The herald., 1911-05-04
WHEN THEY
MET AGAIN
By R PEMBERTON SLADE
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

4
a man of the same years. She seems
to advance quicker. but not so far rs
the man. | know there are women
nowadays who will not admit this, but
1 am not going to stop in my story to
argue the point. At all events, when
Mildred and | were twenty l was still
a boy building castles in the air, while
she was looking at her and my pres
ept and future status in a rationalistic
way.
was going out 10 China to engage
I'm business and to- live there indeh-
nitely. was to take clerkship at
the bottom of the ladder. and | had
not heard that promotion was very
rapid. | was unreasonable enough to
urge Mildred to engage herself to me-
OF course she declined, but not for
any reason except that she considered
that an engagement between us under
the circumstances would be unjust 10
both.
Every WELL" l said do not con-
slider yourself bound to me. nor will l
consider myself bound to you, but so
sure as the world turns on its axis
will return. and if you are free and
willing l will marry you
So we parted. i went to China de-
termined to attend strictly to the work
of advancing myself so that / might
return for my love. l wrote her oc-
casionally and received replies to my
letters. | was bent on keeping my
promise and strained every nerve 10
achieve the wherewithal to enable me
to do II. But the luck was against me.
I had been with a firm five years when
they failed and went out of business.
found a position with another con-
Germ, with which l spent another i've
wears. | was Just about to be al
mitted to the firm as q junior partner
when the head Of the house died. His
widow insisted on the business being
: wound I'D that she might get her capi
: tai out Of 1t and go home to America
This threw me out again. BY this
time | had acquired a little capital
and. putting 1t with that Of another
man, we went into business together
: Within a year we lost all the capita
of both by speculation. l started II
= again with borrowed money and In ter
years found myself with fortune.
was now forty-two years old, ant
Mildred was the same age. For TIT
last ten years l had heard very littl'
from her, but knew that she had no
e been married. suppose 1t was prid'
g or obstinacy, or both, that induced m
Y to go back to America for her. U
= course an absence Of twenty-five year
!, from a woman one loves-or has love-
must make quite a difference In hi
/ feelings for her. 1t occurred to me
e however, that when we came togethe
e we would 60 on from where we lef
d on. wrote reminding her that ha
. told her when l separated from he
q that / would surely some day com
back to marry her and I was nov
about to do so.
received a reply to my letter tn
u day | sailed. Mildred confessed tha
she had been waiting for me all thes
n years, since she had believed wa
% 1ust the man to do what l had said
:, would do. Fortunately" she salt
call my friends tell me that look tie
or a dozen years younger than wome
10 of my age, and there is hope that m
n personal appearance won't shock you
Is confess I was greatly agitate
lie when called on Mildred, sent up M
card and waited for her to receive m
When she came in she was NATURAL
embarrassed AS for me, was su
r. prised, for she did not look more tina
twenty-eight While she might we
have changed so much that l wou
not know her, I saw her just as
II membered her, though a few yea
III older, and yet not old enough to tai
II her beyond the pale Of young lad
hood.
After a separation of more than tv
III decades beginning just where we lie
Il Off was impossible. l found that
II must win my love again-not that
III felt any anxiety as to how my cour
d shin would result, but that we we
both changed. l knew very well tn
III Mildred would not have known n
had she net expected me. And as I
her, though she was not so changed
eo appearance as l, there was in b
%. those other changes that come over
70. so imperceptibly that ones friends
10 not notice them unless they are sep
an rated from us for long periods. o
hv change in her was more marked TIL
any other. had left her an extren
" matter Of fact woman. lncreas
- years seemed to have developed c.
-. tain ideality that I had not motto
N when she was younger. But l am
~ clined to think that every trait the
is in us is developed as wd gre
older.
In a month we were married, sin
IS must get back to my business.
ceremony was over when my wife
al troduced a lady as her older sister.
a was much disconnected
a st remember your younger s1s'
Mt, Florie, about six years old when l u
ee America. / never heard Of an ole
ex- one"
he 'T am Mildred" said the older.
ng "And am Florie," said the young
stood mute. looking from the one
the other. can't say that any
<--ts-- Thau n