The Dolores star., 1923-02-09
A Girl Who Waited
rs Years
iIIlll'lllIlIlllI'lIII'IIli'I''iIi'IIll'iiiIII
.~~~~~NNNNN~~~N,
BY MYRA c. LANE

He certainly was voluble, the rather
shabby. middle-age man in the COM
partment. but then. again, he was In
teresting. He had been over all the
world, made and lost four fortunes.
and now was coming back to his home
town after an absence of 25 years with
a modest competence.
"And. boys" he said, I'm up against
the greatest problem Of my life"
We all looked at him with renewed
interest. We had been a little bit
bored by his account Of the habits
Of the Puam-Puam islanders; likewise
by his story Of the shark and the cut
tle-fsh.
when I left Linstock-that's the
station after next-there was l need
hardly tell you. a girl. was young
fellow Of twenty-five, and she was
two and twenty. We were in love.
We'd always cared for each other, and
we'd sworn that so long as we lived
there never should be any one else
for either of MS. I'm going back alb
solutely confident that that girl, II
she lives, and lives there, Is still wait
ing for me-
That's what I'd call an optimist,'
said the fat drummer. 1.-The girl
doesn't live who"
mo. nor oughtn't to, neither" whis-
pered the man in the gray felt hat.
The selfish old hog! He seems to
thing that after trapesing the world
for a quarter Of . century he's comm
home to find that Griselda's been wait
Ing for him all through the marrying
years Of her life. | jest hope she's
married to stock broker and has
three sets of twins"
"Of course, you realize that your
expectation is not according to human
nature" put In the man who looked
like book-agent.
Gentlemen" began the middle-aged
man. Il know what I'm talking about.
We stop half an hour at Linstock,
and as her house is about SO yards
from the railroad line, invite you
all to get out and accompany me
there. This here stations Alma.
Linstock's the next"
"What are your grounds for this be-
lief?" inquired the man with the pur-
pie tie.
"Why, she swore always to be true
to me-" answered the middle-aged
man.
HAS your experience of life taught
you that a woman's word is usually
to be relied on in such matters" In
quired the man with the gray felt
hat.
Gentlemen. frankly, not" answered
the middle-aged man. But this girls
different. If she hasn't been true to
me, then all my faith in womanhood
is blasted"
"The Internal impudence of him !"
whispered the man in the purple tie.
"Ah, well, we'll see what we shall
see," said the man, who looked like a
book agent.
"Linstock sang out the conductor.
The train was slowing down. 1t
was largish village. junction. and
there would be at least half an hours
stop waiting for the limited to pass.
AS the train drew up there was ST.
multaneous hasty move toward the
door.
Poor cuss!" whispered the man in
the gray felt hat.
"Say, If I'd as much faith as that
I'd be manager Of the district east Of
the Mississippi" muttered the drum
mer. Must have been taking a faith
course, that guy must!"
The mlddle-aged man solemnly LED
the party out of the depot. They
made their way down the untidy street
toward a row of neat. but aged cot
tages sheltering in the shadow of some
lofty elms. The middle-aged man
turned and waited to gather in the
party.
"The old cottage" he said. pointing
to the second from the end of the row
mot pulled down. knew 1t wouldn't
be-"
AS they approached 1t the sound ct
lnfuntile screaming within was borne