Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1917-01-05
An Exchange
Of Tokens
1t Was Made on New
Years Eve.
By F. A. Mitchell


see the old year out and the new year
in. Among them were Lena Wads-
worth and Frank Andrews. The COM
pany had not yet passed into the sup
per room, and these two were sitting
apart from the others.
Come, Lena" said Frank, "you have
put me off long enough. Give me my
answer
'You know very we'll why l have put
you off, Frank. You are captivated by
every pretty girl you meet. If 1 said
yes, before three months had elapsed
you would wish to be released. l have
no fancy for such an engagement"
TRY me-"
Miss Wadsworth toyed with a flower
she held in her hand and remained
silent. Finally she said:
81 will not consent to an engage
ment, but l will say this: If one year
from tonight you can assure me that
you have not made love to another girl
you can ask me again to be your wife.
and l will accept you"
That's assuming all the constancy
is on your side"
II think it is
The party was as gay as the supper
was excellent. The guests sat down
at the table at 10 o'clock and left 1t at
3 a. IN. A great deal of wine was
drunk, and doubtless a great many
things were said that were not well
considered before the saying. The
party broke up singing "Auld Lang
Syne," and half an hour later the ban
quet hall, deserted, bespoke the evanes-
cence of all worldly pleasures.
At II o'clock the next morning Frank
Andrews awoke. On a table beside
his bed were his eyeglasses, his watch
and gold locket In the shape Of a
heart. The eyeglasses and the watch
were familiar objects in a familiar
place. But the gold heart? Frank
looked at it earnestly, then thoughtful,
ly. How 1t had come to be with the
other articles he could not imagine.
That which had deepest root within
him first showed itself above a confu-
sion of happenings pertaining to last
nights cOnviviality. He remembered
one thing perfectly. He had persuad.
ed Lena Wadsworth to be his wife OF
condition that he remained true to her
for one year. But he had no remem-
brance of her giving him this bauble
in token of the agreement.
Whence then had it come? Had
some one dropped 1t, and had he found
it? Had some one given it to him as
token of something now forgotten
| Up to the present moment his connec
| ton with it was blank.
Pushing an electric button, he called
the butler.
James" he said, when you were
here last did you notice that-that gold
locket?"
"No, sir; didn't see it, sir"
did you observe this table espe
cially?"
Eyes, sir; did. There was a glass
on it, and I removed it, sir"
Nothing else?"
"No, sir"
Frank thought for awhile, the butler
waiting. Finally Frank asked:
"Any mail this morning"
eyes, sir. One delivery about hall
an hour ago."
Bring it up"
There were several Enclosures Of
bills and a scented missive addressed
in a delicate feminine hand. Franz
opened it and read:
Dearest-I cannot sleep without saying
to you that you have made me, oh, eve
so happy. And l am going to step out t
the letter box right before the door ant
post this, so that you'll get it tomorrow
morning and have pleasant New Yea
day surprise. How can l wait till l Sc
| you again? Come as soon as you can an
tell me again, tell me a thousand times
that you love me. have your gold pen
ell, and you have my heart. May tn
pledges they stand for be sacredly KEPT
Your loving GWEN.
P. S.-A million kisses.
ooh, my good
Frank finished the exclamation wit
a groan. He must have fallen agair
and this was the longest fall he ha
ever made. Who was Gwen? Most o
the girls present at the New Year
party he knew by their family names
but not their Christian names. Their
were Miss Willis, Miss Everhart an,
Miss Worthington, whom he knew
quite we'll, but which one, If any, c
them was Gwen? He looked for
heading to the note, but there was nc
even a date. The postmark was n
guide at all.
What deepened the mystery was this
Frank had not immOderately indulge
in the potent cup. There was no tim
during the evening that he INDUCED /
lovemaking with an exchange
pledges that he would not have bee
conscious of the fact. But here wa
indisputable evidence that he hat
There was no other explanation. 81
went over every episode, so far as b
could recall them, that had occurre
during the evening without result. BIZ
five hours at an eXhilarating suppe
party embraced a good deal.
"All I've got to say" remarked NJ
Andrews to himself, '1s that If I'm
be made happy every New Year
morning in this way trust shall en-
my earthly career on the 31st Of D
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