The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-01-25
TARDY But TRUE
BY ELSIE SEE.

A
!. chant prince of the town, was now get
| ting good salary as private secretary
| TO a city lawyer. 1t was equally well
known that the merchants young wife
of year kept servant and an auto
| mobile and had charge accounts at
the city department stores. Every time
! Madge came home for vacation,
Plainville weighed the respective mer-
its Of her independence and the mer-
chants wife's affiuence, but the
slTewdeSt of the gOssips did not sus=
pect that memory antedating her
affair with Jim Butler meant more to
Madge than anything that, had come
into her life.
One summer morning Madge alight-
ed from the six o'clock train for her
vacation without having told of her
coming, as she preferred to surprise
her parents by appearing unannounced
for breakfast.
whats doing today, mother? Is
there a picnicY asked Madge, after
breakfast.
"Now, how did you guess that?"
81 saw Tom Jordan hauling some
giant ice cream freezers and a lot of
fruit up to the Maplewood pasture
and, oh I saw a distinguished-lo looking
man in gray tweed over near the hotel.
He looked like man of affairs above
and beyond Plainville picnics."
THAT must have been Tom Whit
low. He's here for visit, and he
dresses like that and Is staying at
the hotel"
"Tom Whitlow, who used to"
Madge hesitated, and her mother con-
tinued:
FUSED to drive Buffers delivery
wagon. But they say he's made some
thing of himself He is manager Of
sonie mines out West somewhere"
That afternoon Madge went with
her parents to the picnic, and, al
though she felt certain pleasure in
greeting her old friends, she soon be-
gan to feel keenly that she was no
longer in sympathy with their lives or
they with hers.
AS she walked around n thick clump
of haZelnut bushes and sumacs a tall
man in blue serge, who had been sit
ting on the grass with his broad Shout
ders against a tree, rose and removed
his hat in respectful, but embarrassed
greeting.
II hope I haven't startled you" he
said, "and may hope, also, that you
would care to remember Tom Whit
low?'
Not at ALL" blurted Madge. Then.
in embarrassment, she FASTENED to
add: "That is, you didn't startle me,
and I'm glad to meet you again. But
are you sure you know who ann"
"You? Why, you're Madge Ingram.
Pardon me-AIiss Ingram"
"No--let's be Madge and Tom be-
fore we begin to be formal" said she,
extending her hand. "You used to
help me with my lessons, but you
wouldn't talk to me. Won't you make
up for lost time now by telling me Of
tha interesting things you've been do
ing?'
''May not tell you what I wanted
to tell you years ago, but hadn't the
c0uragef" His gray eyes were eager
and his strong hand still held hers.
MAY I not tell you that it was you
Who first aroused in me a desire to do
things? Some of the girls at school
made mouths because they had to
stand beside me in class, but you new
er did. Those girls, later, looked over
my head when they saw me driving a
delivery wagon, but you spoke to me
even then. And may tell you that /
went AWAY determined to achieve
something that would make me worthy
Of even more than your friendly greet
ihgS? I worked away for year, and
then heard you were going to marry
jim Butler"
He turned away and dropped her
hand.
II never opened another issue of
the little old Plainville paper for fear
I'd find the account Of your wedding.
/ worked my way through the state
university and into mining engineer
ing. For years my work has absorbed
me, and I've known nothing of what
went on at Plainville, but last week
in q railroad restaurant out West l
happened to hear news of you. /
overheard one woman tourist speaking
to another as they sat at dinner. I
begged Madge Ingram to make this
trip with me- she said, but she
thought she must go to Plaihville, and
told her she'd as well have married
that merchant after all, but she says
there's a lot of difference between go
ing for vacation and lifetime"
'That must have been Elsie War
rem" exclaimed Madge, "and what a
coincidence that you should have
heard her say that just as you were
starting to Piainyille!'
"But 1 wasn't starting until heard
that. 1t was knowing you were free
that brought me here! 1t Is because
I've loved you ever since we were chill
dren that I've tried to make myself
worthy of you. It's because love you
now that I'm telling you all this in
such d laundering way, and it's be-
cause I'll always love you that I'm
daring to ask you to go away with me
a