Connecticut western news., 1922-05-11
THE MAN FOR THE AGES
(Continued from page 6)

wonder what Q led to the fellow" l \ The mail stage was late that eve ning As it had not come at nine MT. Hill went home and left Abe in the store to wait for his mail. The stage arrived few minutes later. Abe ex- amined the little bundle of letters and newspapers which the driver had left with him. Then he took a paper and sat down to read in the firelight. While he was thus engaged the door opened softly and Ann Rutledge en- tered. The postmaster was not aware of her presence until she touched his arm. ..F
 Please give me letter" she said. s "Sit down, Ann," said he, very gent ly, as he placed chair in the fire glow. ... t,s-
 She took 1t, turning toward him with look of fear and hope. Then he added: %.
 'Tm sorry, but the truth is 1t didn't come. It is terrible, Ann,f that I have to help in this breaking of your heart that is going on. I seem to be the head of the hammer that hits you so hard, but the handle is in other hands. Honestly, Ann, wish I could do the suffering for you-every bit of it-and ? give your poor heart a rest. Hasn't he written you this summer2"
 Not since July tenth" she an- swered. Then she confded to Abe that her lover told before he went away that his name was not McNeil but McNamar; that he had changed his name to keep clear of his family until he had made a\ success; that he had gone East to get his father and mother and bring them back with him; lastly she came to the thing that worried her most-the suspicion of her father and mother that John was not honest. 'They say that he probably had a wife when he came here-that that is why he don't write to me-" | ..." tse ."
 Then after little silence she plead ed: "You don't think that, do you, Abe?" *.. =. .f .-....-.s s.... "No," said the latter, giving her the advantage of every doubt. "John did foolish thing, but we must not condemn him without a knowledge of the facts. The young often do foolish things and sickness would account for his silence. You go home and go to sleep and stop worrying, Ann. You'll get that letter one of these days" A day or two later Abe and Harry went to Springfield. Their reason for | the trip lay in talk between the post l master and Jack Kelso the night be fore as they sat by the latter's fire side. ..-. s-
 'pve been living where there was no one to find fault with my parts of speech or with the parts of my legs which were not decently covered" " said Abe. '"The sock district of my person has been without representa- tion in the legislature of my intellect | up to it's last session. Then we got a bill through for local improvements and the governor has approved the appropriation. Suddenly we discov- cred that there was no money in the treasury. But Samson Traylor has ! the amount of fifteen dollars"
 "Pm glad to hear you declare in l favor of external improvements" said 1 Kelso We've all been too much ab. sorbed by inteEnal improvements You're on the right trail, Abe. You've been thinking of the public ear and too little of the public eye. We must show some respect for both."
 Sometimes I think that comedy dress ought to go with comedy die tion,'i said Abe. "But that's a thing you can't learn in books. There's nc grammarian of the language of dress Then I'm so big and awkward. It's a rather hopeless problem" 1 You're in good company" Kelsc assured him. Mature guards her best men with some sort of singuIarity : not attractive to others. Often she makes them edious with conceit ol deformlty or dumbness or garrulitY