Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-16
THE GIRL WHO
ALL.OST MISSED
PEGGY WRITES.
Chaptcr t,VuI
by Mary douglass


I left the letter on the table there, after
/ had given il one glance to sec who had
written me. IL was Pcggy's unmistakable
scrawl was glad she had written So soon
and glad To know that | had a treat wait
ing me in the reading.
When had finished the floor. Mr.. Higgs
came over 10 show me how To plant my
peas. | must 20 with him to the garden
and IN the fun of the work | again forgot
Pcggy's letter. ;,
There. at lastw ! said, and settled
myself before the window and tore open
the envelope Up the road came Mary
Dalry1nplo and | had only a chance TO
read Dear Hazel" when she had entered
the door.
To-day her lovely face was ovcrlaid
with worry ,
.Nou1l forgive me for coming to your"
She asked. sitting down quietly and foldl &
her hands together "Oh, Hazel, you are SO
sweet and understanding, felt that |
must tell some onc-and YOU are tho only
one | can tgll--for two months, now,
haven't heard from Henry"
Her eyes famed INTO mlne and all the
anxiety that she had tried 10 hide showed
plainlv on her mobile face.
'It isn't as If he did not write me reg
ularlv: vou know | am younger than Il e
bows but have almost been mother to
thcm-and ! know he would write me
II he could
She SAID 10 all quietly. restrainedly
Her ewes did not FIJI with tears, but her
face showed the intensity of her feeling
Perhaps he's changed camp or the
letters have been lost You know, so
many
I've said that over and over to re-
L
somehow know something has happcnod d
Her voice died away in faintnoss and
we sat staring across at each other
Il can't stand IL, | can't stand II. Z
she murmurcd, and her hand iiuttcrcd to
her throat
You would have heard, said hravcly
She looked across At me again and
there was something almost unearthly IN
her face. II know, she said.
Her soft melancholy eyes filled with
tears. but she brushed them away and then
went blindly to the door
"louSmust STAY with me, ! begged
we wlll have tea together; and want
50 much to sec YOU
She only shook her head silently and
vcnt down the road lonely figure that
seemed 10 ms knowing eyes 70 be the
symbol Of griCf, Without thinking, |
flung on my coat and ran brcathlcssly
toward the white house.
lis Howard -ln?" asked between
Mrs. Damon held the door frigidly and
stared down her nose at me.
MIR Howard she called
"Oh Howard sand. as though had
known him always and were used 70
running 70 him when | was IN trouble,
Won't YOU Gomez
saw Mrs Damon watch us as VIC went
down the walk together
MARY Dalrvmple ] said between
gaSps. "ShC has "A premomtIon something
has happened 10 her brother. You know
more 10 tell her than can-won' { YOU go
after her? She has just disappeared around
the hiG elm.
Howards mouth set stcrnlv He set of
as quickly rs be could down the road.
At the big elm, the turned and waved his
crutch 20 nae as ] stood IN my doorway,
Now 10 my letter Al last, after all this
delavi I sat down again IN tho chair hv
the window and looked out across the
huc hills had come 10 love Then | drew
Peggy letter out of the envelope
ID was scribhled in pencil on . torn
piece III yellow paper In places u was
scratched out fell 70 reading 1t
Dear Hazel | know YOU are not going
tounderstand; but ] wish YOU would try to-
you've been a dear 20 ne, and | re-
ali7c IT, You've never naggcd Al me nor
scolded me, though / know lots Of things
| did, you hated
But that lsn' I what want a ten YOU.
It's so hard TO put into words, Hazel.
You see, we're 50 different IL never seems
o. make any difference to YOU when
we are poor and you have TO do all your