Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-11-08
THE LIVING MEMORY
BY MILDRED WHITE.


-
July sun. There it was again, that
evasive memory of something sweet
and half forgottenl What had hap
pened to him In his heretofore salts
fed middle age, that vague longings
should reach out from the past?
Business and its success had for
years absorbed him, plotting out all
that had been before, making wealth
alone his goal. Now, wealth was
achieved, what had it brought him?
Lillias had dropped out Of his life
30 long ago he had lost regard for
her when she had chosen In preference
to himself a sort of wandering nomad
for a husband. VIII had been a dreamy
idealist, while he, John Ruggles, even
In that long ago, showed unmistak-
able business promise.
It was in his youthful engineering
capacity that he had visited the little
village almost buried beneath it's en-
circling hills. Lillias had met him in
the quaint flower garden of her home,
and it had been VIII who took him
there e. viii, who, lazily curious about
Johns work, had made friends with
the engineer upon the highway. Will
had been kind to the stranger, had
made 1t pleasant for him in the lone
ly village, offering the hospitality Of
his W small home.
John Ruggles had been glad to &C
cept. There were valuable books on the
crude shelves of Wills n roomed
hab:tation-interesting curios from all
parts of the woodland Will had TAX
en- him to see Lillias; when the engi-
neer looked into the girls rare blue
bell eyes, he decided to remain indefln-
ltely in the village. Decided calmly,
to win her from the man whom she
loved and make her his own, and John
Ruggles had failed; that was all.
Then he went back to the great city
where bluebell eyes and fair faces are
'but a thing apart" and not "man's
whole existence" Many women had
come and gone in John Ruggles' life
since that youthful time, and he had
been content to let them go; without
companionship Of women his life SEEM
ed complete. But now
Across the tall chimney tops ro-
nance called to him, Haunting a men,
DRY not unmixed with pain, ola grass
grown village street, a quaint old gar
den set back behind a cedar hedge;
and about the garden In his memory
dream moved the girl Lillian.
John Ruggles turned abruptly to
press an electric button. He would hui
MOI his fancy, satisfy this ~clainoring
Impulse, by a walk down that same
village street, a peep into the old gar
den which upon actual observation
would undoubtedly lose its fanciful
charm. q
Lillias had married Will; poverty
then must be her dover. Uncared for
women do not as a rule grow In at
Effectiveness. Reality should forever
silence this tormenting memory, so In
e%xplicahly awakened.
But first he must dismiss the new
stenographer whose work his secretary
had pronounced hopeless. Again John
RuggIes pressed the electric button.
It was the secretary who responded.
"The new stenographer had not re-
ported that day for business" he ex-
planned, land her dismissal would be
unnecessary. Realizing her own I'M
fitness for the position. the girl had
telephoned a resignation. Unbusiness-
like to the last In method" he added
Emilingly.
The great man paused reaching for
his hat. ~ recall the young person."
he said "She possessed at least the
quality of respectful courtesy" The
secretary bowed. "With a personality
quite too dif1dent for office work." he
replied, "as one could tell from a
glance of her eyes"
"Her eyes, the casual remark came
to John Ruggles like a flash of inspir-
alton. Here was the solution Of his
awakened memory, the eyes Of the lit
tie stenographer he suddenly recol-
iected were strangely like the bluebell
eyes Of Lillias.
life was unsatisfying," he told him.
self as he crossed the marble floor
Of the railroad station, wealth, power,
what had they to do with happiness
the elusive? Where might 1t be
found?"
The village street was unchanged,
the familiar houses too, like those Of
yesterday.
Suddenly the man drew in his
breath while his eyes widened al If
seeing a vision. For about the garden
moved gracefully a girl in white, and
In her hair a rose.
AS he fingered u~nbelievingly, she
came toward him, her bluebell eyes
searching his across the hedge, then
she smiled.
"Ohl Mr.. Ruggles." his recent stem
ographer exclaimed, "you came away
out to see me? / was obliged to resign
my position" she added flushing pref
AL. Sn1,r~ro 7 hnI kNa Inn~ frnnacad