Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1918-08-08

~ ~ 1OOACu DIS l. IL ullSllI nave UCcu
the tear bottle of some long inferred
Egyptian princess, but as she scraped
off the mold from the sides it appeared
to be modern glass. After a little
effort she Embossed the stopper and
leaned over the bottle for the scent
there was no mistake about it. 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 a handkerchief and re-
sumed her seat. She was really in a
most unusual mood. In the magic
arom of that scent came rushing back
sentiments and illusions that she had
long 'orgotten. The sensible, perfectly
contented Susan went and, in her
place came a Susan that was not en-
tirely satisfied with the prosaic role Of
being Susan Beverly, and playing off
golf tournaments.
The truth was that Susan was being
tormented by a return of the only sem
timent approaching love that had ever
married the serene contentment of her
existence; and the fact that she had
successfully put it from her for five
years-ever since she buried that bot
tie of magic sweetness-did not make
it any the less keen now that it re-
turned with the sweet scent. She was
thinking Of Tom Canton. She o
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 vas a sound along the gravel
walk and Susan looked up to see Tom.
She passed her hand across her eyes.
It 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-
atty.
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 a little rustic bench that had
since been demolished. First they
talked of generalities, the weather, the
war and mutual friends. Then the On
yersation 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 a 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
a little softer. Then-it was no more
Toms fault than Susan's, and surely
not Susan's in the least-Susan's head
leaned on Toms shoulder and there
we're some stammered ~monosyllables
about love, and, on first regaining a
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. Il 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 into the old mood
again. You see, with me it came
about this way. I CHANGED to get a
Whit Of perfume like a bottle that
! you nee sent me, five years ago. I am
afraid / didn't realize then that you
really cared for me. After we had
that misunderstanding I returned the
letters and the gifts, but this perfume
well, I didn't want to throw it away.
That would have seemed sacrilege,
and I couldn't bear to use it because
| you had given it to me, and it remind
ed me Of you. So I buried it here I'M
der the lilac hedge, And today I came
out here and, just ont OF curiosity, /
dug it up again. There was n little
left, and it's the magic Of that perfume
that has brought back all the old feel
ip9sn