The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1916-02-16
Germ inspired the notion that he hat
1nndo a COMMUNIST

! made a conquest.
1 Slowly and with infinite tenderness
/ he raised his big right hand and closed
| It over Laetitia's futtering fingers
! they trembled at first like butterfly
| beating with it's wings, but finally
came to rest in the great kindly inclos-
ure. At the same time her head and
! heart swayed with a kind Of exquisite
| shock.
To her simple, bewildered and hun
gering soul Jerry's tender act signified
| but one thing-a confession of love.
Soon she began to tell him how she
had been waiting for him, unfolding
| those simple secrets that she had not
even lisped in her prayers, pouring out
| from trimming heart veritable song
| of happiness.
| There wac no longer any question OF
| Jerry's staying. He sat down with
| Laetitia as though he had come there
| for the express purpose Of dining with
her; and dinner, beginning with 9
| lively exchange of sentiments, reached
| gay climax when Laetitia cut the
cake and Jerry choked on the ring.
Having redeemed it by vigorously
beating him on the back, Laetitia in.
sisted that he should wear it, and as
she laughingly wedged it on the small
est finger she could find he mentally
decided to turn over new leaf, as
they say, and marry her.
While he was still thinking in this
| vein the little house reverberated with
| knocking at the front door. Jerry
started up, instinctively alert, and at
the same time Laetitia made a move
| to answer the summons.
"Waitw commanded Jerry quietly
his mind working with practiced brisk
ness, his quick eye noting means OF
escape by the kitchen door and visua-
lizing another exit through the trap in
the roof. A glance at Laetitia, how
ever, diverted all these considera tons.
II think it's some one for me from
the telegraph Office" he said deliber-
ately. 'I'll go to the door,"
So he went. knowing in his heart the
doom that awaited him.
Two ''plain clothes men, were stand
ing on the step.
Hello, McBride!' greeted one of
| them, his hand on his overcoat pocket
| which bulged with a pointed pistol.
We've got your pal. Murphy-and we
want you"
Jerry laid a finger on his lips and
said in low voice: "It's all right, I'll
come with you, but don't want-eh
my girl to get on to me-see?'
"Sure!'' grinned the spokesman. "Get
your hat and coat and kiss her good
by"
| The detectives stood at the open
door while Jerry, nerving himself for
| the parting, turned back to the kitch-
| en-, where Laetitia, lingering with a
sense of foreboding, detected at once
the distress he tried to hide under a
cheerful demeanOr. An adept at in
| vention, yet hating himself for the lie
and only choosing the fabrication to
spare her ideal of him, he said with
genuine emotion:
MY mothers dying in Ireland-she
sent for me-I've got to CO."
you've got to gov' 1t was not q
| question, it was not an exclamation
it was sigh.
He thought she was going to faint,
but she was only closing her eyes and
clasping hand over her mouth to con-
ceal her agony. Silently he caught
her in his arms and thought how diff
ferent it would have been had he met
her two short years before.
"You will come back to me?" The
piteous question came up to him in a
breath of hope.
"Yesr The word rang so with con.
viction that wan smile illuminated
her pale face.
"When?'
81 don't know" Jerry could not lie
to her then.
Thus he left her-left behind him a
bright memory and took with him a
half desperate peace that raised his
spirit up transcendently and touched
his brow with light when he stood
within the place of justice. There the
counts were many against him, so
many that the years of penal servitude
meted out to him seemed to stretch, a
militant legion, far beyond the hori-
zon of his gloomiest imaginings.
Jerry, in mighty obedience, paid for
his transgressions with his youth and
The prime of his life and yielded up un
murmuringly his still precious advanc-
ing years. His debt to society thus
thoroughly discharged, he shouldered
his old age and shuf1ed out into the
world again, only wondering if Lac
titia had survived those dumb decades
The calendar of Jerry's days was
filed with dread and disappointment;
winters cold and hunger's gnaw quick
~ dissipated what little stamina he
had retained. lie 49, . 1855; last par
ticle of fortitude, htt>..4> -; thoughts
and at last his steps toward Laetitia.
Heart ill and body WOLF the Deem
Der wind whipping his sh ~Dy garments
about his shrunken figure, Jerry foot
ed his way at noon on Christmas along
the sunny side of the ST. eet, hurrying
as swiftly as those lean shanks could
carry him, in feverish desperation lest
he should be 100 late.
With an inarticulate gasp of relief he
saw that the house was still there, i'm
maculately smiling in perennial youth
His timorous knock brought an almost
instant answer. The door opened, and
he and Laetitia stared at each other
again across the threshold.
Time had dealt gently with her; hope
and love had conspired in the keeping
of her youthfulness. while his-spent
II ||,,gE|g :
~ 4