The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-03-15
AN ANNIVERSARY
BY SUSAN cLAcEr

a.. ',n ie"hlns against the clos.,
oocr OF his shanty high up in tho FUSED ~
Acne mountains. could look y
miles over the country in tho &c. tof
morning atmosphere, but he hoa eeaf
Tor nothing but the letter IN hs au eyes
Inc envelope bore woman . uano
Inc letter itself contained but 1 ,sa
words, imperative, command,n. eles
tne1.c' also. in their brevity and ~
longing implied. 1' No
he mad no need to work. th,.
whose hands showed hardest toll ~.
IN work he found forgetfulnes. v ~
0ao been In the mountains th,.. ~
and as he stood there he thou,S. !.
tne months that lad gone 49,.
tnem; OF love and hope and de.n.,..
snat nad driven him from HIS hon.I'
Ills eyes sought the letter. II VA.
appeal. his first and last
II.
Inc long, low room was verv .+t,..
i've In the freight. The soft -:.s
carpet. the beautiful paintings, br,sss.
rom foreign countries and the ~
oer1ully carved teak furniture to,d -
wealth and luxury UNDECIDED nv ~.
woman who moved restlessly from
place to place as If driven by an ~
visible force. She held an omen lst
ter In her hand and her thoughts wer.
full of the writer. She had been th,,r
Ing OF him before it reached her an, !.
rs she reread it her thoughts aeai.;
went back to their last day together
to the bitter words that lad passeS.
between them, that size, herself M.
said, not he.
They had been married scarcely j.
;ear. yet during that time she had!
more than oAce said words she n.
GREETED as soon as spoken.
He had tried to talk quietly with
her, she remembered, but her bitter
causdc words aroused him at last
Zone thing l cannot understand.
be had said, why did you marry me-,
I thought l knew, but your words
leave me in uncertainty"
BE uncertain no longer" she ha3
replied; lit was mistake I regret
every day live"
"a mistake will rectify as far a.
Hes in my power" he had answered
and left the room.
Chs bod NOT cooo b;,, .:uo A.,
now his letter. 1t made her pulses
throb to s.itfocation.
Come to me-"
The woman paused at last in her
restless walk; paused before the sec.
retary. Opening drawer she took
from it small box. Seated before
the fire she opened it. It held plain
gold band, her wedding ring. She had
taken it, off that last day and now, as
She looked within it's circle at a date
that drought back visions s6 happi-
ness, she knew another week would
bring an anniversary. ~
Taking a diamond from her other.
hand she pushed the ring into its fornie
er place. III
She reached Wallace after SIX daye
of weary travel and the answers to-
her questions caused her restless heart
to beat with apprehension. a
- "Want to know how to get to Mel
Donal's shanty?" the station agent;
asked, eying her curiously. Zone 81
bis folks? Reckon you've come in the
nick of time" he continued. Az
sick? Yes. His pardner was
down in town this morning and said
Mac was outsof his head with noun
tain fever" - "a
Her mental anguish made the way
but at last her guide
lifted her from her horse and she \
alone up the short, steep
path to the cabin door.
'sCome in," someone called in am
swer to her rapping, but she could
not move. AS she leaned against the
shanty for support she heard quick
footsteps and the door was flung open,
the light streaming out full in her
face. An
Elizabeth"
She felt herself gathered into his
arms, bnt could not speak as he car
Red her across the one room to the
chair he had left. 4,
elizabeth he said again, as II
he could find no other word. Unfas-.
:ening the furs at her throat, he raised
her hands to his lips, then buried his
lace in her lap as he knelt before her.
The suspense, the dread she would
not come were told In the heavy s0bs
hat shook his frame.
'They told me you were ILL.," she
'aid> presently.
1.-THE mistake was natural. 1t was
farther up the trail. Poor
fellow. He went over the range an
hour ago. I had just come from there
when you Knocked"
ITO think it might have been you,
she said will SILVER, that you
night never have known had come;
zone without one word, with only the
mkind ones you last heard from me to-
'emember. think l should have gone
mad"
He put his hand under her chin,
'aisinc her face SO that he could look
har