The record., 1917-05-17
A FORGOTTEN LETTER
By SUSAN {. cLAGGETT.
=r----sssEssIEzE'z-S -Srissa : 1'EsSn''
49, ss.sss2lssecsssssssssssSesacsslssssss q $1,000 80

The morning WIS dismal. In that it
was no different from thc other morn
ings that had preceded it for six
weeks; but day after day Of dull
weather had at last had its effect upon
Patience Winthrop, and sh9 was IN
deniably depressed. This wAs strange,
because, as girl and Wonah she had
spent her life in a village teat VAS
more or less envclopcd by fog. Nut
! today she hated the fog The Tea, every
| thing pertaining to the place she had
called home for thirty-odd years.
She had been watching right after
night with an old friend WHO for long
had promised herself, ana her &C
quaintances, that her life Wctlld 90 cut
when the sun crossed the line"
Mrs. Wainwright took to her bed
twice year about ten days before tle
first equinoxial storm, and There she
would stay until the day following the
twenty-frst, when she woigid get Up
feeling as spry as sparrdYys. Ter
neighbors had heard her demands for
so long they had no other theu@ht than
that she would be about as usual afler
her ten days rest And thap the IN
usual happened. Her life v7{nt quietly
out as Patience Winthrop watched
with her alone.
This was two days before, anu is
only pertinent to the story u so far us
it shows one Of the causes of the Cp-
preston that was pressing bef' down,
like q great hand choking <Ao hcr. a
out Of her. The other was -he 4a.:-
Of The letter.
In the gray dawn of the Sort"".'t.-
morning as she was tU@nin-9he i...>
of the Bible lying upon Mrs. Na,n-
wri@ht's bedside table, she came upon
it, her own name staring mp al her
from the yellowing envelope. Mrs.
Wainwright saw it in hershand and
gave q little gasp.
II forgot it, Patience. When : re-
membered I did not see yoA and i'-.
I forgot it. John gave 81
ago, but [ foIC9t fle HI
have given it to :.
peoples m,lI'ry ;4iat Il
did an I jes' plain forgot
quiet Tor a little While, gEea3 atS.>eu ,tl-~
time Patience told her.
"Four O'Clock an the i'd runnin'
out an it's most time for the sun. to
cross the line" Her breath game halt
ingly. I'm ng-out-tlis-tilEe e.
1 I2.atieRee M III .El'lla-1.sar,; 1rstz-the-
-Ietter-for you've - 0sgsa-rtsafi-
good-to-me" She ended with a
, sigh. That was al.
All through that CO.. aa[i The next
Patience had felt that rfa vas rot
worth the living She had not read
the letter. For some reason she vas
afraid, but as she stood by the win
> dow peering out into the sraynesS Of
the fog and listening to the ccascless
: rush OF waters against The head!gnd
. whereon stood her home, she held it
: tightly cIasped within her band.
L It was ten years sine she mad
: heard John WainWriSht's Famc
She heard the bell booming its warn
> ing from the lighthouse across the har-
hor and family, afar OF, the whistle
. of a siren. A steamer was II distress
d. off the shoals.
= The rubbing of her cat against her
= brought her back to the warmth Of the
y tidy room rs q knock sounded upon her
; door, 1t was late too late for Wis 'rOrs
:, and she paused an instant before open
= ing it She heard a fumhling AGAINST
the panel as if a hand was searching
for the latch, and she reached the door
as it fell open. A man staggered in
n lurched forward ana sp1 twled lipo1
e the floor.
: He had fallen face downward and il
y took ali of Patience'S strength to turr
Il the heavy figure and draw it toward
T. the stove. Then she went systomatical
Is II to work to restore consciousness.
L 1t took long Not unit he opened
s. his eyes and looked full into her face
/ did she know him, and jhcn al sh'
j said was, "Why, JGEn But shi
dropped on the floor beside him. lift
n ed the heavy head onto her lap an(
u began grooming over lin With unaccus
u toned words that sounded strang
IL coming from lips that had never be
~ fore used them.
cL He was i'll for weeks. ana in hi
u delfrium, he talked much about a let
10 ter. His insistent demand Trough
. again to Patience's mind the one sh
had found in his mothers Bible, an
she read it. 1t WAS short,
n, Dear Patience" she read. i shi
n tonight on the Prince George, Whic
Ae sails at daybrcak. This is; sudden, bu
id the mate was took sick an Cap Bake
" come after me- Write me 4 line t
Is Kingston, jamaica. Cap don't llno'
sc when he'll be home, as he's trampin'
e AZ may go roun' the world. lov
Ia y0u, my girl, and want You 20 MARI
rs me when [ get back, John"
IL For Il time she struggled with hel
II: self then said iuslliIE;
III John. ] have JUS read your lette-
the one you lett with your mother.
- she held il before hjm. ..}N sen %p
Y are. well there viii be tine enough
~ talk this out between l,@: what
'iF want to know now is. do .Ju stilt mea
y what you put down tnerc?" pointing
the letter.
- .:Mcan it," he whispered faintl.
- - -'I'r, Lot ihu man ii .htu@y." hi- rnif
: ,r,5il@G @.l.
tt-.E. ..~=rl L.. -,-.----- =,
80 G!l-5
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- Getting E%oarieacs.