Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-01-27

going to buy this house ana marry the
girl whose portrait hangs on the wall
In this room"
Tom then wrote out an o u for a
dollar to cover the cost of his enter
tainment payable when l have made
the money to pay it." Then, not dar-
ing to go asleep again lest he should
be caught by some one belonging there,
he went out into the night and finished
1t In neighboring wood.
II was Halloween The first chill
of approaching winter had come, and
in certain room of a certain house q
cheerful coal fire was blazing in the
CRATE. A girl sat before it dreaming
of the Halloweens she had passed
and the childlike faith she had had
that she might be afforded in some
way glimpse of the man she wouid
marry. She was now twenty and con-
sidered herself altogether too old for
such superstitiOns. Indeed, they had
given place to something more real,
something that had remained with her
ever since its occurrence.
1t happened at the time of her aunt's
death. Late at night a telegram had
come announcing that she could not
live till morning. Mabel Hinckley and
her mother had thrown a few things
into suit case. locked the doors and
started on foot to the station. but a
short distance from the house. to catch
the IL o'clock train. After n weeks
absence they had returned and found a
bit Of paper on the mantel over the
fireplace on which had been written,
Some day I'm going to buy this house
and marry the girl whose portrait
hangs on the wall in this ROOM" A
due bill for dollar to pay for what
had been appropriated accompanied
the paper
Mabel's mother had been impressed
only with the hazard of going away
from her home and leaving it to take
care of itself. The occasion of their
departure and the hurry involved had
caused them to leave q window un-
locked, and they had not even taken
time to put out the fire burning in the
CRATE. 1t was a wonder, she said. the
house had not been ransacked.
With Mabel it was different. A girl
must be devoid not only Of romance.
but an interest in her personal appear
ance, who would not be moved by such
note as she had found on her re-
turn. 1t was now three years since
1t had been received. and she had not
ceased to wonder II the writer would
keep his word. Evidently he had not
thus far kept it as to buying the house.
for having received an offer for more
than it was worth-an offer they could
not afford to decline-they had sold
1t and to man with a wife and a
family Of children. The property had
passed out of their hands. but they
were to occupy it till the following
spring. AS for the man who had made
himself at home in it. he had not yet
come a-wooing. Indeed. not a word
had ever been heard from him.
Mabel Hinckley sat before the fire.
place on Halloween night wondering
what had become Of the person who
had been charmed with her picture. 1t
hung where 1t had hung when he
entered the house. and as she looked at
it she nlused:
when that picture was taken was
barely sixteen. am now twenty and
much changed. If he comes and
proves to be gentleman and attrac-
tive and all that, when he sees me he
will probably not be so much pleased
with me as with my likeness taken
four years ago, Twenty is quite old
for a girl. Heigho! If he's coming /
wish he would come"
The clock on the mantel struck IL.
and, arising. she started to go upstairs
to bed. mirror hung on the wall,
and she paused to have a look at her
face to see IL she was really very
much changed. The mirror faced the
fireplace and window beside it. Sud-
denly she saw reflected In the mirror
the face Of a man at the window
II 1t had not been Halloween and
II the face at the window had been
repusive Miss Mabel Hinckley would
have screamed. AS it was she stood
perfectly still. The eyes of the stran-
ger were darting here and there. final
| ly resting on the face in the glass.
which was as plain to him as the face
at the window was to her. When the
| two pairs of eyes met there was
momentary recoil on the part of the
man; then q half dubious, half implor.
| ing smile came over his face. 1t was
answered by the lips reflected in the
mirror, which gave it more confidence
And why not? Surely it was Hal
loween, and what girl on that even
ing on seeing a face reflected in a
mirror would doubt that she was look
ing upon her future husband?
There was more in the face in the
window than this. Something told the
girl that she was looking upon the
man who had written her that he
would some day come TO marry her.
Furthermore, she saw frank, ingenu.
| OpS face and the smile il wore was