The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-09-23

of course-but l know she'll forget it
all, if you come back"
Poor old Clara" said the man
aloud. Poor simple Clara She
can't see yet that it's brother Charlie
who counts with Ethel, not l."
So Quarter had had his revenge,
Quarter, her brother. 1t was not
strange after the snubbing he got.
But she? What did Joan Quarter
think of the tale her brother had
brought to Charles Guthrie?
Then he opened the two letters in
the blue envelopes. One was dated a
month earlier than the other and he
read that first.
II imagine your life in France" ran
the letter, was similar to that of the
last year on James bay. have
learned much of what went on over
there. Was 1t French girl or an
army nurse?"
She had unwittingly hurt him in the
only way it was now possible for
Ethel Falconer to reach the man who
had once loved her. Army nurse!
What had Ethel done for Canada to
qualify her as a critic of the women
who had toiled and dared behind the
lines, that stricken men might live?
He read on: "Of course, Garth, this
is your answer. l was willing to for
get the slight, the neglect, but when
we learned how you had been living.
my love died. To share your affec
! lions with an ignorant, immoral
squaw was asking little too much,
| Garth"
The man who read laughed outright.
"Your love died, my poor child, on the
wharf at Quebec, when you saw what
the Huns had done to your soldier
boy" he said aloud.
"Well, why the postscript" he
went on. "She throws me over in the
first letter, horse, foot and dragons;
why continue the agonyT'
Opening the second envelop, he
read: "When / wrote you, Garth,
dear, I did not understand that she
had died, but Mr.. Quarter tells me
that his sister helped nurse her. OF
course, it was all horrible shock,
but now that it is over and you may
come home, 1 am willing to forget the
past-if you want me to-
Rising in disgust, Guthrie paced the
floor. "Merciful heavens She's will
ing to forget the past! Poor, shallow,
scheming Ethel! Rather than lose
brother-in-law Charles, you cray-fish.
eat humble-pie, grovel on your knees.
Was it French girl or nurse?"
he quoted scathingly. Ready to
swallow that, too, are you, my dear?"
Guthrie finished the letter So
Ethel Falconer waited with open arms
for the prodigal lover. But, unlike the
son of the tale, the prodigal lover was
not returning.
Picking up and finishing the crum-
pied letter Of Charles, Garth learned
that, inasmuch as he had disgraced the
family name and ignored the family
wishes, the Guthrie family would pro-
coed to try to forget its black sheep.
With a smile of contempt Garth
opened the door of the sheet-iron stove
and tossed in the letters Clare's he
would -good-hearted, we'll
meaning, old Clara, who alone had
sensed his condition and his unhappi-
ness, on his return home. Then rails
ing his arms and expelling a deep
breath of relief, he said: THANK
God, that's over! And now"
He took the letter of Joan Quarter
from the tree and eagerly opened it.
Dear Mr.. Exile:
"Have you kept your promise? Is
this the last letter to be read? I wish
you very happy Christmas, but just
how that would be possible up there
on your frozen vested is difficult
to imagine. However, hope you will
not be lonely with thoughts of home
and what you have so stubbornly
| turned from"
Garth's brows knotted in thought.
"Of course" he surmised, "she must
know about Ethel since her brother
had met Charles-had heard Of the
engagement and his strange actions.
But if she thought him still engaged,
why did she writer"
Joan continued:
"My winter has been an active one,
working in school for homeless chill
dren. Poor things! They need all
one can give them. 1t has not been
as uninteresting as it sounds Every
thing is so new and strange.
But you, when are you coming back
to your kind, Mr.. Exile? You must
be wonderfully well after two years
and they are still waiting for you
again my deepest gratitude for
your hospitality to the shipwrecked'
Garth finished the letter with a
groan of disappointment "She's
heard fine tale from the family, and
her brothers version wouldn't help it
any," he muttered. Doesn't speak of
meeting them, though. She, in
school for homeless children"
1t was evident to Guthrie from the
reserved tone of Joan Quarters let
ter that she had heard Of his engage
ment to Ethel, and it was also quite
as clear that she was ignorant of the
color of the story Quarter had re-
tailed to Charles. To this, he realized,
Joan Quarter would give instant and
fiat denial but she was not even In
Montreal-wouldn never meet the Guth-
ries. And after all, what did it mat
ter? He was through with them
his SNUG brother, and the girl who had
lost him when she stared in horror
at his SCARED cheek that day when
the Royal Montreals came home.
Ha ron,lacod tho laffor liz, tho ,nolrot