The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-09-10
The Man, the Mission
and the Maid
BY George Randolph Chester
copyright by the Mcclure Newspaper syndioate)

l wanted 10 paddle tnal Doy! mere
he sits. as stir as a poker talking
to the prettiest girl in Oakdale with
no more life in him than il she was a
sack of potatoes. Did !, at his age
ever sit like tailor's dummy on any
girls front porch?'
Adam" retorted Grandma Gilman
my distinct recollection Is that at
twenty-five you were the biggest foo
in the county,
The mailman came up the street
Miss Blanchard ran down to the gate
and he handed her large, fat, square,
cream-tinged envelope Mr. Gilman
had followed her.
Have you anything for me?" he
asked the mailman. Mr.. Hatred
Joyce Gilman"
The mailman looked up with a
start
Why, hello, Harry" he cried heart
lily and held out his hand. 81 didn't
recognize you How you have grown.
Mr.. Hatred Joyce Gilman was toe
dignitied to vince.
There's scarcely any change in you,
Mr., Powell" he said with lofty gra
ciousness. The years treat you very
kindly. indeed"
Getting gray gray at rat And
the r.ail-man jerked off his hat mo-
ment. Let me see. You asked about
a letter. | got one here, but | hadn't
any idea that Hatred Joyce Gilman
could be you"
The letter he hunted out was a
long, legal envelope. 1t bore, printed
in one corner, the address of the Tene.
Gilman took it with reverence, while
the deep frown of concentration
creased his brow.
Il shall have to ask you to excuse
me- he said briskly to Miss Blanch'
ard Il have been waiting with some
anxiety for this delayed communica.
ton. 1t is-well-the call of duty.
He glanced at the fat envelope. You
too, will be naturally anxious to see
what Uncle Sam has brought you
Il know beforehand" she said
These envelopes bring me no sur.
prises. They are my only rays OF sun.
shine"
He smiled sadly and shook his head
He intended to devote himself solely
and undoubtedly to humanity, and ii
he ever married at all it would be tC
some good woman who could aid him
In his settlement work: even then only
if he was convinced that they could
do more together than they could sep
arately
You must come over often" invited
Miss Blanchard. Il am interested in
your work"
Il should be glad indeed il | could
interest you seriously in it," he as.
sured her. Il shall consider it my
duty to do so if ] can"
In the pursuit of this duty he came
over nearly every day and most OF the
evenings. Miss blanchard did not &c
out much. The fat. square. cream
tinted envelopes kept her at home;
made her refuse many invitations that
she might have been glad to accept
had she been the unsettled, frivolous
girl she used to be when she was
young-say, seventeen or eighteen.
1t was not. long until Mr.. Hatred
Joyce Gilman knew all about the en-
velopes. She told him one evening
when the family had gone out and
they were alone on the Blanchard
porch in the moonlight.
MIR. Gilman" she observed tremu
lousy II may trust you. We have
known each other all our lives, and
never knew you to betray a confidence
even when we had our worst spats
Mr.. Gilman"
You may call me Hatred, he inter
rupted with quite elderly gentleness
laying his hand protectingly upon
hers. where it rested upon the arm OF
her chair. You have no brother. You
need one"
Thank you, Hatred" she gratefully
replied Il am going to contide in
you. Hatred. my parents are bent on
running my life. | have an attach
mont, a deep and lasting attachment
and they frown upon 1t. | have never
met him but twice, but We have cor
responded ever since. At first 1t was
only the ordinary boy and girl cor
respondence, OF course; but as 1t grew
il deepeued and ripened into some
thing far too precious for them to un
derstand. You, however: are a man OF
the world. You can, perhaps, appre
ciate how vital an attachment ike this
becomes" And she quotedfour verses
from the "Rubaiyat" OF Omar Khay
yam to prove 1t.
Yes | know, | know" replied Hal
fred, with dreamy emphasis. i hac
also. when was younger. an attach
mont that might have altered the
course OF my entire life, but 1t was
MINED in the bud. She" he choked
up a little bit very successfully-"she
proved faithless."
Il am sorry, brother she said
turning her hand palm upward to
clasp his strong and supple fingers
with a grip OF understanding y
would no, have resopened your wound
for worlds.'
'lt IA nothing" he replied In a hol
'nw voice. leaving his hand In hers
.ttng whatever The same devo