Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-05-31
Miss Cartwright S
Consistency


Mrs. Lowell stabbed her needle
viciously into the sock she was mend
ing and rocked violently.
Amelia has a constant nature"
said Ann Briggs.
Consistency is all right if there's
any reason for it," said Mrs. Lowell,
'but everybody knows that Charles
Burroughs wasn't true to her before
he died. He was engaged to two girls
at once"
''But Amelia doesn't know it." said
Miss Ann, gently "and it would hurt
her to know"
"Well, wouldn't it be better for her
to be hurt a little and get walked up
to the fact that it is Amos who has
really loved her all these years and
who deserves to get herr"
well I don't know" said Miss
Ann. 81 hate to see Amos hurt and
hate to see Amelia hurt. Love is
love. and I guess most of us have to
suffer for it."
There she goes, now" said Mrs.
Lowell, glancing out of the window.
81 knew she would. Every Saturday
she's off to the cemetery with a
wreath of pink flowers. Sometimes
it's roses and sometimes It's sweet
peas and sometimes it's verbenas.
But it's always pink"
"POor thing" said Miss Ann.
That's what hurts Amos So" said
Mrs. Lowell. ''He knows Amelia
hasn't enough to live on and he has
plenty. And I think he knows, too,
that she would love him if she would
let herself. He said to me not long
ago: Aunt Carrie, when I talk to her
about it, she just cries and says,
"Please don't. Poor Charles thought
had it in me to be constant-and I
want to be faithful to him-I want
to be faithful."'"
"There goes Amos now" said Miss
Ann "Do you know he's got some
pink roses in that paper? I believe
he's on his way to the cemetery"
well, he'll meet Amelia there"
said Mrs. Lowell, "and I guess she'll
be touched to see that he has remem-
bered Charles"
But Amelia, sitting forlornly at the
foot of her lovers grave, was to meet
some one else before Amos. for a
slender little woman approached and
asked, 'Ts this the grave of Charles
Burrough?"
eyes" said Amelia.
The girl unwound yards of waxed
paper from about a magnificent
wreath. It was evidently made up by
a city florist, of pink dollhouse roses,
and valley lilies, with maiden-hair fern
yelling the whole.
ooh" gasped Amelia, show beauti-
full"
"He always loved pink" said the
girl.
Amelia looked up startled. you
knew that?" she asked.
Eyes" said the girl. "When I wore
pink bows on my hair he always ad,
mired them. And there was a little
pink lawn dress that he made me wear
the night he left me-"
''He died ten years ago" said Anne
liza. '1t is a long time-did you know
him-just before he died?"
The girl nodded. 'He lived out
west in the same town where l
taught And we were engaged" She
did not see Amelia's start of surprise.
'He came east-just to see his folks
he said, and then he was to come
back-and we were to be-married.'
''Then he died." the girlish voice
went on, "and all these years I have
wanted to come and lay wreath on
his grave. l saved my money so that
I might. And-now am here-and-
and I can't bear it."
Looking on the others grief, Ame-
liza wondered why she was unmoved
She wondered, too, at a certain light
ness of he; She felt free-free to
live her own life, to love as she
would.
She saw Amos coming up the hill
She bent over the sobbing girl. ''He
loved you," she said tensely; ''you
have that to comfort you"
Then she went swiftly down the
hill and met Amos. 81 don't Just
know what has happened to me-" she
said. "Take me away, Amos, take
me where nobody can see me cry"
He led her to a place screened by
row of chairs. "What is it, dear
hearth" he asked, tenderly.
She told him. WAS he-as tickle
as that?" she demanded.
Everybody knew it." he said, 'but
you"
and no one told me. Oh, Amos, I
feel so sorry for that girl. Somehow
| don't feel sorry for myself. Per
haps I've been just clinging to
dream. But she knew him and lived
close to him and oh, I hope he loved
her best. It would be so tragic tiff
she is mourning a false lover, Amos"
"And you?" Amos asked.
81 found out after he came east that
he wasn't all that I rad thought he
was-but l thought he loved me--and
it seemed so pitiful for him to be up
here and alone-with no one to care
and so tried to be true"
There was a light in Amos eyes as
he bent over her. "And now that he
has some one else to love him-cant
you pity me-Amelia?"
81 declare" said Mrs. Lowell,
month later. Amos says Amelia is
going to marry him. And when l ask.
ed him his favorite color, he laughed
and said 1t was blue"