The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-07-12

EFFORT Sne unlOOSeQ the stopper ana
leaned over the bottle for the scent |
there was no mistake about 1t. 1t was
souvenir d'amour.
'Twelve dollars a BOTTLE" sighed
Susan to herself. And then she fell to
thinking Of what might have been.
She pressed back the sod under the
lilac bushes, carefully folded the
moldy bottle in handkerchief and re-
sumed her seat. She was really In a
most unusual mood. In the magic
aroma of that scent came rushing back
sentiments and illusions that she had
long forgotten. The sensible, perfectly
contented Susan went and, in her
place came Susan that was not en-
tirely satisfied with the prosaic role of
being Susan Beverly, and playing of
golf tournaments.
The truth was that Susan was being
tormented by return of the only SEN
timent approaching love- that had ever
marred the serene cOntentment Of her
existence; and the fact that she had
successfully put 1t from her for five
years-ever since she buried that bot
| tie OF magic sweetness-did not make
1t any the less keen now that it re-
turned with the sweet scent. She was
thinking OF Tom Canton. She won
dered whether they would ever meet
again. Surely he must sometimes re-
turn to his home town and sometimes
he must think Of the hours under the
lilac bushes that spring time five years
ago. But then, why should he? Susan
herself had succeeded in putting away
those thoughts and he was no less SEN
sible than she.
There was a sound along the gravel
walk and Susan looked up to see Tom.
She passed her hand across her eyes.
1t occurred to her at first that this
vision was but the final and most tor
menting effect OF the magic perfume.
But when she heard his voice calling
her by name she knew that it was re-
ality.
He called her Susan with all the ease
Of five years before, and Susan sat
there on the long chair with Tom be-
side her just as they had sat five years
before on little rustic bench that had
since been demolished. First they
talked of generalities, the weather, the
war and mutual friends. Then the con-
versation drifted back to the key in
which it had been pitched on evenings
like this five years before. The five
years that had gone between seemed
as but day gone by and sensible
thirty-year-old Susan found her mus
cular, athletic hands held in Toms
with as complete surrender as in the
days when they had played off fewer
golf tournaments and were perhaps
little softer. Then--it was no more
Toms fault than Susans, and surely
not Susan's In the least-Susan's Lead
leaned on Toms shoulder and there
were some stammered monosyllables
about love, and, on first regaining q
sensible way Of looking at things, Su.
. san wondered whether it all meant
| that they were engaged again.
1T has all come so quickly" she
told him. II thought If it ever did
come there would be so much explain
ing and it would be so hard for us
both to get back 4nto the old mood
again. You see, with me it came
about this way. / CHANGED to get q
Whit of perfume like bottle that
| afraid l didn't realize then that you
really cared for me. After we had
that misunderstanding / returned the
, letters and the gifts, but this perfume
, well, didn't want to throw it away
, That would have seemed sacrilege
and / couldn't bear to use it because
| you had given it to me, and it remind
der the lilac hedge And today came
, out here and, just ont of curiosity,
: dug it up again. There was q little
{ left, and it's the magic of that perfume
{ that has brought back all the old feel
: ings."
: Susan took the undiscovered bottle
t from the handkerchief and rev fortl
the cork to let escape breath of tn,
: sweet perfume.
+ ''That perfume seemed to me thel
q to express your personality perfectly
: Tom said. "That's why bought 1t TO
t you. And you used to use it sometime
9 and-well, it had the same effect tina
:. the perfume of woman a man love
j always does. 1t was Intoxicating. An,
1 then you lost interest and I neve
q came across that perfume again-eS
!. cept in my imagination--it's painful
n how the memory Of perfume vii
a haunt you-till today. Today on Mai
@ street some one must have spile
e some. Anyway, I got Whit of it an
t that was all / needed. 1t brought tn
t old longing back again and / just ha
: to see you"
s And as Susan allowed her two hand
S to be clasped eagerly In Toms sh
e was trying to work out plan whereof
c the little salesgirl who had spilled tn
it precious perfume might be reimburse
d for her loss.
e And it really is strange how thing
# happen-for If the little girl had nc
h broken that bottle Susan Beverly an