Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-03-16

Clayton and see some of his old
friends.
1t was food to his famished soul
to inquire concerning her. She was
still unmarried, she had no professed
admirers, he learned. Curiosity led
to interest. One evening at social
function he came face to face with
his old love. A great wave of senti-
ent emotion swept over him as he
viewed Ina after the lapse of the
years. The old sweetness of her smile
was even heightened, the gentle, win
ming ways had an added charm, that
lovely face, aside from beauty, showed
patience and peace.
'An old mans privilege" he said
as her hand rested in his own, and
chivalrOusly he raised it to his lips,
his own trembling.
you mean an old friend, the dear,
old friend who gave me the brightest
year of my life" she said earnestly,
unassumingly. "We have so missed
you"
And then he found himself seated
beside her, going over the dear old
days. Never an allusion was there
to awaken his old suspicious, but the
illusions returned-he could not evade
them.
Il hear you have become an author
ess," he remarked.
Scarcely that" explained Ina hum
bly,. 81 seem to be regarded a pro-
ficient form letter writer, and a pub
Usher has got out several volumes on
etiquette and the like. They are sim
pie hand books only, nothing preten-
tious."
1t all led to Worden accepting an in
vitation to call upon Miss Restell and
inspect this literary miscellany.
Somehow his heart warmed as he
found himself seated in the neat lit
tie parlor of the Restell home await
ing Ina. Upon the table were several
small volumes. Worden casually in
spected them. They were hand books
and he recognized them from what she
had told him as the result of her lit
erary work.
They treated of dining as a fine art
and etiquette, and there was one on
correspondence. There were sample
business, social and love letters, and
at this latter section of the book Wor-
den stared.
For there were the same letters in
print that he had picked up in manu-
script. In a flash Harold Worden
realized his egregious life mistake.
The young man who had dropped the
letters he had found was some pub
lisher's messenger, and Ina's initials
had been appended to the missives
simply to identify them as her work.
How he had misjudged her! Then
with a thrill Worden sprang to his
feet. A curdling scream had issued
from upstairs. He ran to the hall. A
lamp had exploded at the landing.
Through the flames dashed servant.
"Your young mistress" demanded
Worden rapidly. ..
"She is up there, and it's all on
fire" and out into the street dashed
the refugee and up the stairs sprang
Worden.
He was singed, half blinded, as he
cleared the fire-hedged upper hallway
A door opened and Ina started in ter.
ror.
"Not that way!" he cried, and bore
her back to the room, threw up win
dow and seized her about the waist
There presented the porch roof. She
chung to him as he directed her. His
hands were torn and cut as he clune
to the metal caves, dropped her to the
ground, gave her into the charge OF
some neighbors and joined others in
fighting the fire, but in vain, for the
building gradually consumed.
81 am going to tell you why I went
away" said Worden to Ina the next
evening, and he recited the circum
stance of the letter packet.
And then he added: "Your home is
gone. VIII you lead me to hope that
if l build new one, you will become
it's mlstressP and because she hal al
ways loved him. and more so now thar
ever before, she said Eyes"