The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1922-02-01
FAILING LEAVES
ty BLANCHE N. poRrER

o 1851. ~ Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
He had fought his own way up In
the world, and had done amazingly
well with his ranch in one Of the most
fertile and picturesque valleys Of Mon
tana., All he needed now-so Rodman
' Stanwood told himself-was q wife to
share his prosperity. Therefore, what
more natural than that his memories
should turn back to Edith wes-
ton among the New Hampshire hills ;
| to Edith, sweetheart Of other days7
II should have kept up with her."
said he to himself, but the battle Of
| life has been SO harsh. Never too late
to mend, thought fate is kind"
He came East, bpoyant with hopes I;
q well-set-up bronzed man Of thirty,
eager to renew the old love. IMAM
nounced he returned to Hampden VAL
ley, poignant with recollectiOns Of
youth,
Anxiously he drew near the old white
house on the hill the house that had
been her grandfather's. Old Squire
Weston had two daughters: Martha,
Edith's mother, and one called Edith,
after whom the Edith Of Rodman's
heart had been named.
This Aunt Edith, when only girl
Of twenty, had died Of consumption af-,
ter an appalingly short illness. That
death had always cast its shadow over
the Weston family; the only shadow
that had ever blurred Its sunshine.
At sight Of the Gothic elms shading
the house, Rodman's heart quivered.
Now he was almost there. His pulses
beat faster. Edith-in moment more
he would see the Edith Of his dreams.
On the south side Of the house, where
the sun shone warmest ROdman all
at once saw little tent under the
elms. Eth, what? Did that connOte
children? ROdman paused, anxiety at
his heartstrings. But he heard no
childrens voices. Troubled. he ad-
vanced. And quite suddenly he saw
her.
The girl, In cool summary white, was
lying In a Gloucester hammock under
u
spun gold, lay over her shoulder, ra-
dlant In the September sun.
"Edithr' He came forward, hands
outstretched.
"Rodman? Can 1t be-f"
He took her hand in his; found II
limp, nerveless.
"why, little girl, what's the matter?
Are you III"
She smiled sadly, her eyes drifting
to an old elm across the road, Its
leaves flecked with autumn's harle-
quln brushes.
Edith, little sweetheart Of other
days." he hesltated, "I-Tve come
back for you, if you'll still have me-"
With an immense relief he had seen
no ring upon her left hand.
"Tm afraid you're too late, ROddy.
boy" she answered. "Dr. Dunn says l
I'm going just as Aunt Edith went.
She died when the last leaves fell
from that elm. lam watching II,
too"
He pOndered anguish in his heart.
Pale, spent, she lay there; yet to him
II seemed not that she showed signs
of that dread malady. In Montana he
had seen many stricken victims; well
he knew the symptoms.
"Why dear, there's nothing the mat
ter with yOu," he tried TO reassure
her. "Out West, in Gods free country.
I'd have your cheeks ablaze with health
in no time. The roses would all come
back"
Sadly she shook her head.
"No, Roddy boy" she denied. TOO
late-eternally too late!"
That night one of New England's
sudden tenpests swept down over
Hampden Valley.
In the height of the tempest Rodman
Stanwood left Lakeside Inn, trudged
to the store and bought stout axe.
Unheeding all sage advice from the
wiseacres at the store, he pushed ont
into the storm, up the black road to-
ward the Weston homestead.
Morning broke serenely blue, with
heaven washed to azure and the sun
flooding all nature with liquid gold
Robins on branch and lawn gushed into
song triumphant. Rodman smiled lit
tie grimly to himself as he set out for
Edith's.
He found her In big chair on the
porch, still pale and tired, but with a
puzzled look in her blue eyes.
"Hello, what's this?" cried Rodman,
pointing. Across the road the old elm
lay prone. its scarlets and yellOws drab-
bled.
"Your trees down, Edith. All the
leaves have fallen and you're still
among the living? Old Dunn is wrong
again, as usual" Ardently he hoped
she hadn't examined the tree stump.
She smiled with more vitality than
the day before.
$50 1t seems" she answered. '"rhe
leaves have certainly all fallen
xyonder-Y