The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
LOVES WAYFARERS
BY lZoLA FORESTER.

TAXI or carriage HOW anu lhch ui'ih6
up at any hour with a belated couple
to be married. She was usually the
witness, with Selma, the Swedish
cook, hurriedly routed from slumber
to act as a second one.
The old-fashioned Evangelical church
stood on Brook avenue, convenient to
the railroad station and to the old city
hall. Within its quiet Enclosure was
also the parsonage, built in quaint
Dutch style. of stone with ivy over it
and double-peaked roof There was
q very small study to your right as
you entered and here the ceremonies
took place.
But this particular night there was
a different character to the couple
who presented themselves for holy
wedlock, as Pastor Van Kirk liked to
speak of the bonds.
The man was about thirty. good
looking, we'll dressed, without trace
of nervousness in his manner. And
the woman was past girlhood, with
a rather worn face that had been pref,
ty once. She had the look in her
face and eyes of one who has gazed
at fear so long that it has lost its
terrors.
When the ceremony was over, and
they stood for the usual conventional
chat before leaving. the man said sud
denly:
You don't remember us, do you,
Pastor Van Kirk? And yet you mar
ried us here in this same little room
nine years ago. We came back to you
for that reason. | had not seen my
wife for many years until a few days
ago. You don't even remember the
name, and yet we caused you trouble
and notoriety at the time"
And suddenly Mrs. Van Kirk leaned
forward, her brown eyes full of in
terest and sparkle.
Il know, l know now, and I've been
wondering all this time. You are the
rich young man and the little nurse
from Bellevue, aren't you?"
| He laughed, and laid his arm around
his wife's shoulders, and the pastor
eyed them intently. Theirs had been
the only exciting romance of all his
years at the parsonage. And she had
been so pretty. 1t was not until the
day after the wedding that he had
known who they were. Then it was
spread over the front pages of news
papers and the little gray church had
been subjected to notoriety. Names
meant nothing to him. He had not
recognized Spencer Morton as a ia
nous name, he had not known he was
uniting the only son of one of New
York's greatest millionaires with Dora
Bishop, probation nurse at Bellevue.
And when the father had visited
him, all he had made answer in his
proud, calm way, was this:
Il pray God have brought them
to the gate of happiness.
Now he gazed at the two faces and
asked:
What happened? You have come
back again. What for?"
because | was coward" answered
Morton quietly. MY father threat
ened to cut me off without a dollar,
and agreed tC give up my wife if he
would take me into the business as
partner. | believed ! could make
good and win him around, but when
told her what had done, and went
to the place where | had left her, she
, had gone. | did not find her again UNI
til three nights ago.
, Perhaps you remember how we
: met. | had been in an accident, and
, was taken to Bellevue, where no one
knew me- ] was unconscious and, Ia
, ter On, delirious, and Dora was my
, nurse When my mother found nc
! there and had me removed, | asked
for the Nurse to accompany me until
r | was well, and we loved That was
3 all. | did wrong to persuade her to
. a secret marriage. | was a coward
! But for nine years kept up the search
for her. And all these years while
. have been searching for her she has
, lived in seclusion. cared for, yes, but
Q believing / had died abroad. My ia
! Their told her this"
y Your father" repeated Mrs Var
Kirk eagerly He found herr"
u Yes, he foun1 her," answered Nor
Q ton slowly. He died a month ago
, | must not speak i'll Of him, but only
d this relieving that she was acting
s as private nurse in sanitarium GU
o West, she was really prisoner there
i My father secured divorce for me oil
the ground of insanity"
r ua paucad Mre Van Kirk nIumI
g and impetuous, crossed the little room
s a2d put her arms around the littl,
d bride and kissed her on cheek ant
brow.
t There are so many years ahead,
v she said See, Rupert and mysel
o have been Earried forty years"
She followed them out to the side
y walk A limousine waited at.the curb
"Ah, love, how pitiful wealth is,
n Mrs. Van Kirk said, as they went bacl
o to the warm little study. Years o
pain Just because he feared the los
o of money-all his life he cannot wip
that look from her face"
o The pastor shook his head doubtful
s Iy.
It She loves him greatly Did 20
d see her eyes? A woman's love is G
God, all pitiful, all forgiving. all hea
J. ing. They will find peace first togeti
II er and then joy"
1 He drew chair to the old-fasl
toned heater and drew the shades, a
n but one. There must be beacon
], puide loves Wayfarers to the rigt