Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1920-11-05
Fair Destiny
By OTILLIA F. PFEIFFER
10. 1890. Western Newspaper Union.)

tits a dismal prospect, indeed,
Lawrence" spoke Edna Royce, but she
smiled, for 1t was her nature to resist
depression and unfortuitous circum-
stances.
Eyes, ten miles from nowhere, the
mind wheel of the old wagon gone for
good, and we won't get the train in
time. What's best to do now?'
They had started from Winston,
their home town, two hours previ-
Gus, intent on reaching the first rail-
road point. twenty miles away. At a
bad spot in the road they had run
into a rut, and one of the rear wheels
of the light wagon Lawrence Newton
was driving had come off and lay in
the road, a heap of wreckage.
1t was an inauspicious ending to a
day full of hope at the start. Law
renee had been brought up by a BROTH
er-in-law poor as himself, and at
twenty-five was no further ahead than
he had been at sixteen. Edna had
lost her parents In childhood, and had
made her home with a relative who
operated a store In Winston. She had
given him faithful service for the
wretched salary he had paid her as a
clerk, bookkeeper and helping his wife
in her housekeeping duties when not
busy at the store. For over a year
Edna had been studying stenography,
she had bought herself a typewriter
and had attained a certain expertness
in its use, and despite an offer of in
crease in salary on the part of her
parsimonious relatives, had saved up
some money and was bent on winning
her way in the city.
1t was a good deal of a blow to the
happiness and well-being of Lawrence
when Edna impaired her plans to him.
They had never spoken of love, but
both were inspired with it. Their COM
~panionship for two years had been a
sweet, peaceful idyl, and the Earring
element of a parting wrecked the
hearts of both.
Some day I'll join you, Edna"
spoke Lawrence, patiently, hopefully.
Il shall feel worried and uneasy,
though.
He had been allowed to use the
horse and wagon belonging to his
brOther-in-law so grudgingly that now
that disaster had overtaken it he re-
allied that his captious relative would
insist upon all kinds of hard ex-
ira work to make up for the expense
CT repairing it.
81 will walk with you to the town,
and you will have to wait at the depot
until the mex train comes along" adj
Y1sed Lawrence, land | will have to
fix up the old wagon" And he, car
rying her satchel and her boxed type
writer, they started away after nav
ing tethered the horse.
1t was at the end of five miles that
the hot sun and the tramp over the
rutty road brought a WEAKNESS that
enforced rest. What seemed to be a
ciOsed-up summer home enticed them
~ its shaded porch. They assembled
1t and luxuriated in some swinging
chairs. Edna insisted on refreshing
themselves with the light lunch she
had brought.
81: is quite a picnic" declared Law
renee, and somehow they dallied, and
somehow, too, their beautiful environ
snent Influenced him to speak out what
lad been on his mind for two years.
BE went all ove the circumstances of
SER long friendship, told of the love
:iat was surging at his heart. Like
4nDocent little children they discussed
this great climax of their lives, en-
saging themselves t%rustingly one to
the other. and there was one calm,
sweet kiss in token of the mutual
pledge of fidelity until the future had
placed them in q position to join their
lives together.
In a room just off the porch all the
:.me that they had c%onversed, although
they never dreamed of it, sat an old
man and woman-Albert Trude and
sis wife, owners of the pleasant sum-
mer home. A closed blind shut them
from view beyond an open window.
AS the life history Of the two artless
lovers was borne to their ears they
fingered, drinking In memories of their
Own early lives and. too, thinking Of
the two children who died, leaving
them lonely with a lifetime sorrow.
The woman arose finally, her eyes
brimming with tears, and led her hus-
band out of possible hearing of the
k~reSpaSSers.
albert" she spoke TREMENDOUSLY, do
you nor feel that this is a h~eaven-sent
visitation, sent to influence US to
strengthen and bless our own solitary
lives and to bring happiness to two
children of the heart, who may wan
der far apart and never reach the
pure, true longings of their innocent
souls? oh, let US make sure of these
precious lives for the future and nur-
ture those who will he as son and
daughter in the years to come"
Ali in a maze, within an hour those
Two listened to g proposition from Mr..
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