The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-01-06
A Message
From Marjorie
II Was Speedily Answered
r., Nellie cPAyEY CIIIMORF
BY NELLIE CRAvEy GILMORE

| Harrington turned from the bookcase
! with little gesture of annoyance. His
Shakespeare, of all volumes. How stu
| pid of Thomas TO have let out his books
| without his knowledge or consent.
| Only last week he had missed his IA
vorite, much marked copy of Roche
| foucauld. Presley had nabbed that.
| But this was IA little too much, espe-
cially in view of the fact that Ham
| let was playing that night and there
| were couple of passages he felt he
| must run over.
| He crossed the room impatiently and
| pushed the call bell 1t was answered
! at once by the redoubtAble valet
at seems still more of my books are
| missing. Thomas | am afraid you
have been careless. | can't locate that
red calf edition of Shakespeare any
| where"
you left orders, sir-begging your
| pardon-to accommodate any OF the
young gentlemen'-
when | rushed Off to Europe, eh?'
| A whimsical smile made its transient
passage across Farringtons scowling
face. Very web. ] presume you are
right ] was a bit upset, l remember.
You may go"
But as the man started toward the
door he called him back.
by the way. are there any book
stores hereaboutY
No first class ones. sir
"Any-er-tirst class neighbors?'
"A few, sir"
Good, Scrimmage around and find
me Shakespeare before night and
III
But Thomas had already disappeared
Marjorie Hayward was just coming
out of the front door when Earring
toms man stepped up on the veranda.
His request surprised her little, but
she was very glad indeed. To be able
10 accommodate him.
She had q copy of Shakespeare,some-
where. she said. an Old. battered one
but his master was welcome Ia the
use of it. certainly. And with this in
formation she went back into The Ii
hrary to search for it,
What sort of people were they any
how. the new neghbols who had lust
moved in the day before and were al
ready beginning TO borrow peoples
books? she wondered good naturedly.
At last she came across the rusty lit
tie volame. stuffed to overfowing with
old letters, clippings and scraps of
memoranda.
She held it up and shook them out
in shower, Il swarm of memories sud
denly aroused by the long buried sight
of certain familiar bits OF writing.
pressed flowers crtmblilEg TO atoms.
yet vaguely redoent still .of a dear.
dead past.
With smothered sigh she caught
herself back sharply from her foolish
reflections and returned to the door
with the book. Thomas thanked her
deliberately ana hastened away Mar
jorie waited ill he had passed up the
short stone walk of the house next
NC''' ihNh 'AAI NdlAtllt'i UP uti ttFtI
and walked down the gravel path to
the gate.
Harrington took the volume eagerly,
turning the yellowed leaves with def
fingers till lie should come to Ham
let But suddenly he paused. his eyes
narrowed curiously and his heart gave
startled jump. A brief extract from
The Merry Wives 0f Windsor" caught
his attention. Ask me no reason why
love you, for, though love use rea-
son for its precision. he admits him
not for his counselor
The passage was heavily underscore
ed. and below it were serb 5led in cor
roboration the Initials Nj Nv
f." They were hers and his.
Marjorie Hayward The name sent
his thoughts tumbling unanimously
back over the past; sent the blood tin
Cling even to his eyelids. How many |
years-nearly ten-since he had called |
that name, Yet how many days, in
deed. had it been absent from his |
heart?
The minutes flew by as hc' sat there |
wrapped in meditation At last he b. |
gan again to slip the leaves abscntly |
through his fingers. when abruptly |
they came i'm contact with something |
alien.
He glanced closer. almost Indifferent |
ly, and started again as his gaze rest |
cd stupidity upon an envelope stuck to |
one of the pages and addressed in full |
to Observation-Disclosures in Marjorie Hay |
wards clear resolute characters half |
Il score Of years ago. when they had |
both lived in the same little western
town
Without n second thought as to
he should or should not open
ii Harrington deliberately tore the let
ter from its Enclosure and read:
Dear Walter--L have been thinking
things over, and, after All. you must be
right | made the mistake, and am
willing to acknowledge il. We love each |
other too much No we not 10 let a silly |
quarrel separate us for life? Come to me ,
tonight ] shall he waiting for YOU AS
ever, MARJORIE |
For an indeterminate space Walter
Harrington sat half stunned. What
had happened? What could it mean?
Had she changed her mind about send