The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-13
TIE EVENING STORY
Miss Cartwright's Constancy.
(Pu vroronIo Roi1ouN

might be happier, and save Amos
Tillinghast from wearing his heart
out"
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 Bur-
roughs 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. land it would hurt
| her to know"
-'Well, wouldn't it be better for her to
be hurt little and get walked up to the
| fact that it is Amos who has really
| loved her all these years and who de-
serves to get herr"
well, don't know" said Miss Ann.
| st hate to see Amos hurt and I hate TO
see Amelia hurt. Love is love, and
guess most of us have to suffer for it,"
We'll. 1 don't see any sense wasting
your love on those that amt worth it."
Mrs. Lowell's tone was a little softer.
It's different in your case. You lost a
good man. And if he had lived two
weeks longer you would have been his
wife. 1 guess you feel as much like a
widow as those who have had the knot
tied"
L II.
But Amelia is different" Mrs. Lowell
asserted positively. "She wasn't en-
gagged but a week, and she hardly knew
Charles. They had correspondent for a
year, and letters are different from the
real thing And Charles certainly could
write letters. But he was selfish and
conceited, and 1t wouldn't have taken
her long to find it out if she had mar
ried him. Now, Amos Is different. He's
tender and gentle, and yet he's strong
q md IND IlTT& @1s
town just before Charles left for the
West and she thought he was perfect"
Shed be happy with Amos Miss
Ann agreed; but she thinks her heart !
is buried"
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 q wreath |
of pink flowers. Sometimes it's roses
and sometimes it's sweet peas and
sometimes it's verbenas. But it's al |
ways pink. She says Charles loved that /
color and always wanted her to wear
it
''She has a hard time in winter, be-
cause she can't always afford to buy |
hot house flowers. But she keeps her |
lot of green with them. And some
times she ties on a pink ribbon, and !
once it was just pink crepe paper
Poor thing said Miss Ann.
InaJ what hurts Amos So, said
Mrs. Lowell He knows Amelia hasn't
enough to live on and he has plenty.
And think he knows. too, that she
would love him If she would let herself.
He said to me not long ago, Aunt Car
RE, when I talk to her about it, she
just cries and says, please don't. Poor
Charles thought I had it in me to be
constant-and want to be faithful to I
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 1 guess she'll be
touched to see that he has remember
ed 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, "Is this the grave of Charles
Burrough?" ;
Yes" said Amelia.
The girl unwound yards of waxed
paper from about magnificent wreath
It was evidently made up by CITY
florist, of pink dollhouse roses, and
valley lilies, with maiden-hair fern
yelling the whole.
f'Oh," gasped Amelia, how beautI- !
fulI''
He always loved pink said the :
Girl. {
Amelia looked up startled. y Oh knew
that?" she asked.
.Yes," said the girl when I wore J
pink bows on my hair he always adj s
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. ut is a long time-dfd you know
him-just before he died ~
! The girl nodded. HE lived out west
in the same town where I taught. And Ii
we were engaged She did not see
Amelia's start of surprise. HE came {
east-just to see his folks, he said, s
and then he was to come back-and
we were to be-married. 7
Then he died" the girlish voice t
went on, land all these years / have
wanted to come and lay a wreath on S
his grave. 1 saved my money SO that c
1 might. And-now I am here-and
and 1 can't bear it" O
Looking on the others grief, Anne c
liza wondered why she was unmoved. T
She wondered, too. at a certain light
ness of heart. She felt free-free to f
live her own life. to love as she a
would. v
She saw Amos coming up the hill. h
She bent over the sobbing girl. He
loved you she said tensely; you "
have that to comfort you" I
Then she went swiftly down the
hill and met Amos. 1T don't. just
know what has happened to me- shei
said. Take me away, Amos, take me
where nobody can see me cry"
He led her to a place screened by 2
a row of chairs what it it, dear n
hearth" he asked. tenderly.
She told him. Was he as tickle :,
as that ?" she demanded. y
Everybody knew it. he said, "but Il
.And no one told me. oh, Amos, II s
feel SO sorry for that girl. Somehow h