The Washington herald., 1914-07-31
DAILY SHORT STORY.
NJ JOHN TRENT.
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Copyright. lsliJ
Frank Wendell came back to his home
town after q years absence In the West,
with the face OF Mary Long stiil en-
shrined In his heart. He rather resented
this steadfastness In himself. for II ever
girl deserved 70 be forgotten II was
Mary.
When a young man pours out his heart
In love letter TO the object Of his adora-
ton, asks her to marry himsand to give
him an answer at once. he Is deserving
OF some reply. some acknowledgment Of
that letter. II only q regretful refusal
and in. the past Mary Had not led him
to expect that.
At last his work on that great Western
bridge was completed. and he was free
to return home. The thought OF Mary
Long made his return a bitter one.
He chose to walk home from the sta
ton and turned into a narrow back path
that would avoid the main road where
Mary lived. To his chagrin, he found
that the back path was completely
blocked by the building Of a new house.
and the privacy OF the way was further
protected by NO Trespassing" signs
posted everywhere about.
So there was no escape from passing
Mary's house. He laughed at his super
sensitiveness and turning around swung
into the main street.
Long before he reached the iron fence
that surrounded the Longs property. he
saw that something unusual was taking
place. The grounds were crowded with
carriages and automobiles, and people
were crowding into the great house.
Two red auction flags iuttering from the
gate posts told the story. but q lounger
on the sidewalk supplied the details.
"oid man Long died six weeks ago
and when they read the will and ap-
praised. the property they found he'd
speculated every hanged penny away!
II leaves the gal without a cent and
she's gone over to her Aunt Lucy Peck's.
near the mill. They're going to sell
everything on and maybe there'H be q
little something left for Mary when the
debts are paid. Going imp
Frank nodded and entered the gate
which he had not passed for twelve un-
happy months.
The twanging sound of an auctioneer's
voice came from the library and Frank
stepped TO the door. A small group of
people were quietly bidding In the re-
mains OF the well-stocked library. Frank
felt an impulse TO possess some OF those
books-how many OF them had he read
and discussed with grave-eyed Mary in
that wide window seat!
He began to bid on whatever was put
up. and presently he went away the
pOssessor of a copy OF Kipling's collected
verse, a folio of Shakespeare and a
worn copy of Alice in Wonderland"
one of Mary's beloved childish treasures.
which by some oversight had been in
cluded in the sale.
1t was not until he was up in his
own familiar room at home, with all the
dear home greetings still thrilling his
heart, that he sat down and looked at
the books.
For a long time he held the Alice"
in his hands, while he pictured all
the charming, delightful things Mary
had said to him while they had read
that childish classic. The had actu-
predictaments OF Alice and her friends
in Wonderland.
At last he laid II aside and picked
up the KIpling. That had no sentimental
Rociations, but II had been Judge Long
favored volume, and that. too. must
have slipped into the sale by mistake. He
would keep II as q memento Of the kind
old man who had been fond Of him.
There remained the folio. 1t opened
of its own accord where a letter was
tucked between the pages.
For q long time he stared atNthe letter,
for II bore his own name and the ad-
dress Of that Western town where he had
gone to build the bridge. There was a
stamp on IL. but no postnlark. The hand
writing was Mary's, and the red seal on
the back bore her monogram.
A letter addressed to him which had
never been mailed, His fingers tingled
TO open il at once. II might be the letter
he had been waiting for. II so, Mary
had forgotten to mail it. Again. she
might have written it and changed her
,fF,A ah0
But why not destroy IL? Why place II
between the leaves OF that particular
book? He had not known that Mary
cared for Shakespeare.
His fingers on the seal hesitated. II
Mary had changed her mind about the
contents of that letter. he could not read
1t without her permission. To gain her
permission he must go at once to her
Aunt Luckys To escape from the house
without being waylaid by one OF his
family required craft.
Frank resorted to a trick Of his boy
hood days. He stepped out of his bed
room window to the roof OF the kitchen.
went along the top OF the grape arbor.
and dropped unobserved to the ground.
There was n wood road back Of the
house that would take him directly to
the old mill.
The folio was in his pocket and the
letter was wedged between the leaves
as he had found II.
His heart lost some OF its lightness as
he neared Miss Peck's cottage. year
was a long time. and Mary-weIl. II he
could only see Mary alone at first he
could tell by the look in her dear eyes.
As IL in answer to his hearts desire.
he stared right into Mary's face. She
was standing beneath a bower Of wild
grape vines plucking the green punches
and dropping them into a basket on the
ground.