Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-11
BY JANE w. GUTHRIE

here"
shade crossed Miss Mes sweet, serene face as she
spoke and she turned to pick up fresh basket of ber
ries, and then went on with the hung of them with
those beautiful hands of hers Miss N1els hands
small and fine and white the hands of woman of intel
lect. She smiled reminiscently
Henry a strange fellow; but had much in
comnon,-we liked to read the things and think
about the things. l had voice then. and Henry
passionately fond of music, and there always
someone about hcre,-we had many friends"
Friends? Miss Mel had many lovers, as all Harmon
knew but she would never have spoken about lovers,
she modest and gentle, or let anyone that
they had been discarded. l suppose she had refused
Shed Coulter on of three times year for
fifteen years, and yet she still kept him her friend.
Henry came here" Miss Mel continued, ito spend
Saturday and Sunday for almost two years. but
how Father and Mother always dstrustul of him.
Mother often told me that she hoped | would never
marry him; that he queer, cratic He used to
make great fuss Narcssavou recall how pretty
she was that sweet Dresden china sort of way-and
Narcissa wrote to him. She loved to write letters:
did. Two three times week she wrote to him,
and he always answered them in that charming, in
dulgen fashion of his. really think that Henrys
greatest accomplishment that delightful of letter
writing.
after awhile Narcissa grew tired of it and stopped;
but Henry kept coming all of that second
mer and then l began to write to him. His letters
to mel never forget them!' Miss Mels face
changed she stopped her baskets and seemed to be
rearranging them in helpless sort of way "He stopped
coming suddenly. And he came again. | had
been visiting in town and had seen him there-a week
of utter bliss"
Miss Mel ceased speaking, her face almost became
ashen gray and then flame of crimson as red as the
berries in her hands swept it. Her hands were idle
for few moments. She sat perfectly STILL her eyes upon
that stretch of 6ld-fashioned garden before her
at seems long time ago. she spoke slowly yet the
had back to her face again there
faint smile at the edges of her lips, twenty
years ago, and yeti only yesterday! l have
forgotten for moment, not for moment, just
how Henry Saxon looked just what he used to say But
the other day, after Narcissa home she
sitting reading the paper, and suddenly she exclaimed
Why Mel, here's the notice of Henry Saxons DEATH
The world stopped thought; Henry Saxon dead!
Twenty years ago, and now-Henry Saxon is dead'
have Miss Mel so moved: and noticed
then that there black circles beneath her and
that her lovely hands trebled they lifted the next
basket of berries into her lap.
"Narcissa became excited over it, and talked so
much about it, Miss Mel continued, "and insisted
reviewing many of the incidents of that far back
time! Finally she went up to the attic and brought
down his letters She had kept them all those years.
| asked her if she had seen him in town, and she
confessed that she had tried to him times but
that he always away something prevented She
felt quite convinced that he really anxious to
her and had been prevented by someone from doing so
Miss Mel sighed.
| myself had always had my ideas about Mar
cssas visits to town. They were always made in the
hope of meeting Henry Saxon and finally capturing him.
Narcissa had never married. though she had had many
beaus; and | certain that Henry Saxon the
cause-that and the fact that she would marry
in Harmon. She always said she hated the place.
Just then Miss Mel and heard the motorcar coming
putting up the road, and almost before knew it, it
crushed across the gravel on the front driveway Miss
Mel smiled.
"Narcissa will be here in moment. She has been out
driving with Sheldon that faint smile her lips,
the smile with which she always considered other peo
pies vagaries and her own command to herself of
Hands off, | never knew anyone who religiously
attended to her own business Miss Mel "She read
those letters and over, weeping about them and
signing them until she became almost hysterical,
and the next morning when she down to breakfast
she was in a sad state"
lust then the front door opened, and could hear
Narcissa in gay, bantering conversation with Shell
don Coulter She was teasing him about going out the
next dav with him. In a moment she came out