Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1921-04-21
THE DEAD LETTER
BY JULIA A. ROBINSON.


90 1921. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate)
Hello, old fellowl" cried a familiar
voice.
Silas turned and looked into the
face of a friend he had not seen III
years.
Hal! Where did you come from?"
he cried.
'I've just come into town." answered
his friend. I'm here for only few
days. How is everybody?
Were all about right, as far as l
know. You must come and stay with
me as long as you are here" urged
Silas, that is if you can stand bach
elor quarters
They entered the farmhouse where
Silas lived. He hung his overcoat in
the closet and proceeded to make his
guest comfortable.
1t won't be bachelor quarters much
longer" he laughed. I'm going to be
married, Hal. Just mailed the letter
when you found me, to set the day"
Congratulations !' returned the
other. Tell me how it happened"
"Oh, it's a short story. You see To
started out to find my fortune.
didn't find my fortune but found
the girl instead. l made up my mind
I'd come back, run the farm and get
married. So I built a dandy house
and fitted it up. We're to be married
in June, that is, if she will be ready
by that time. told her Ixscouldn't
wait any longer, but do wish / had
a little more money to begin on"
Il beg the privilege of being best
man at the wedding" urged his
friend.
Silas put his house in order, pack
ing away winter clothes, for the
weather was getting warm, and waited.
He counted the days, hours even, for
the answer to his letter. He chided
himself for being impatient when it
did not arrive in reasonable time.
His friend left, promising to be at
the wedding in June.
The summer waned. Still no letter
came. Silas could stand it no longer
Locking the door of his house, he start
ed for the West, hoping to bury his
disappointment in hard work.
One day his spade turned up a hand
full Of yellow soil-Goldl He knew
the look of that bit of dust There
was gold on his land He was a rich
man! Yet what good would riches
do him without the woman he loved
to share it with him?
Two years went by and Silas re-
turned to his house, with money in
his pockets, yet disconsolate and sad.
1t was hard to return to old scenes.
He would sell the place, go back to
the wild life on the ranch and forget
the past.
Silas opened the door Of his house
and wandered through the deserted
rooms. He opened the closet where
his clothes were stored. There hung
his overcoat, just as he had left it
on that spring day. full Of hope
hope so soon to be dashed to the
ground. A feeling of remorse came
over him that he had not written again.
He took down the overcoat to give
it an airing, and mechanically thrust
his hand into the pocket? He started
What was that inside? A letter He
pulled it out There was the very
letter he had meant to mail on that
day when he had been so suddenly
accosted by his friend
For fully five minutes Silas stood
petrified, gazing at the letter in his
hand. Had he been such a wretch as
to forget to mail it? And he had
blamed her all these years-accused
her of wrong Then he looked at his
watch. Ten minutes to train time!
The blunder of years must be rectified
in those ten minutes.
Breathless, half distracted, Silas
reached the door of Della's home
Would she be waiting for him-had he
faith enough in woman to believe it?
-or-he could not bear to think of
possibilities that might have hap
pened. Why, she might even be mar
ried to another!
Yes, she was in, her mother told
him, but she had been very i'll, was
still weak; could he wait?
NO, he could not wait! Time was too
precious now. The waiting time was
past; now he was in a hurry. He
pushed past the mother and rushed
into the room where Della was sit
ting, propped up in an easy chair,
very pale, but just as beautiful as he
had kept her in his memory.
I've brought the letter! ' he gasped,
"the letter / meant to mail, and
didn't. You see, twas all my fault,
my stupid Observation-Disclosures l was
brute not to write again; all this
might have been saved. I've been so
miserable! How can you ever forgive
me?"
He had blurted it all out, but the
look she gave him and the kiss with
which she answered his own told him
he was already forgiven.
II almost thought Won had forgot