Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-06-06
The Daily Novelette,
"Snow-T'hen Clearing
By ROSE MEREDITH

. ~ rising temperature - northwest
gales" read Miss Amanda Harper TO
her nephew that March morning. An.
thony looked out Of the window and
gruntcd: MY experience has been thai
snow is always followed by clearing
sidewalks T.
| "Gracious sakes. Anthony. when I
Wis young I didn't mind cleaning of
sidpwnlks--kceps the blood in circula-
ton. and. anyway, the Ladies' Aid
Socicty's meeting down Mt Emmcline,s.
amy you will have to clear off her walk.
too"
"Of course. auntie. I'll get 1t at
once-1've an important engagement at
. this afternoon. and I'll have every
thing ready for the meeting before I
60. Good thing IN lawyer. who pracr-
| ticeS i'm his own hOuse--if / had an Of
flee down street / would never get there
on time" he laughed good humoredly
as he left the table and stood by the
window looking over the morning mall.
/ Outside the world was wrapped In a
white drift of snow which had fallen
steadily for eighteen hours. How many
| times he had shovelcd the paths around
| the house and then the broad sidewalk
| in front Of the house Next to the house
was "debatable ground" for Anthony's
old sweetheart lived there solitary. ex-
I cppI TOT " tOupl' VI SeTNuHtS. uelT
break had come on the very eve Of their
wedding fifteen years ago. and the hurt
was so deep that neither one had ever
married. Anthony measured the long,
lonely years by the winter SHOWS that
had fallen: in summer he rarely even
glimpscd Rose Mary Gray. for she al
ways spent the summer months with
relatives at the seashore, whence she
returned in October. looking very brown
and golden hued. but her eyes were al.
ways sad.
Fools :" sharp -tongued Aunt En.mc-
line said of the two.
Poor souls. the more gentle Aman-
da would murmur. as she saw them
pass haughtily by each other. Rose
Mary with the slightest inclination of
her fair head and Anthony with the
stiff removal of his hat.
IF they would only look at each other
just once groaned Miss Amanda that
March morning as she shot n glance
over toward Rose NIary's big square
white house. which stood between the
two big Harper houses on the main
street. She was looking to see If ola
black Amos was clearing the snow from
Rose Mary's walks. but the level stretch
was unbroken. Something must have
happened to to Amos. for he was most
faithful. and it had always happened
that whenever Anthony reached the END
of his own sidewalk Rose Mary's would
be cleared so he could proceed straight
on to Aunt Emmeline's and clean that
off. lie might have hired the work done,
bue he really liked the exercise.
Anthony. booted and nuffIed for the
work. went out with his snow shovel.
As ne shoveled the fcecy whiteness
and the blood went tingling through
his veins old dreams came a-troubling
him. If he and Rose Mary had mar.
Rose. Mary's house and their children
might have been playing in this very
snow. At this moment Anthony dug
so vciously into the snow that he
caught the shovel on the pickcts OF the
iron fence and split it badly. His
first thought was to 20 back for the
other shovel. Then after he had gone a
dozen places he retraced his steps and
went on shOvelng. and that moment of
indecision changed his whole life.
Driven by the anguislied memories and
bitter remorse that he had not humblcd
himself to the ground to keep his beau
tiful love. the man worked 'furiously.
half blinded by the mist before his eyes.
For an hour he shOveled. forgetting that
he had not crossed the stretch between
his house and Rose Marys.
Three women watched him breath
lessy.
Miss Amanda saw him when he re-
traced his steps on the cleared walk
and fell to shoveling again. "He is
crazy-he thinks he has passed Rose
Mary's house-and he believes he's
shoveling Emmeline's walk. Oh. my 80
Emmelinc at her end of the block saw
him finish clearing Rose Mary's path
n m
Land sakes. never knew him to do
that before. If the ladies hear about it.
the meeting will be lively" she
chucklcd.
Rose Mary watched him with shining
eyes and a face kissed by the north
wind into rosy bushes. "Ah. Tony
Tony. YOU must care little" she
WHISPERED as he went on toward his
aunt's hoIse.
At last he stopped. He thought he
was getting cold. for never had he been
so tired after shoveling off the two
walks. He waved a greeting to Aunt
Emmellne and plodded on toward home.
As he passed Rose Mary's gate Il loved
voirc-how long since he had heard tt
called him. "Anthony-Tony. stop
please"
lie whirled about. The watching
auntS saw his eager, bewldered face
beneath his lifted cap. Thank you.
Tony. for clearing my walk" she said.
Yes. Rose Mary had spoken to him
again after the bitter years.
For clearing your walk" he re-
reated. THAT is very little-that
can do" he said humbly, for he did not
understand
"Tony-there is so much to tell YOU
! forgiveness to ask. Will you come
. in and have some lunch with me?' She