Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-03-02
WHEN
WAS YOUNG

ACopyriEht is04 by ". h. Hearst.)
Ho~ y YOU are lately. Clemen.
girl OF a few weeks ago"
You are mistaken. grandmother. there
" nothing the matter with me"
MY child. You cannot deceive me: my
old eyes Know too much and have seen too
much OF human nature not to understand
what Is going on in your heart"
And what have your dear old eyes seen.
grandmother"
That / shat. net tell. ard 1 shall not
try 10 guess your secret until YOU tell it
to me but IL You will listen I shall tell
you something from the time when | was
Very Young 1t Mas al Christmas time.
and there Mere only TWO OF us chiiiren a.
horae-N4 lily. who IS dead long ago. and
myself.
willy was studying medicine. and came
hone only during his vacation. when he
generally brought some friend along.
: also this time at Christmas he did
not come alone. bn; accompanied by a
college ohum. Count Won Itchy. a Young
handsome fellow. with dark brown hair
ana eyes, who looked Al rue. who had new
er mel any young men before. in a way
which made me feel very strange.
Il; vas me esy before the end .. the
vacation. / wAs sitting in the library,
reading e story Of i've young lovers. when
suddenly ] felt Two strong arms around
me, and soft lips pressed against mine in
q long kiss.
u tried TO cry OFT, bat could no, and
almost tainted, and when / opened my
ewes the Young count was on his knees
hetore me. asking me 10 forgive him for
what ne had done.
"ae saso that ne could not help it. and
gould MOI leave vi;tsou. telling me how
fear,y ne loved ne ard asking me II
snild not love ht.a just \ little in return"
on. how perfectly lovely. erandmo.h-
er. And what did you answer him
i cannot tell YOU, Clementine, how I
telt. ] looked for q hong time into his
Neautiiui brown yes, Ind none OF US said
i word bat when he once more nut HE
arms around me And kissed me, I could
not hclp hui give him hack his kisses. and
10 we sat there until il was almost dark.
anu before he left the next morning I had
promised 10 become hD wife. and when
me ola carriage rolled out Of the ward.
CARRYING him AND Willy away from me.
| cried as ! had never cried before.
A1fer that / had many letters from
aim. though no one but WIilysknew OF our
,ose but one Gay = letter came from my
nroff'eT that ] must no Fh1ger think OF the
count. thai he WEE : scoundrel who no
longer cared for me and had become en-
gagged to Z rich E.ri.
When j read this letter I tainted. and
when my mother found me with the let
tel IN my hand ! var deairious. and the
same evening ] was IA bed with brain
fever.
When i Again recovered 1 asked for
Willy. only 10 Ut told that he had lost his
life IN u duel with ny faithless lover. Two
years sitter ] married you grandfather,
who made me 81 happy rs I had never
dreamed i cOnid he
The oid Indy Mnf,ec through tears. but
the memories a days one by had been
TOO mnoh for her. and she fell asleep in
her cary CHAIR.
Their cs'De a KNOCK upon the window,
anr . ycnnE vtice Whispered. "Clemen
tine.."
Arno. Esy CARING
hrI what ihe window heard and saw il
NOT To he told to i;ad.screet ears, but when
fhe ord grandmother woke UP a young
couple We're kneeling before her and asked
her for her blessing.
Ano she gave II 10 them. young once
had known even before they had known Il
themselves.