Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-02-23

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was time for her to go home.
All n evening she and her sister had
sat almost in silence. until at last the
elder woman could bear it no longer,
ana looking up with grave, anxious
eyes. said:
Glare, dear. what has happened?"
Clare tossed her head and shrugged
her shoulders.
II don't know and ! don't care" she
answered. Possibly he has forgotten
All ABOUT me and GONG out of town for
a few days. Anyhow. II doesn't mat
ter now. Good night" and she went
off with a brave show of Indifference.
1t was not until Saturday that she
came back, and then her sister saw,
not altogether with regret. hat her
eyes were swollen with crying.
Have o heard nothing?" she
asked.
"Nothing."
IF he We're away. he must have had
the letter in time to reply by now"
Yes"
What does it mean. Clare?"
Clare caught her breath in a gulp,
INC OIL her lip a moment. Then she
said, speaking in a low, slightly UNI
steady voice.
lit means that he does not care.
That when he had his freedom he
liked it. and has decided to keep it,
II don't believe it," cried her sister
resolutely.
1T is true, all the same"
There was Il short. silence.
Then suddenly Clare held out her
arms to her sister.
"Madge," she said brokenly. "Madge,
l didn't know l cared go much. L don't
know how to live without him. and
she burst into tears.
Much at the same moment Stanmore
stood on the deck of a big liner and
looked toward England. His mouth
was very set. and his han gripped the
until his knuckles stood out,
While the receding coast line grew blur
red and misty to his eyes. II was all
ways afraid of it, he kept saying.
She did not love me. l was ALWAYS
afraid of it,"
In a small back room OF a high tene-
ment building two street urchins whis-
pered together over some trick they
had evidently perpetrated a few DAYS
before.
MY solly. didn't it look rummy
smoking" said one, rubbing his small
hands together in unmistakable enjoy
ment e some recollection.
And didn't it git 'ot?' chimed i'm
the other. What a lark if the old
e did?"
Nav, 1 knaws e didn't. But you
should 'er seed 's phiz. There was lust
black cinders in the bottom o. that ere
letterbox, and nothing else. / stopped
TO see, and then mad tracks like ole
NICK. Guess some folk wondered
where their letters got to that day."
and they o laughed with huge de-
light.
And a certain little paragraph in the
newspaper. relating how some boys had
nred a pillar-box, out of mischief,
passed unseen by those whose whole
lives were affected thereby.
Three years later. in a club at Mel
bourne, Philip Stanmore HANGED to
meet a great friend OF the Linton fam
1ly. AND just as Fate by an accident
had thrust him out of his rightful hap
piness. so now. by another accident.
that of a chance acquaintance, she
gave him back his w again.
i am very interested to hear that
o know the Lintons." said the stran-
ger, after half an hours conversation
had led up to a discovery of the mu-
tual acqualntanceship: Il have been
a great friend of the family for a long
time. and l never met a nicer in my
life
Il knew them very we'll before 1 left
England" replied Stanmore, now
onz and bearded and aged, but
l nave heard nothing of them since.
GLAD to hear concerning them"
There are not many changes. Edith, !
the elder girl, is engaged to be mar
r,ed. 1t is a surprise to everyone that |
she should go off before Glare, the
family beauty
rs Glare still unmarried, them"
Stanmore leaned back in the shadow,
and spoke casually
Yes. she was engaged, YOU know,
but 1t ended very strangely. He was a
nice chap, n everyone liked him.
then suddenly they had a row. and he
wont 0hr0o6 NM -1@rs% l.-i:...- -
one has heard of nm since. No one
ever knew the real facts. but Glare
seemed to fret a good deal, which was |
very DID,. as he had appeared the de- |
voted one of the two"
How do you know that Glare fret |
ted?" In spite of his efforts his voice |
would tremble a little. and his COM |
panion glanced at his %curiously.
She fretted SO much that is affect /
ed her health" he replied, in a con- !
vincing tone. but she never allowed |
anyone to speak to her on the subject. |
She went to live with her sister. Mrs.
Elgin. and l believe she has been with
her ever since. h changed very much.
Lost most of her go and spirits, and
grew very quiet. l was always fond of
Clare and 1 have felt exceedingly sorry
about It,"
why do Won snppose she lat him |
go?"
-Pique. I daresay. She Used to be
rather a hotheaded. hasty young per- ,
son. Possibly sent him away, and then
wished she hadn't: or something she +
didn't mean. l can't help thinking he
U have been a bit Of a fool to 60. |
unless he had changed his mind and
wanted his freedom. That seems un-
likely. though. for he was a most de-
voted lover"
Yes" replied Stanmore. a little dis
commercially. Il should say he was a
fool" and h they talked on about
other matters.