The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-27
CHAPTER 90

When Kenneth Lang arose on the
day after his visit to southold the
rain was falling steadily. The storm
bad begun in the night. and the
clouds hung low and heavy.
He predicted wisely. Three days
later it was still raining.
On that morning he received two
letters. One was from Ruth Grant;
the other from. Beatrice Lang. Both
were at his place at the table when
he went into breakfast.
He wished to be alone to read
what Ruth had to say, so he slipped
her letter into his pocket AS he
slipped his coffee, he perused his
mothers epistle.
He could not believe the evidence
of his own eyes. His mother was
engaged to be married!
She did not beat about the bush
in announcing this fact to her son.
But she did take pains to tell him
of the many excellent qualities of
her betrothed.
"He is a widower, and alone, as
am l." she wrote. But, unlike me,
he has an abundance of this world's
goods-a beautiful home on the Hud-
son, where he spends eight months
Of the year, going to a New York
hotel for the winter. He declares
that his heart went out to me as soon
as he saw me. l know mine did to
him. l fancy that our mutual lone
illness attracted us to each other.
1--WE shall be married in early No.
vember; then, perhaps, go abroad for
tn winter. That is a detail that
can be settled later. If you care to
run on to New York for the wedding,
1 know that Harold will be glad
to meet you"
"In other words, she does not care.
to have me GOMEZ Kenneth told
himself grimly. why should she
want to show her new husband her
first husbands son? Moreover.
would be a proof that she is not
so young as she looks"
He reread the letter slowly and
thoughtfully. He smiled bitterly at
the expresslon-"He is alone, as 1
am" If she was alone, 1t was her
own fault. If she had been content
to have a pretty home in Saxville.
and to live with her only child, she
need not have been alone. But she
wanted smart society and fashionable
life.
He dropped into a chair and drew
Ruth's note from his pocket. He
aad not hurried to do this. He want
ed to prolong the pleasurable sem
sation, of looking forward to reading
her message.
1t was brief, he noticed at glance.
And, in a way, it was conventional.
Yet he seemed to hear her soft voice
as he read her words of thanks for
the book he had sent her. She had
already read many of the poems, and
was delighted to have them all to-
gether so that she could dip into
them at any. time-always sure of
finding something lovely.
Father sends you his regards"
she wrote. He regrets that he was
absent when you were in Southold.
and SO missed the pleasure of seeing
yon."
Then. after once more assuring the
donor # the volume of her graft
tude, she signed herself, sincerely
his, Ruth Grant.
But. below the signature were-two
lines. The man scanned them
eagerly.
Il shall think of you whenever
read the anthology. And l shall read
1t often. l hope you are happy. r. g."
Kenneth Lang had often heard the
assertion that the most important
ard significant part of womsn's
letter is the postscript. He remem-
bered this theory now, and hoped
IT, was true.
He read and re-read the little
letter several times. Then before re-
turning it to its envelope. he pressed
1t to his lips.
After which he slipped 1t into his