Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1913-08-13
Her SHORT ROMANCE
BY CELIA MYRovER ROBINSON.

Melissy walked. slowly down the
road, swinging her sunbonnet in her
hand, letting the little breezes stir
the soft hair about her face, and drink
ing in the pungent breath of the
pines.
Melissy's dream was very sweet and
very bitter. She had been only girl
--Melissy was thirty-four now-when
she had had her short romance.
There had never been q man at Ri1-
ton Corners could compare with HI
ram. Melissy thought him the hand
soonest and cleverest of men. And
he thought Melissy as beautiful as she
was good, and Hiram had felt there
was no higher praise than that
It was on an evening of just such
an April day that Hiram had first
kissed her and she had promised to be
his wife.
But the long, sweet summer had not
passed before Hiram had grown cold
and captious, changing 80 much that
Melissy hardly knew him for the
same ardent lover Of few months
back. The girl was high-spirited-
the broken woman smiled, sadly, as
she remembered this-and on one day
of anger and rebellion she had sent
Hiram away and he had never come
back to her again.
He had left The Corners, and dur
ing all the long years since, Melissy
had never heard from him. Vague
rumors had reached her, however,
that he had gone to Florida and had
made money in turpentine.
The camp meeting grounds were
q good three miles from The Cor
ners, and Melissy was very tired by
the time she had covered half the
way. She sat down by the road
side in the shade Of big oak, fen
ming with the pink sunbonnet, rest
ing the tired limbs awhile before 90,
ing on again. The sun was very hot
by this time, and the pungent breath
Of wild honeysuckles and the heavy
fragrance of yellow jessamine made
Melissy's head ache. She leaned
black against the mossy trunk with
closed eyes, listening to the mocking.
bird up in the oak and thinking of
Hiram II and wondering why life
wes 30 hard, and why he had
changed so towards her. Melissy had
been too proud to ask for an explana'
tion-Melissy felt now that she would
not be too proud, if Hiram were only
here
A half hour later man driving
down the dusty road at rapid pace
drew up his horses sharply, with an
ejaculation Of surprise. The figure
in the blue cotton dress leaning back
against the great oak was 30 STILL
and the sweet face framed in the
heavy masses of wavy brown hair
was 30 white that he thought at first
she was dead. But at the clatter OF
the team and his own strong voice
Melissy's slumber was broken and
she sat up, looking dazed and lit
tie disheveled, and rubbing her eyes
like a sleepy child. Then she
laughed and her face turned pink
as she encountered the look on the
bearded face. She put on her sun
bonnet, hastily, and somehow began
to feel very girlish and timid. II
had been a long time since Melissy
had encountered that look In any
ones eyes, but she had been a belle
for too many years not to know
when she had struck spark of ad
miration.
II believe / must have fallen
asleep, she said, little nervously
II believe you did," said the man
laughing.
1T was 80 hot" said Melissy, land
l am 30 tired. ] am on my way to
camp meeting and got plum beat out
with the heat"
Its getting pretty hot" said the
man.
Il reckon it wasn't the heat sc
much," said Melissy, "but I've been
right poorly this winter. This is the
first time I've been out for a long
walk since January"
You ought not to have tried to
walk it," said the man. You aren't
strong enough. It's good three miles
at least, from your place"
Melissy looked surprise.
"Land!" she said, how do you
know? thought you we're stranger
in these parts,' and she looked with
interest at the fine team and shiny
trap, and the tall, well-dressed figure
"Melissy," said the man, his voice
hoarse and shaken, don't you know
me?"
Melissy face turned as white as
the little wilted roses in her belt.
For a moment she stood quite still,
like frightened child. Then she
gave glad cry: "Oh, Hiram,
Hiram It's been 80 long," and
burst into bitter sobbing.
Hiram took her in his arms and
wiped away the tears.
1T has been long, Melissy," he