El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-12-21
AUNT EMMALINES
CHRISTMAS NOTE
It was a Long Time Coming,
But it Took Bitterness
From Her Life.
Continued from page IL

man himself never came. She had new
er seen or heard from him again IN
directly she learned from village gos-
sip that he had been called TO town.
but from him there had come no mes
sage out OF the void
The days crept into months and
heightened into years, money came 70
Miss Emmeline, and a spacious house
and friends in plenty. It was only love
that had passed her by The eager.
happy girl, turned into the cold, hard
woman. One day she learned from an
announcement in the papers that he
had married-years afterwards from
the same source that he was dead
And only a few months before her
nephew, the one human being IN the
world upon whom she had lavished
what affection she had left in her to
give had married the daughter of the
man who had won her heart one spring
day and thrown it away as carelessly
as he might have flung away FADED
flower from his coat
But had he2 Was II possible that,
after all, they had been separated not
by his indifference, but by some awful
mistake2 Had fate interviewed. police
man-Hke, and diverted the traffic OF
their lives into separate turnings? Had
he-AIiss Emmelines breath caught in
really loved her after all? A mist
doomed up before her as the envelope
fell away from the sheet. Then the
mist cleared and the sun danced mer-
rily, upon its shiny surface as she
read:
MY dearest. I have no right TO call
you this yet, but 1 am hoping that
you will give me the right by return
mail. for / am in town. Emmeline. sud
denly called there by most pressing
and urgent business I had no time to
write and explain before I left yester-
day I am afraid you must have
thought my absence in the evening
strange, but if you love me, dear, you
will forgive me. Love, you Will find.
is mostly that-forgiveness But do
you love me. Emmeline2 That is the
question want above all others TO
have answered Had I leisure would
write you words that, like faith, could
remove mountains OF opposition and
compel love, but this business presses
so hardly on me at the moment that il
is with difficulty 1 have snatehed the
time to write even these few words
But. whether or not you love me,
voted lover, Ralph"
The letter slipped from Miss Emme-
lines hand with a little rustling sound
as OF protest as it met the stiff silk OF
her gown. ~Emmeline. white haired, Sc
dately gowned, as she was, was in the
arms of her lover What matter IL the
man who wrote these magic words
were dead. and that il was Christmas
be ashamed Of her love no longer, she ,
could bring it forth. thing Of joy,
into the sunshine Of her thoughts. He
had returned her love. He had wanted
her. She had been the desire Of his
youth.
Miss Emmeline rose proudly from
her chair. She trailed her skirt across
the room with the air OF a queen. When !
The butler answered her ring, she spoke |
mperiously-
Barnes. I want this telegram sent
1t once. Also please tell Mrs Yates /
hat am expecting my nephew and /
lis wife at any moment. and that 1 /
wish rooms to be prepared for them I
immediately"
Bitterness Leaves Her.
When the man had LETT the room
gain Miss Emmeline walked across 10
he long French window and, smiling
apply, threw il open. She was anx-
Gus now TO hear the bells. All the Bit
erness of many years had melted from
her heart, as snow melts in the sun.
She could meet Walters wife now /
Without hate, nay with eagerness-
Walters wife, who might have been /
er own child She drew a deep breath
s the bitter-sweet scent of the chrys-
came into the room on a
ush of cold air. It was a good world |
.fter all
The Christmas peace stole into Miss
lmmeline's heart as she looked upon |
he whiteness of the hills The bells |
till rang loudly, for il was Christmas !
lay and the Christ child walked about |
happy winter world.