The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-04-19
A Decision
From the Dead
By F. A. mitchell

| from the city. The house stood in a
| large lot, and i'll the adjoining lot on
| one side stood another house of about
| the same size. There was no other
| house within half mile.
Donald had long wished for a gun,
| but his father would not consent to his
| having one SO long as lie lived in the
| city, but when they moved to the
country the boy WAS given Il small
| ride. The day after reaching the new
residence Donald went 60 wood back
of the house with his gun. 1t was in
the spring of the year, when shooting
WAS not in uglcr, but lie wanted to see
how it would feel TO be in Il wood with
gun
Donald fJGnd something better than
bird Ia the Wood-a airl about his
own acc gathering wild flowers. Chill
dren dou't usually require an introduce
ton. and Il boy with Gun and girl
gathering wild flowers in wood were
not likely TO fUrego an acquaintance
from such = default.
Donald learned that the girl was
Amy Stanford and that she lived in
the next house 10 his own home. Since
he did not feel ut liberty 10 shoot the
birds he leaned his gun against tree
and hunted with the girl for flowers.
When they had gathered quite Il num-
Der they looked about for a seat ON
which they might arrange them into Il
bouquet
Come with me-" said Amy, and she
led Donald to tree from which
branch n few feet from the ground
stood out horizontally far enough TO
make room for the two of them, then
turned in perpendicular direction.
There the girl seated herself, spread
ing the flowers in her lap, and Donald
sat down beside her.
Then followed the most delicious
hour in Donald's life. Above were the
birds, twittering, flying to and from
the nests they were building, an occa-
sional song, accompanied by the never
ending music of Il brook that bent
about the tree underneath which the
children were sitting, while at their
feet trembed shadows of the half
grown leaves. Donald passed other
hours in the same position with the
same girl beside him. But there is that
in the first of anything which never
comes again. On that branch he took
the first kiss of love" Nevertheless
there was not again quite the same
sweetness in the songs of the birds,
the music of the running water, the
hecked shadows Of the young leaves.
Just when he took the first kiss OF
love may not be revealed. 1t was to
him too sacred TO be spoken. But we
may he sure it was not long delayed.
The love that sprang up and blossom
ed there when it doomed bloomed for
ever He felt that whether they We're
together or separated in this world or
in the next they were one forever.
Three years later Donald was seven
teen-the Erskinc family removed TO
distant region. Their parting occurred
at the trysting place where they had
50 often met, and neither doubted that
they would meet again when they had
idcStu llOIi .ouAH " hi"Aih'pN .AatA
womanhood But they were never to
meet again in mortality. Three years
later Amy died.
-Four years after their parting DON
aid. who had come to mans estate,
one spring morning, sorrowful, with
reluctant step passed from the road to
the wood where he had been so happy
with his lost love. There had been no
change. Birds We're twittering. the
brook gave forth its music. the shadows
of the leaves fieclied the turf.
As Donald approached the branch
seat he suddenly stopped and gazcd
as though he saw some ugly apparition.
4 man sat on the branch wearing a
countenance Of grief Then Donald
with quicker step approached the man
and said TO him:
why are YOU hcreY"
II am mourning lost love
~ lost love, Who may that lost
love be-"
Only Amy--Amy Stanford
"Yopr ANY,"
My Amy, Mine in life; mine in
death"
There was pause. during which the
two men regarded each other with II
strange emotion, Finally Donald spoke.
Did Alny Stanford love you?'
she did
You lie"
Il lie? You have strange conf
dence"
Confidence but not strange conf |
dence. II YOU speak the truth SHE WAS |
not what she was, and that is impos
sihle. But it is sacriege for me to |
dispute with YOU on such Il subject
Advancing to the trunk of the tree |
where there was cavity in the wood, |
Donald thrust in his hand nearly to |
the shoulder and drew forth small |
metal box, took key from bis pocket, |
the box and took from it Il
paper. Without looking at ii he hand
ed it to the man who claimed TO he |
his rival for enc who had passed to |
mother existence. The latter read it |
Iagerly Then suddenly it fell from
his hands. and, rising, he stalked away.
Donald, before parting with Amy, |
had given her the box and had exacted
4 promise that from time TO time she