The Snowflake herald., 1919-11-21
The Secret of
the Birch
0<D
BY JESSIE E. SHERWIN

and when John Lyle died and left the
place to his son Allan, the latter
viewed his heritage with grimness, but
resolve.
81 am going to change it-at least
help nature along" declared Allan to
his sister Meta. "The thousand dollars
father so closely boarded and left us
will just about fix things up spick and
span and quadruple the crops Give
me just one year of my own way, and
I'll show you the modern little farm
Of all Daviss county. Then"
Allan drew in his breath and. his
eyes fixed upon distance, sparkled with
a reflex of the golden picture he men
tally viewed. Meta smiled secretly.
The artful mink well knew the impell-
ing ideal of the moment-Lura Willis.
She was the daughter of a neighbor
with a large family, and the only girl
Allan had ever loved. Outspokenly,
they were as yet no more than friends,
but all Rockton decided they would
mate some day, and Lura silently but
delightfully."- blushed when the soft i'm
peachment was limited at by her girl
friends. AS to Allan, his dream of life
was to see Lura queen of Hardscrab-
! BILE developed into an Eden spot
through his cherished ideas of inten-
sive farming. Lura came over to see
Meta one day, with bewildering piece
of news.
"What do you think !" she spoke,
my rich relatives in the city. Uncle
Reuben and Aunt Deborah Hunter,
have sent for me to come and live
with them. You know they are very
wealthy and have no children, and
they write that must live with them
for a year and go to a seminary. near
their home, and when the year is over
decide to become their adopted daugh-
ter or return home, as l elect"
"That is grand y replied Meta cheer
ingly, but by no means enthused. "Of
course you will see lots of the world
and live in luxury, and all that; but
what about Allan?"
why, what do you meanY muir
INJURED Lura equivocally and flush
ing anu pd1luS Dy luIuS.
HE will miss you dreadfully, Lura,"
said Meta. "You don't know how much
he thinks of you, dear"
mo. DON'T" fiuttered Lura; ''but
l hope he does. He has been a true,
good friend, and | shall miss him.
too"
"Lura," said Meta with some grav-
ity, "you are perhaps more TO him
than he to you, but don't forget him,
the dear fellow! | want to show you
something" and Meta led the way to
a silver arch in the garden. Upon 1T
a knife had cut the outline of two
hearts entwined.
Luras eyes expressed suppressed
sentiment as she viewed the present
ment. one day originated by Allan
when they were together. Both had
laughed in gentle badinage over the
time-wOrn nonsense of lovers, but now
1t had a deeper meaning for, removing
small section of bark of the birch.
Meta revealed an aperture.
"This seems. to be Allan's treasure
right to have you know what it con-
tains. See. little mementoes of his
acquaintanceship with you" and Meta
brought to light a faded nosegay, a
dried-up four-leaf clover, a cherished
bit of ribbon and some scrawled sheet
of paper.
"What are those?" inquired the curl
Gus Lura.
"Poetry-or Allan thinks it is. Here
is the beginning of one: Dearest
Lura, to you will be true"
Lura seized a pencil lying in the
unique cubby-hole and wrote under
the line: "And /, sweetheart, the very
same to you Y and. kissing the scrap Of
paper. and all emotion and bushes,
Lura ran away as Allan was seen ap-
preaching in the distance.
Allan did not see Lura again before
she went away. Perhaps her overt act
of liking for him embarrassed her;
perhaps she hesitated as to commit
ting herself before she saw what the
new life before her would bring Meta
told Allan of the incident of the birch
tree, and his face frightened, and the
day that Lura left he started in with
his farm work with zest born of cour-
age and hope.
What long, dreary year that was
Once a month Lura wrote a pleasant
letter to Meta. She named Allan in
friendly way, but most that the broth
er and sister heard was from outside
sources. They learned that she had
become quite a society belle among the
Hunter set, and had grown more beau
tiful than ever Then one day came
brief note to Meta. 1t mentioned that
the Hunters had come upon financial
disaster; that they had tried to induce
Lura to wed wealthy, but obnoxious
suitor, and that she was coming home
to stay.
"And tell Allan" the note concluded.
that | have been taking a modern
farming course, and know 'all about