTROYED many letters writ
/ ten years ago. Among them we found
| one of yours, written soon after leav-
ing Pinewood: also a. birthday book
| in which you had written your name
| and a good wish for me. I do no
| need to tell you that said letter wa
| full of kindly and thoughtful interes
| in your former pupils The whole fam
lily was delighted with the discovery
and one of my boys exclaimed:
i "Hurrahi Blessed be house clean
ing."
| / Immediately corresponded with al
| the old schoolmates. through circular
| letter, which / enclose. 1T is eviden
| they are all delighted with the idea
| You will see they have not forgotten
| that our little school here in Pinewoot
| was called the best in the state. Ant
how proud we all were of that fact
| We realize now, as we did not full.
then, how much that enviab1e reputa
ton was due to your untiring interes
in us.
We have decided upon the first weel
in September. and already prepare
lions are being made for what man.
of the old residents declare will b.
the greatest celebration our little com
munity has eyer known
Almost breathless with Joy and sur
prise, Alice Alden read the enclose'
letters, every one speaking of her in
fiuence in the life of the writer, werd
of gratefulness that seemed to the re
fined gentlewcman like letters of gold
Surely life was a blessed opportunity
The years of sacrifice back there il
Pinewood were years of golden prom
Use, and now she was reaping the hap
py harvest.
The joy of her experience was stil
shining in her face as she reache
home, and to the faithful Martha, Alic
Alden seemed like one who had had
beautiful vision. The two gentlewom
en- ate their simple meal in grateful
ness, each with the satisfaction Q
having don well the work in life ac
! corded to them.
PATTY EMERALD.