Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-06-22
GROWING GLORY
BY MILDRED WHITE.


passed her by, leaving so few of It's
pleasures. For surely this silyery
shimmerlng crown upon her head was
proof that youth had gone, and she
must no longer deceive herself with
It's possible coming joys"
Thoughtfully she Embossed the heavy
coils OF hair, letting 1t fall In n wavy
mass about her shoulders, almost, Ii
seemed to have turned white In a
night. A few silvery strands which
appeared from time to time had not
seemed to matter, but now--Con-
stances dark eyes We're brooding and
she had been attendant upon pa
tent invalid in wheel chair. And
while girl companions enjoyed them
selves here or there, Constance
solaeed herself with the thought that
faithful service was the least she
could give, In gratitude for the care
her aunt had bestowed upon her own
orphaned childhood. Now Aunt Della
was gone, and after long sojourn In
the outer world, from which she had
been withheld, Constance returned
again, with grateful sense of home
coming to the empty house on the hill.
Constance had arisen early upon
this first Sunday of her homecoming,
and had gone alone to answer the call
Of the bell swaying high In the old
church steeple. Very conscious was
she Of the silent nudges and whisper
lngs in her direction.
"Do you see Constance GALL" she
could fancy her old neighbors saying
'her hair has turned white"
Resentfully she glanced at the cop'-
panions of her girlhood, with their
brown or black locks unchanged: yes,
youth had been unSind in leaving her
so soon. Thus, as she sat before her
mirror, into the eyes that still were
young, came Il sudden retrospective
smile. After all, there had been few
hours of enchantment, of light-hearted
responsibility, and though these oc'
casions stood out with startling dis
tinetness, perhaps the one best re
membered was that of the olden-time
party at Stauntons. She had gone
dressed as Colonial maiden, while d
friend had stayed with her aunt fol-
company, and perhaps the memory Of
this evening was especially pleasure
BILE because Of the daring mysterious
cavalier who had claimed her undiyid
ed attention.
Seated now before her mirror, tht
face of Constance flushed between iii
curtain Of silvery hair; the man hat
kissed her goodnight, and she hat
never forgotten the kiss.
Why should she recall the episod,
now, awakened to the fact of you'll
past and gone? With careless grace
she pinned up the masses Of her hal
and moved toward the door. 1t wa
the twilight bell which called to wor
ship. Hatless, through the summe
night, Constance followed on down tn
lane. Back in the old family pew,
sensation of being steadily observes
caused her to raise her eyes to the gal
lery; and there, looking down upol
her, as though in glad recognition, wa
the very same daring face.
Older, of course, was this man Il
the gallery, with certain grave dis
tinction, but there could be no mis-
taking the fine, frank face or the dee
eyes with their humorous twinkle
Hardly had she stepped out again int
the night, when he was at her side.
II claim remembrance" the man sal
quickly, 'from the long ago. You ma
have forgotten certain bold youn
guest of the Stauntons, who attende
their olden.time party, but have ne'
err forgotten my charming companion
. whose name | had not even known
, You must pardon me for assisting you
! recollection; we met during the eve
ming Of the party upon the verandi
and in spirit of youthful adventure
: preferred to spend the evening Will
. out learning each others identity. A
, midnight, like Cinderella of the bal
r you disappeared, and" he laughe
l shortly, II saw you no more"
9 Constance, gazing into the man
eyes, smiled. 81 remember 1t ALL" sh
' said; "but you are mistaken as to til
1 last. Several times upon the stret
t afterward I passed you without re-
= ignition. That was the bumiliatin
2 ending Of my adventure"
= Impossible |" the man declare,
"Why, I walked the village street
a searching In vain for golden-haire
0 maid. From the fair texture Of yot
/: skin, I fancied your hair must be golf
@ en-. The night Of the dance, you ma
8 recall, 1t was powdered white, gioriou
( ly white, like some olden-time plctur
0 Beneath 1t your eyes, with their dar
2 brows and lashes, were beautiful"
\ The man was walking along now ,
II her side, seeming almost to forget I'll
H fact of her real presence, in the d