The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1919-04-17
CHAPTER XIV.
Use My Own Compass at Fork In
the Road.

DER lntO nlnnnOOu-u SeTlOuS, eHBer,
restless manhood. 1t was the fashion
of the young those days.
Mr.. Wright came up fo- q days FISH,
ing In July. My uncle and took him
up the river.
| While we ate our luncheon he de-
scribed Jackson and spoke of the fa-
nous cheese which he had kept on a
table in the vestibule of the White
House for his callers. He described
his fellow senators-Webster, Clay,
Rives, Calhoun and Benton. / remem-
ber that Webster was, In his view. the
least of them. although at his best the
greatest orator. We had delightful
day, and when I drove back to the vii
l6ge with him that night he told me
that could go into the office of Wright
& Baldwin after harvesting.
ut will do for start" he said. "a
little later 1 shall try to find better
place for you"
My life went on with little in It
worth recording until the letter came.
l speak of 1t as "the letter." because
Of its effect upon my career. 1t was
from Sally, anG 1t said:
Dear Bart It's all over for n long
time, perhaps forever-that will de-
pend on you. l shall be true to you,
If you really love me, even If have to
wait many, many years. Mother and
father saw and read your letter. They
say we are too young to be thinking
about love and that we have got to
stop 1t. How can stop 1t? guess I
would have to stop living. But we
shall have to depend upon our men,
ories now. l hope that yours Is as
good as mine. Father says no more
letters without his permission, and he
stamped his foot so hard that think
he must have made a dent In the floor.
Talk about slavery-what do you think
of that2 Mother says that we must
wait-that 1t would make father q
great deal of trouble If it were known
that l allowed you to write. / guess
the soul of old Grimshaw is still fol-
lowing you. Well, we must stretch out
that lovely day as far as we can. On
the third of June, 1914, we shall both
be twenty-one-and l suppose that we
can do as We please then. The day
Is long way off, but l will agree to
meet you that day at eleven In the
morning under the old pine on the
river where l met you that day and
you told me that you loved me. II
either or both should die our souls will
know where to find each other. II
you will solemnly promise, write these
words and only these to my mother
at yfp IL
your name.
SALLY"
What n serious matter 1t seemed to
me then! remember that 1t gave
Time rather slow foot. / wrote the
words very neatly and plainly on a
sheet of paper and mailed 1t to Mrs.
Dunkelberg. l wondered If Sally would
, stand firm, and longed to know the
. secrets of the future. More than ever
1 was resolved to be the principal wit.
, ness In some great matter, as my
} friend In Ashery lane had put 1t.
: was eight months with Wright &
Baldwin when / was offered q clerk
> ship in the Office of Judge Westbrook
: at Cobleskill, In Schoharle county, at
two hundred year and my board.
3 knew not then just how the offer had
! come. but knew that the senator must
] have recommended me. l know now
that he wanted reliable witness ol
9 the rent troubles which were growing
acute In Schoharle, Delaware and Co
! lumbia counties.
t 1t was trial to 60 so far from
r home, rs Aunt Deel put 1t, bat both my
Q aunt and uncle agreed that 1t was "fol
Q the best"
How 1t wrung my heart, when Mr.
e Purvis and got into the stage at Can
t ton, to see my aunt and uncle standing
y by the front wheel. looking up at me
l. How old and lonely and forlorn the!
:, lookedl Aunt Deel had her purse IL
s her hand. I remember how she took {
: dollar out of it, suppose /! was tin
t only dollar she had-and looked at 1
moment and then handed 1t up Il
n me.
/. "You better take It," she said. "1'n
a 'fraid you won't have enough"
t How her hand and lips trembledl
n have always kept that dollar.
l. Icouldn't see them as we drove away
e The Judge received me kindly an
n gOve Purvis q Job in his garden.
q was able to take his dictatlon in sound
It hand and spent most of my time 4
taking down contracts and correspond
a ence and drafting them into prope
Il form, which 1 had the knack of doin
e rather neatly. was impressed by tn
10 immensity of certain towns In tn