Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1922-05-04
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Jessica Goes to s..
the City.
= NNA NNN . ~ : = = = = = = = = . !
By MALCOLM BROWN
Observation-Disclosures

Don't 80, ueAF-We snail miss you
oh, so muchl r.
Kind. gentle Aunt Priscilla placed q
pleading hand on the fair golden head
Of her favorlte niece, JeSSicn. AS she
spoke. Jesslca loved her as everybody
else did. She chung to her now, but
still she murmured pleadingly:
II shall miss you, too, dearest aunt,
but, oh p! / do so want to see what life
Is like away from this quiet. humdrum
village. Cousin Marcia has, written me
SO much about the bright. brilliant life
she leads. They have asked me to
come so often. Marcia says that Uncle
and Aunt WilllstOn feel quite offended
at my constant refusal to accept their
invitation, $3.50"
my poor, >wilful child. my dear, in
nOcent lamb T. murmured Aunt PrtS-
ella Indulgenty. II viii not say an
other word must not forget that
youth yearns for q change"
II must finish my packing II expect
to catch the train, mustn't I, huhtyT
asked JessIca. "And there Is dear
Robert to say gOod-by to-" 80:
Robert had to 60 out Into the cOun.
Try with his father" again interrupted
Aunt Priscilla. '"He~Wtas here with
some flowers for you, long before you
were awake" r,e
"How kind he 10, the dear, dear fell
lOw!" murmured Jessica.
Robert LIstOn, the SON of their hear
est nGlghbOE had been a true and
loyal Knight Grant since the summer
before. II was ne who; had built the
pretty vIne-enclOsed bower. where Jes-
sica read and did fancy work on pleas
ant afternoons. 1t was Robert WHO
had marked out and cultivated little
garden patch that was the delight Of
everybody who visited 1t. n
II seemed that day could not pass
but that Robert did some thoughtful
act In her behalf They had been ia
nous friends. Jessica actually shed
one or two tears as she thought Of
leaving Newton without an opportunity
to say gOOd-by to the best friend size
had ever known.
Aunt Priscilla found the forgotten
boz Of flowers and sighed. She loved
the frank, handsome, light-hearted
youth who had been the life Of the
place.
All through month Aunt Priscilla
received letters from Jessica. They
dubbed over with ell the eyanescence
Of q girl whose life had become one
constant round of pleasures. Then they
became brlefer and briefer.
Then there was whole qloHth dar
ing which no word came from ,Ae dis,
tant niece. At It's end hoseYer there
arrived brief note from JeSsfca II
read: "There is troEble., am conaae
home" and two mornings later Jessic@
arrived at the pretty little cottage =
throw her arms around her aun. > rt..'..
and sob out her worries
"Oh, Aunt Priscilla" she crich =
never want to go away again It vas
grand at first. 1t was parties, i9ati-
nees, automobile plcnics, bur ii ali
ended In a crash. A forein! count
Marcia expected to marry turned out
to- be an impOstor. One night some
Of the men drank too much wine, were.
offensive to the ladies, and 1t ended in
a disgraceful scene. Then uncle lost
all he had on the stock exchange, the
creditors seized everything there was
for debt. and-Oh, l must see Robert,
and the gardenl''
The dear old garden! Every blush
ing bud so carefully nurtured re-
preached Jessica as she ran out from
the house. She buried her face into
cIump Of lilies and kissed them fer
vently, like old dear friends. She went
into the bower.
The quaint old cOnceit drew Jessica
to step toward 1t, to fancy herself
back In the sunlit past. 1t seemed as
If her city experience somehow had
SlOduCu PuAC oClChLIJ VI ILlObG OlO
dear days. Fairly unconsciously she
placed her hand In the hollow. Her
fingers touched something. 1t was
letter. The truth flashed across her
the one that Robert had written her
probably the morning she left home,
to which her aunt had referred.
Her sweet face flushed crimson as
she read the manly avowal Of love Of
her old true friend, the tears came to
her eyes as she realized how cruelty
she had neglected him.
"If had found this that morning
long ago." she murmured, 81 am afraid
l would have said. wait. let me see
life before ! answer Now"
She paused. She pressed her lips
TO the damp widowed sheet that had
held Its fond secret so close for 80
many months.
ayes, now, dear Jessicar asked an
eager, radiant voice behind her, and
she turned to face the writer Of the
mlsslve.
'Oh, Robert Robert r. cried Jesslca,