The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1911-04-07
WHEN THEY
MET AGAIN
By R. PEMBERTON SLADE
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

Mildred and were about the same
age. We were twenty. l was very
much in love with her, but / hadn't a
cent in the world. nor had she. A girl
at that age is far more developed than
q man Of the same years. She seems
to advance quicker, but not so far as
the man. l know there are women
nowadays who will not admit this. but
| l 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 ut her and my pres
| ent and future status in a rationalistic |
way.
was going out to China to engage /
in business and to live there indef- |
nitely. was to take a 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 ngagement between us under
the circumstances would be unjust to
both.
every we'll" | said. DO not con-
slider yourself bound to me. nor VIII
consider myself bound to you. but so
sure as the world turns on its axis
will return, and if you are free ana
willing will marry you
So we parted. ! went to China de-
termined to attend strictly to the work
of advancing myself so that l 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 to
achieve the wherewithal to enable me
to do It. Eut the luck was against me.
had been with firm five years when
they failed and went out of business.
found a position with another con-
Germ, with which 1 spent another five
years. | was just about to be adj
mitted to the firm as Junior partner
when the head Of the house died. His
widow insisted on the business being
wound up that she might get her CAPT
tai out of 1t and go home to America.
This threw me out again. BY this
time | had acquired little capital.
and. putting it with that of another
man, we went into business together.
Within q year we lost all the capital
of both by speculation. l started in
again with borrowed money and in ten
years found myself with fortune.
was now forty-two years old. and
Mildred was the same age. For the
last ten years 1 had heard very little
from her. but knew that she had not
) been married. suppose it was pride
or obstinacy, or both. that induced me
2 10 go back to America for her. or
course an absence of twenty-five years
n from woman one loves-or has loved
a must make quite difference in his
e feelings for her. 1t occurred to me.
o however, that when we came together
D. we would go on from where we left
l. of. 1 wrote reminding her that had
n told her when l separated from her
It that / would surely some day come
back to marry her and 1 was now
about to do so.
l received a reply to my letter the
day l sailed. Mildred confessed that
/" she had been waiting for me all these
, years, since she had believed l was
just the man to do what had said /
. would do. Fortunately" she said,
= call my friends tell me that look ten
a. or dozen years younger than women
Of my age, and there is hope that my
- personal appearance won't shock you
l confess l was greatly agitated
when l called on Mildred. sent up my
card and waited for her to receive me-
When she came in she was naturally
embarrassed. AS for me. was sur
II prised, for she did not look more than
twenty eight. While she might well
u have changed SO much that l would
u not know her, saw her just as l re-
70 membered her. though few years
Is older, and yet not old enough to take
II her beyond the pale of young lady
hood.
After a separation of more than two
decades beginning just where we left
off was impossible. / found that
IS must win my love again-nOt that
It. felt any anxiety as to how my court
n ship would result. but that we Were
n, both changed. / knew very well that
h Mildred would not have known ME
d. had she not expected me. And as fol
,e her, though she was not so changed In
bit appearance as l. there was in hel
~ those other changes that come over u:
SO imperceptibly that ones friends Dc
not notice them unless they are sepa
rated from us for long periods. One
change in her was more marked thar
w any other. mad left her an extreme
Id ly matter of fact woman. Increased
10 years seemed to have developed n Ger
ID tain ideality that l had not noticed
ID when she was younger. But l am in
n. clined to think that every trait there
is in us is developed as we grow
older.
In a month we were married. since
| n hoo tn llrrci