Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1912-02-13
His
Conespondence
Course

Ruth looked wonderinely at the bis
bronzed. bearded chap who stood smil.
ing down into her upturned face
Somehow those eyes were familiar,
and yet
~Burtr she gasped. "This can't
be your"
ct can't be anyone else" he insist
ed. MAY come INF"
Blushing. she stood aside to let him
pass. In her surprise she had forgot
ten even to be hospitable. He made
HE way into the parlor as though It
we're only yesterday that he had paid
his last call.
The room was little changed; as
little changed as Ruth herself-and as
primly precise. Even his photograph
was still in the little leather frame on
the mantel. He crossed the room and
regarded It admiringly, though there
was little to call for admiration in the
somewhat faded cabinet Of the heavy
jowled ponderous bulked man with a
placent smile lowering on rather
weak. mouth. Ruth stood beside him.
"Can you wonder" she asked, with
a nervous little laugh; that did not
know you for a momentT
ct don't think you know me yet,
was the unexpected reply. Lets sit
down and getacquainted."
He looked toward the old horsehair
covered sofa, but she moved toward a
rocker by stove. Beneath the beard
the lips parted in a half smile and he
sank into a nearby chair.
"Got in last night" he rumbled, in
answer to her question. 'I'm only here
for a week. Came on to see a man
and he won't be back from Europe I'M
til next Saturday"
81 take it then that you live in the
west?" Burton nodded.
Southwest would be more nearly
correct" he said. Down in Arizona
and Old Mexico mostly"
"And this is your first visit east
since" She paused and colored.
"My first since you opened your cor
respondence school Of character for
nation" he chuckled.
"My what~ she gasped.
Maybe you forget just how ] came
70 go west" he suggested. She shook
her head. She remembered only too
well. Burton Brooks had given up a
position because he did not like the
work and saw no chance for advance
ment. She had broken her engage
ment IN a bitter letter in which she
had upbraided him for his lack OF con-
centration. She had been ready to for
give and forget the day after, but II
was too late. Burton had gone on the
midnight train. Whalenville was a
Gag station and none knew his desti.
| nation. That had been four years ago.
Evidently he had not forgotten.
do you think 1t kind to spoil 1t all
by referring to my unfortunate let
teri" she asked patiently.
at wasn't unfortunate" he insisted
"You don't know what lot Of good
that letter did me. That's what ]
came to tell you"
From his pocketbook he drew out a
sheet of tracing cloth and held II
toward her. "There it is" he said
'It's been my Bible these last foul
years.
'IIl admit that when I got it was
sore. was sore for an hour. Then
1 realized two things. You were more
than half true and the rest Of it was
that you had worried yourself sick
over me and most everyone else. You
always did have the trick of wanting
to manage everyone you came in con
tact with and sometimes the contract
grew too large for you. You were
worried because Jen Stevens raI
away with that actor fellow-and got
Jen's share too.
$50 Just packed up and lit out.
didn't blame you for not wanting to
marry me and didn't want to put
temptation in your way-or mine.
''Well, got out to Chicago and got
a Job with a construction company
Every morning / read your letter and
when 1t began to grow ragged on the
edges / copied 1t on tracing cloth.
'I simply couldn't talk back to my
boss, remembering what you said, and
so / got ahead. Down in Old Mexico
when was living In box car anC
bossing a section, took a corespon
dence course in engineering and after
that I called your letter the Core
spondence course in character. II did
me q lot Of good"
"Then I'm glad that ! wrote the let
ter" she said softly. II was afraiC
afterward that had spoken to'
strongly"
at was the best thing that ever hap
pened to me-" he declared. Il dom
need the course any more. but d.
need the teacher, Ruth. May have
herf"
For a moment she hesitated. It wal
in her mind to hold on. to punish hin
" o.. 49,. Ro,,r xr,av.c IN, YurY,foT, he hos