The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-08
lRx Constance searle. }

7 ~
anerier than she had ever been in her
life before. Patience Cotton had
shown her a valentine that had been
slipped under her door early that
morning. Not very much OF Valen-
! tine as valentines went in days of pa
per lace, cupids and hearts, but it car
ried conviction to Charity. II 1t DID not
entirely suffice to set at rest the NINA
of her friend Patience. 1t was a nome
made affair, two cut-out hearts with
| a bunch of dried forget-me nots tied
| together with bit of blue ribbon, and
the lines roughly printed:
oh take
! this tribute of
my love and cast it
not aside;
Twill bind our hearts
as one in thought
| tho distance doth -
divide.
| In one corner was a family traced
monogram entwined with the outlines
of a rudely drawn heart.
| 1t was this monogram that had
fared to white heat the anger smol-
dering in Charity's breast. ]. F.
could only mean Josiah Foote and he
| had left her few nights before with
| look in his eyes that had turned her
world upside down.
| There was the posi- bility that the
initials belonged to some other name
but not for one moment did this
thought enter her mind, for the men
ton of distance" in the verse made
it plain to whom the written lines re-
| ferred. Josiah lived in Hyannis, quite
a number of miles from chatham and
| it was in Chatham both Charity and
Patience were born and had lived their
| eighteen~years.
| These girls with the blood of stiff
necked Puritans in their veins were no
different from other girls of their age,
but there was this difference between
| the two. To Charity had come endur-
ance and the habit of silence over
| hurt, handed down to her thru gem
| erations of repression and when her
more talkat1ve friend showed her the
sheet of paper with it's hearts and for
lget-me-nots and rudely printed verse,
no hint of feeling evidenced itself to
the watchful eyes of Patience Cotton
| She agreed that it had come from
| Josiah, altho she had never thought
| he could write poetry. Still, she said
one never knew what a man could do
until he tried. And of course she was
| glad he cared so much for Patience.
But a little later she mounted the
steep stairs to her room with tagging
| feet, walked slowly across the room to
the chest of drawers, and with face
between her two hands looked herself
straight in the eyes.
For the first time in her life she was
jealous-altho she would have ex-
planned that the feeling possessing her
was anger, deep seated anger.
Her mothers voice brought her to
herself and recalled to her mind that
Josiah Foote had told her he was
coming over that evening to bring
her something he had bought in Bos-
ton when he was there the week be-
fore. Again came that sharp twinge
of feeling she could not explain, for
11o6 hal Oh
ed him to spend the evening with her.
To her surprise, Charity found him
in the hall taking off his great coat
land as she reached the foot of the
embarrassed gesture that went ludi-
crously with the bigness of the man.
Guess I might as wen give it to
you here" he said nervously. ~ our
mayn't have another chance" He
handed her an envelope. his face
flushing as he did so. Hope you'll
like it,
catch in her throat as she looked at
the envelope in her hand. 1T was
kind of you to bring it tonight
why, l told you I was coming =
he replied. surprised that she should
have forgotten his intention: Aren't
you going to look at it? 1 thought ii
right pretty"
With a hairpin she carefully slit
the envelope and drew from it won
derful CONNECTION of paper lace, Gu
pids and hearts with a dear little
, house half hidden by a lattice cover
ed with roses. Tied to the top with
clumsy bow of blue ribbon was a
ring set in turquois to represent a
cluster of forget-me-nots.
''Oh!" she cried, 'for me? How
, did you know 1 wanted one? How
could you know"
. He came a step nearer to her. 81
| didn't. But it looked so like you
when 1 saw it in the window in Bos-
Patience Cotton happened to come
! along and thought, as I did, that II
was real pretty
The name brought her back tc
) earth.
Patience" she repeated the name
slowly. but looking at him. 'She was
, here this morning and told me vol
had bought a ring for her and were
, going to bring it to her tonight
that you had left it in Boston to have
: a date. and your initials and hers. en-
> graved in it. 1 had forgotten" Their
she flared around upon him. eye:
blazing, color deepening. How dare
you bring this to me? How dare
you?'
:, He looked at her in amazeme emit
then swift anger took possession O.
him.
There is nothing I do not dare,
? he retorted, catching her wrist in hi
! hand as she flung past him. Nothing
= do you understand? But I viii
know what you mean. What's al
n this fuss about?'
; She stood perfectly still. realizin:
e the uselessness of struggling to re
I lease herself, and glanced at he
It wrist, reddening under his tight clasp
Il never thought you would hurt
= woman, but 1 know differently now.
His ewes followed harS and he In0c