The Yale expositor., 1921-06-16
THE PRINT DRESS
BY AGNES GRAHAM eRoeAN
20. 1921, Western Newspaper Unionl

The old man sat in his porch u
shutdown. Out in the garden a breez,
stirred the lilac bushes, and their per
rune came to him associated In som,
way with memory OF print dress
And he was not a sentimental old maj
this, nor one given to tender reverie
Rather was he concerned witt
schemes OF shrewd bargaining, and M
scruples as to advantage over another
The woman who waited OH him ant
had long been his servant, adopted his
own disagreeable manner through as
ISOLATION, while her husband went d
piodding tacitun way.
And tonight. after all the bitterly
absorbed busy years, he was dream
ing dreams On his sun-iit pSrch-iike
d very schoOlboy.
The print dress had awakened In
him memories OF that past bOyhood
Nellie had worn such dress years
ago; a rriiiy muslin with dainty pur-
pie sprigs upon 1t. And he had loved
those pfintsd purple touches, because
they matched SO well the color Of her
eyes.
Nellie had been dead many years,
ana Joe Godfrey was glad that il was
50.
Ii would have been ineffably harder
to have known her the wife Of another
man. His jealous nature could not
have toisrat ted that. And the girl
who had passed him that morning in
the village store, had soft purple eyes
which reminded him suddenly and
poignantly OF Nellie, even as her print
dress had done. She had smiled at
him In passing. swift friendly smile.
which showed her to be stranger i'm
the countryside and unfamiliar with
his own forbidding disposition.
Joe Godfrey gazing with unseeing
eyes across his garden, recalled the
dominating character OF his loved Mel
lies father. They, too, would have
been married, and his own life might
not have grown into the warped thing
that ii was, If Nelle's father had not
valued money above all else.
Young Joe had been unable to
strive for success with the care of IN
invalided mother and shiftless faith
er, and so he was forbidden to see
Nellie again. The night she babe him
gOod-by in that sad secret meeting
down the shadOwy lane, Nellie had
worn the purple dress, and lilac BUSH
es had been in bloom. Old Flint
frowned now fercely, to keep the I'M
accustomed moisture from his eyes,
as through the barred gates a girl
came, making her way toward him.
She smiled all confident and unafraid,
and she wore lavender-sprlgged
gown. You will excuse me, | know"
greeted the girl. II just had to come
In to view your peOnies. l never saw
SO many in all my life-a whole hedge
Of color! I'm from the city"
Godfrey nodded CURLY. Then some
thing in the surprised questioning
glance Of the violet eyes brought him
10 his feet.
81 will go with you to the hedge"
ne heard himself saying, land We'll
pick a bunch OF them"
The girl accepted the attention nat
lrally. 1t was natural always for
people to be kind to her, and she an.
no exception in the lonely
I'D man, whom she had seen medi-
ating so glOomily each evening, on
lis solitary porch. 81 will give them
o Aunt Martha" she said "as a sort
" parting gift. She and Tom will he
pleased. | am going home to the city.
Father has sent for me; Aunt Martha
sorry about it,"
There was a look in the girls face
IS she bent over the flowers, very like
he remembered look that Nellie had
'iven him years agO-when they said
ood-by.
"WhOf" asked the old man brusque.
y, "is Tom?"
1t was her eyes that told him, her
ps merely repeated a young mans
anne.
"He is helping Aunt Martha to work |
er little farm" she explained. "TOm
as been tied down to unfortunate |
arents. When he was left quite |
lone he went away to agricultural
ollege. His great wish Is to succeed |
1 experimental work. He has won
erful ideas but no money, or no place
D try out his plans"
Old Flint from past experience drew
quick conclusion.
"And sO?' he asked, "your father
ends for you to come home for fear
lat you may fall In love with this
AN without money!"
The girl looked back at him over
er armful Of flowers.
"Father Is too late" she said. 81
Ill never love any man but Tom"
Slowly, because his lameness trou-
ed him in the dew of the evening.
% Godfrey followed her to the gates.
MY DEAR" he said gently, IL want
~ to send this Tom person to me