Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1911-04-22
Cor three years. and be sim sighed

! FOR three years. and he still sighed
I with half abashed sense OF relief.
mo more matrimonial ventures for
me-" he'd say TO himself, with laugh.
although he had reason to believe that
he could lay successful siege TO several
feminine hearts; that he was still quite
| capable OF victory
He had been spending August alone
up in the mountains. and he had en-
joyed a month OF fishing. tramping and
J dreaming TO his hearts content. On
his way home he'd stop for week or
two at certain little hotel reported to
have good cuisine and rest strained
wrist before going back to business.
CHANGING casually over the hotel. reg
lister. he saw the name OF Mrs. John
Burgess. There arose In the mans
breast curious sensation. but he pull
! ed himself together.
How absurdr' he upbraided himself
as he walked away from the desk. AS
II there were not hundreds OF John
Burgesses. Why, I might even have
coaxed myself into believing that re-
membered her handwriting"
An hour or so later. however. he
met her on the lawn. Their eyes un-
expectedly encountered one another.
"Can II beT' cried he. with boyish
incredulity She extended her hand.
II think 1t can" she answered. with
that little half smile on the corner of
her pure lip which he remembered so
well.
Mrs. Burgess had escaped the half
kittenish challenge of the middle aged
woman who will not abjure conquest.
She did not move to the shade OF the
tree nor even open her parasoi. She
stayed precisely where she was. with
streak of harshly revealing sunlight
playing havoc with such loveliness as
time had left to her. After awhile
| the warmth of the sun or some other
warmth she knew not OF brought into
her pale cheeks that glow which
James Walsh's first roses had brought.
oh. so many years ago.
That night time and again Mr.. Walsh
drove away the memory of the WON
ans fieeting half smile. yet 1t returned
to haunt him with all Its old sweet
allurement Finally he fell asleep and
dreamed of her.
The next morning at breakfast he
found himself unaccountably agitated.
| She was not In the room when he ar
rived. and all the other boarders. even
the pretty young girl With the quiet
gray ewes. seemed to him IKE so many
| hgureheads. What II he had not real
ly seen her yesterday? What II II had
all just been In the dream last night?
But at last she came. and the beauty
of no radiant goddess could have
skla IT. II
did this woman's tired loneliness In
her simple white morning gown she
seemed to him the soul of sensitive del
icacy and serenity.
He recalled how, being essentially
feminine. she always pitied suffering.
so now be made his strained wrist a
pretext for being near her. She her,
self ministered to him. binding 1t firm
| ly and gently. Her breath. sweet AZ
an Infants. touched his brow. They
lunched en- tete-a-tete and that after
noon took drive together In hired
trap.
/ Mr.. Walsh's intended week was pro-
longed to a fortnight. During thar time
his eyes followed Mrs. Burgess. and.
indeed. his feet did also very much
more frequently than she herself ap
proved. She thought of her position.
her children. OF what might be ridicu-
lous In the situa ton. OF the gossip and
espionage OF the guests. Once or twice
she bad heard few scoffings. with a
note of mirth, at the devotion of Mr..
Walsh. and 1t had made her super
sensitive.
But all of these trivial objections
vanished like mist before the sun on
the day when he laid his heart bare
before her. when he showed her that
beneath his apparent prosperity he
was hungry--he had always been hun
gry-for companionship and sympathy.
"And you could make me so happy.
oh. SO happy. dear, II you would marry
me-" he was saying as they walked
slowly along the road the day before
his departure. Her arm lay lightly
upon his, her eyes were shining. and
there was warm girlsh tint IN her
pale cheeks.
Wont you? l need you so-' he
pleaded. Just then they were passing
a huge willow tree.
Now. yelled and Swallowed from the
world by the Willows dropping green.
sitting on the lush grass were two
young people to whom love had just
sung its first sweet song. Naturally
they'd started bit when they heard
approaching footsteps, but they might
have spared the start. Neither OF them
was observed.
~ always did think Mrs. Burgess
was sweet looking. Billy" said Miss
Tyson. absently pressing cool. bend
ing branch of willow across her hot
cheek. but just then she looked posi-
lively beautiful"
/ yes. sweetheart" acquiesced the
wise Billy. why shouldn't she? She's
having her St. Martins summer. you
see."