The herald., 1912-10-31
A
Renaissance
By DAVID WALTER CHURCH

Edith and | celebrated the twenty
fifth anniversary of our wedding re
Gently and spent the evening in The
same house where | proposed to her
she having inherited it. fell TO mus
ing. and Edith asked me what ! was
thinking about.
"A scene that occurred right here be
fore this fireplace a few months more
than a quarter of century ago"
The letters?
"Yes. And that started me to mus
ing on the difference in our relation
between now and then. Do you re
member all that racket about the re-
turn Of the letters after our disagree
mentT"
Perfectly"
'And how long it took us to find a
way to make the exchange? Well.
don't remember ever to have confessed
to you the cause of my part of that
delay"
Now is a good time to do So"
when | look back and think Of what
a man Of twenty-three can write. to a
girl of nineteen ii makes me shiver
even now. When we got into that
quarrel and | remembered that you
had a trunkful Of gush that had writ
ten you
1T wasn't gush at all"
"Of course it wasn't gush then. and
between lovers. but If you could read
one Of those letters now ii cold blood
it would make your hair curl. Ii GER
tainly would mine. lust as soon as
the break came between us what had
written and the possibility of any one
other than you reading it filed me with
horror | got wild about it right of,
imagining all sorts of absurd happen
ings. | became seized with a mad de
sire to get possession of those letters
And when | wrote for them and you
made some excuse delaying an ex-
change what do you suppose got into
my foolish noddle:"
WHAT"
why, it occurred to me that you
might sue me for breach of promise or
do something horrible that would bring
out the letters TO the world"
Edith smiled. What do you sup
pose was my reason for delayT'
II can't imagine"
"Once before meeting you l wrote
a note to a man and afterward heard
of his showing it to one of his friends.
When | thought Of all | had written
you it flashed upon me that you might
do the same thing. was as anxious
to get my hands on my letters to you
as you were to possess yours to me-"
"And that's the reason" | replied.
you wrote me that gentleman would
consider himself bound to return la
dy's letters at once; the lady might
take her time"
Edith smiled. but said nothing.
went on:
Then followed that stupid prop
osition of mine that on q given day
each should express the others letters.
both agreeing and neither keeping the
agreement"
Il didn't fail to keep mine for the
reason you suppose. The package was
too heavy for me to carry to the ex-
press office. and didn't like to have
man call for them. | knew the whole
household would laugh at me-"
81 didn't trust you to keep your agree
ment believed that If you got your
own letters | might whistle for mine"
ITO tell the truth would have tax
en- my time to return yours. though not
with any thought Of showing them.
I didn't like TO give them up. | used
to read myself to sleep with them"
II didn't know they were fitted even
for that"
And when the quarrel was on !
cried over them"
DO you remember how we agreed
to make the exchange by leaving both
packages on "a certain afternoon in
clump of bushes in the wood back of
this house
Yes. and I waited at a rear window
for two hours to see you leave your
package. being ready to leave mine as
soon as you had done so.
THAT was another failure"
What do you suppose was the rea.
son Of my proposition to bring my let
ters and make the exchange here"
ITO make up, of course"
did that occur to you then?'
IL was sure of it. and | was delight |
I'd. | had had enough of the sport"
But when entered this room by |
hat door you were standing over there |
md looked vindictive enough to bite
ny head Off"
"You don't suppose was intending |
% make the first advanceY
But you needn't have looked so ter
.ible."
THE only mention Of any reason for
your coming was to exchange the let
,ers. When | saw you come in with |
hat great ba'p wanted to laugh"
81 felt like u fool"
DO you remember what broke the |
'pell that had been keeping US apart?"
Yes; you were very becomingly |
iressed and looked as pretty as a
'each. 1t didn't occur to me then that
I you were still angry with me you
would put on your most attractive
inery for me. though | know It now.
said something about my regret and
'ou looked down at the floor. went
o you. put my arm around you and