Middletown transcript., 1920-12-23

and sob out his wretchedness there.
Minna lived in her again, for mother
hood had wrought miracle on the
pale, listless girl, who had cringed be-
fore his anger four years before and at
last gone sullenly from his home. pen
niless. into the darkness.
But she had not seen him, nor would
she. Mayo saw now the cause of that
maternal light in her eyes, bright
with the love that he had denied her.
They were bent upon a little, yellow
haired boy who sat restless beside her.
fidgetting, as boys will fidget in
church. And the boy, in turn. was a
replica of Ida's infancy.
He must take her home. They
would be all to one another. the three
Of them. His heart yearned over these
two generations Of his own flesh and
blood. And when the service ended,
he rose eagerly to cross to where they
were seated. But the people, moving
out Of their pews into the aisle, OBJ
structed his passage. and he was COM
PEELED to make a circuitous detour in
order to reach his objective. He saw
her, lost her; and at last, when he
reached the pew where she had sat.
Ida was gone. He hurried frantically
hither and thither. The church was
empty now; and yet it seemed incredi-
BILE that he had lost her for ever.
Somebody touched him ON the arm. A
clergyman in long black gown was
speaking to him.
"Ycu are looking for somebody,
sir?" he asked kindly.
my daughter" the old man mum
bled.
She must have gone home. No
doubt you Kill find her at home.
There is nobody here"
The old man turned and began
stumbling homeward through the thin
ming street crowds. Once he had
gained the street which led to his
house he began running like . mad
man. Truly it must be as the clergy
man had said. Ida was at home, Of
course. with her little boy. She had
never left him; all that had been a
bad dream from which he would
awake when he entered. He let him
self In and switched on the electric
light. The room was empty and al
most bare, and It had never looked so
forlorn and miserable before.
He realized that she was lost to
him forever. She would accept his
silence as final: she would never write |
TO him again. And her address had
vanished from his memory utterly. |
He had barely glanced at it once and
refrained from looking at |
It again before he tore the letter into
fragments and flung them into. the
stove. He had chosen his miser's gold.
and it lay like dead weight upon his
heart.
A scrap Of paper on the floor caught /
his eye. He picked 1t up: it was
morsel of the envelope and bore his
name, Julius Mayo, and the first fig
ire Of the house number. Perhaps
,ther morsels might have fluttered
,ut Of the ire-perhaps just the one
which would give him the clue to his
laughter's address. Instantly he was
lown upon his knees and raling
lmong the dying embers, turning over
he Goals, beginning his hands with
he clinker ash. Another scrap re-
varded his efforts. This was the up
yer corner Of the envelope. bearing a |,
,ortion Of the Cancelled stamp. with [
he benign features Of Washington. |
There was no more; he could not find
% much as . single chaFred fragment.
The old man rose slowly and stared
{ hiS white face In the little glass |
hat hung above tie mantel His eyes 1
Fere feverish and his gray hair hung 7
d disordered mass over hls fore |
lead. He remembered the; old Cor.
nan legend that on one day IA thel /.
ear the souls In he'll wsre permitted +
3 stand outside the gates of Paradt
nd TO- look in. This Yas his day; +
lhia w6n Chrinfmaa Eve lfhn rnsii