The Parker post., 1918-09-21
The Kiss
By EVELYN MAY


spellbound. For a moment she fairly
crumbled back. Then it seemed as if
a sudden glory pervaded the little mar.
row hallway. For the first time in
thirty years John Blake had kissed
her.
"Oh, JOhn!" she f1uttered and the
faded cheeks, yet soft as velvet
flushed pink and the lips quivered
and she felt as if she could die con.
tent, and then she seemed to grOpe
her way blindly into the little parlor
and sank to her knees collapsing be.
side chair and burst into tears.
''What a fuss woman Makes" she
caught the tones Of her husband out
side, and then, soft and tenderlike-
"All the same, Margaret, you're the
best wife man ever had. Hello!
forgot my cane"
He turned back into the hall and
secured the article required. For
moment he halted. His glance was
fixed upon the half-prOstrate woman.
Her hands were claSped above her
u,
cheeks her soul seemed soaring heav-
enwards as she uttered the words:
''It is worth all the longing and wait
ing of thirty years-oh! my one only
love. Oh life is sweet"
HIN y" John Blake tried to mutter
in his practical phlegmatic way, but
the strong man was shaken. 1t was
the first day in two weeks that John
had been out Of the house. He had
recently overdone himself, was laid up
with bad attack of rheumatism and
Margaret had nursed him.
sense of her tireleSs attention,
sleepless nights, poignant anxieties
had overcome him as he left the house.
A flash of the true worth of this de-
serving woman had caused that erratic
impulse of sentiment.
How glorious it was to again battle
in the joyous sunlight, free from pain
How neat and prosperous the farm
looked Margaret had done double
service as nurse, housekeeper and out
door manager
Margaret won a furtive, but half
gratified glance from John as he noted
at supper time that she wore one of
the tidy white aprons, that had seemed
so dainty and becoming in the earlier
days Of their. married career.
"You mustn't overdo yourself, John,
remember" she said the next morning,
and accompanied him again to the
door, There was something longing
and wfstful in her eyes.
"You aren't thinking of yesterdays
nonsense, are you, Margaret?" he half
laughed.
yesterdays nonsense kept me hap
py all day long, John," she said, her
lips trembling.
Its cheap and handy, anyway"
said he, and went over and gave her
hearty smack.
"Haw, haw!' greeted John outside,
In the yard, in his gig, was his portly
neighbor Joshua Griggs.> He waved
his whip boisterously.
81 say Blake" he hailed, "what's
the occasion? Old sparkling days over
againY
John was deeply chagrined. A
frown came to his face. p.
'No harm done, is thereY he chal-
lenged angrily.
"What's the good, though? Why, /
haven't kissed my wife in ten years.
That soon wears out with the sex,
Blake. Women get a man and for
get everything except that he is a pro-
wider. Your wife drudges, mine gal
livants-change, change, change.
Never satisfied Bah! the honeymoon
over and they're practical critters
Perhaps if you kissed your wife
once in while she would drop so
much gallivanting." o.
Don't you criticize my wife!'' blurt-
ed Griggs.
Il amt You did. Yes, I've made
Margaret a drudge"
"And she's happy in it. Don't dis
turb her way"
But I'm going to mend things,
Joshua. I'm beginning to wonder if
the humdrum way we sink into mere
providers doesn't chill all that is love-
ly and natural in women folks"
Margaret" said John the next day,
you're going to make twO-weeks'
visit to your sister and her two little
kids. You're going to bring them back
here, for good. Miranda is having a
hard time of it, and l see my duty
plain to make it easier for the poor
widow. With her help you won't be
drudging your life OUT.
ooh, John! the added burden for
you, their care"
"a blessing, girl declared John.
"Those two little ones will make music
in the house. There's going to be a
change in affairs around here-phono-
graph, movies, new furniture, maybe
an automobile. You're going to get
something out of life, if 1t takes all
I've got GoOd-by. Two weeks, take
a good rest and come back ready to
enjoy the new life" was what John
said when the next day Margaret was
seated in tha wagon hound for tho