The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1912-07-04
A
Coincidence
BY RUTH GRAHAM

making Il preliminary survey on pro-
posed railroad he was accustomed to
stop overnight or for meals at farm
houses. During this time he might
have stopped at dozen houses in each
of which he had seen from one to a
dozen persons.
One day some time after the survey
had been completed he received note
signed Mary Warfield." 1t was writ
ten in the handwriting of woman
and confessed that he had stayed at
the house In which she lived while the
railroad was being surveyed and she
had fallen in love with him. He prob
ably would not wish to find her and
If he did he could not do so, for she
did not at the time she wrote him live
at the same place. Her love was eat
Ing her life away. Nevertheless she
would not he so unfem,nine as to ask
him to love her. The only satisfac
ton she allowed herself was to inform
him Of her love.
Young was just the man to be i'm
pressed by Il circumstance which nine
In ten men, though they might feel n
bit fattered, would cast aside as
matter Of no moment whatever. He
had no desire to find the writer of the
note, for he was n man of culture,
while she was doubtless with little or
no education. But he thought about
this girl who was dying for him and
wondered If she used the word liter
ally. From thinking he came to brood
ing. At times he was tempted to hunt
her up, but In his calmer moments he
saw plainly that such a course would
likely lead to serious consequences.
Young, who had left the home Of his
parents, went to live in a boarding
house in the city. 1t was near an i'm
portant school building, and several
women teachers boarded there. 1t Is
said that in the profession of teaching
there are no prizes. Teachers don't get
rich. They seldom make--at least as
teachers-any mark in the world. New
ertheless their lives are on an intellec-
tual plane. With those In this house
where Young boarded he became init
mate. One or two of them showed him
sufficient favor to warrant his making
love to them. The one he fancied most,
Miss Virginia Martin, seemed rather
shy OF him.
Perhaps it was because of this shy
ness and that Miss Martin was the
prettieSt of the lot that he liked her the
best. There was in her something OF
that emotional nature which was In
him, though emotional does not as
correctly express 1t in her case as in
his. She was, rather, one Of those per
sons to whom the phrase still waters
run deep" applies.
Young, after dinner in the evening,
would be great deal with the young
ladies', and very soon they, discovering
which way the wind blew, would one by
one go off to their rooms, leaving him
and Miss Martin together. That was
the beginning Of it. The end Of it was
an engagement between them.
But before the engagement Young
told the girl about the letter he had re-
ceived signed Mary Warfeld" and
confessed that it had made marked
impression on him. Then he asked her
II she thought he was by any higher
law than is usual in such cases bound
to this poor girl, who had anonymously
confessed her love for him. Miss Mar
tin couldn't see that he was. He told
her that he had made no effort to find
Mary Warficld, and Miss Martin said
that he had acted wisely. The only
doubt, he told her, that he had in pro-
posing to his fiancee was fear that at
some future time he might receive an
appeal from Mary Warfeld which
would act upon his emotional nature,
thus creating barrier between him
and the girl he loved, later to be his
wife. Miss Martin said 1t was to be
hoped no such event would occur
All went well between the lovers,
though now and again Young would
appear moody. Miss Martin on such
occasions smilingly accused him Of
thinking Of Mary Warfeld. He would
neither affirm nor deny the charge, but
the girl present, the smile she gave
him and perhaps a kiss banished the
one who was dying for him.
np0 the summer vacation came on
Miss Martin prepared to spend 1t at
home, for she did not live In the city
where she taught. Young was to take
couple of weeks in August for his
own rest and was to spend it at her
home, making the acquaintance Of her
family.
Miss Martin would have It that the
matter between them was to be drop
ped from the time they parted till lie
had met her relatives. He was obliged
to spend six weeks without a word
from her. Then he Joined her. He
found her family country people of
refined type. They were living in a
town new 10 them. where they had
Just bought a place Young was sat
isfied, and IL the lady was equally so
with his own people, whom she was
to meet in the autumn, the engage
ment was TO be considered assured.
Then Young returned to the city.
The day after his arrival he received
q letter from his fiancee. He started.
The handwriting was that Of Mary
Wnrfipld The letter was flll OF love