The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-10-27

As soon as Sally came, the post
mistress smiled and shook her head.
For she had understood what the letter
contained quite as if she had seen 1t.
And she had watched anxiously for the
answer.
mot yet" she said compassionately.
Sally's legs weakened and she clutch
ed at the little shelf before her. 1t
took a moment to swallow the thing
In her throat. Then she murmured:
cts two weeks"
eyes. But he'd have to be pretty
prompt to get it here by this time"
Sally had been sure of this prompt
ness 1t never occurred to her to
doubt She would not have wasted
a minute She turned hopelessly away.
Perhaps tomorrow" said the kind
post-mistress.
Sally veered, smiling.
'fYou think sop
Perhaps One can never tell. Don't
worry, dear. You see the address was
very vague and it may be some time
before they find him"
you don't think it is too later"
81 hope not, dear"
She had not thought of that before.
She had fancied him waiting for some
such recall. But, of course, he had
formed other ties he would be glad
to forget her. He might be married
OF course he wasl Otherwise he could
not be PRESIDENT
81 guess it's too late" she said again.
az would not think that. The adj
were gone, took the preeautlon to put
a return address on the enyelop and
If he does not get 1t, 1t will come back;
but that will take some little time"
There was nothing the next day nor
the next, nor for the many days after
ward that she went to the post-office.
She no longer dressed up for the trip,
and she was glad now she had not told
his father.
For a while she had to lock herself In
her room when the desire came on her
to go to the post-office. And then she
remained away three days, then a week,
and then the post-mistress admitted
that the letter had had time to be re-
turned. She must not give up though.
Strange things happen, sometimes, with
letters.
The letter had been returned, the
post-mistress had 1t then. But she
pityingly thought it best that Sally
should wait for it still, while she tried
to send it back to him.
Otherwise 1t was very much as Sally
had planned and hoped, save that she
was a bit sadder. She kept Seffy's
fathers house, as, perhaps, no house
was ever kept DSlOES one uaO not
been famous for the keeping of her own
house In the days of her coquetteship.
Her grandmother had attended to this
and then a maid who interpreted her
faultlessly. But now her own hands did
all-and did it with love. And she did re-
place Seffy-and more. For she pIowed,
and, after brief apprenticeship, no one
did it better. The bay mare was. as
kind to Sally as she had been to Seffy.
Nothing In his life had ever been so
sweet to the old man as those rests when
they met. And no food was ever so
piquant as that eaten under the trees at
their incoming.
Sally still went to the post-offce and
the post-mistress still had her letter
where she could have put her hand upon
it, though she mereifully concealed this
But there was no hope. Not a word
of confidence had passed between Sally
and the kind post-mistress, but each
knew that the other understood quite
as if their confidence was complete.
So that 1t was as If they spoke of an old
matter when Sally said, one day:
'Yes-I guess it's too late He's
married