OCR Text |
Show IXCOURTSHIP BEHIND j WHITE LI LACS I By ROSE E. HUBNER 1 (Copyright. Ford lub. Co.) rleanor Mnckey Talscd hor raffled MtiMt to shield her eyes from tho EnK sun, The day was unusually .iVbi for earl' VtnS. She was tuo Looted daughter of tho rector; tho t of tho older folltB, and tho awo-iMolrlng awo-iMolrlng Mol of lhe t,ml11 I-""af'os, ho craned their necks to boo her mm, and turned crlniHnn when tho dlance of her smile foil upon them. She turned Into a broad, qulot residence resi-dence ittect and tripped morrlly ''a lut smotlicrcd by an old-fash-loncd gardm, boxwood-bordcrod and tlnfrembowcred, stood tho cottago of Mrs. Oraham, and toward this haven Eleanor mndo her way. Tho front blind! of tho house woro closed, and the door shut. "How loncsoino It looks whon Auntie fcrtham Is away. My I I wish aho'd eomo back," Eleanor's thought! woro checked as lie caught sight of a blossom that bong high over her. "I must have that ono," slio thought. To reach It from tho yard was Impossible, Impossi-ble, and, after a couplo of Ineffectual lump, sho looked about for assistance. So ono was coming down tho deserted itreet "Maybo I can reach It from tbo wall. I'll try, anyway," sho do-tided. do-tided. Grasping the Iron pickets, sho-racceeded sho-racceeded In raising herself to tho top if the wall, and stood faco to face H rlth a young man, who appeared to rite out of spaco from behind tho (uonjmus that hedged tho grounds. H "Oh!" sasped Eleanor. "Ah I" laughed the young man. HJ "I Just wnntcd to get that lilac," itimmcrcd the embarrassed girl; "I didn't know anyono was here." H "Mrs. Graham la nway," ho replied. HJ "I know she Is, that's tho reason I'm HJ helping myself I mean I'm not H exactly Just helping myself without I llet. Auntie Oraham lets mo havo any-.1 any-.1 thing I want, and I just want that B one there." H Tne young man raised himself on I tiptoe and joked quizzically over at the bunch of lilacs that lay besldo tho I parasol on tho sidewalk, then his B glance went back to tho flushed face of ' B the girl who stood surrounded by the B rustling leaves of tho bush. B "Upon my word, I envy tho blossom B to be so ardenly longed for by one co fl fair." B Again his amused glance went Lack to the gathered lilacs. B "Oh, If you think I've been greedy B but really I didn't know Auntlo Gra- ham left anyono to keep count of the lilacs besides, I'vo n right, for 1'vo helped care for theso bushes ever BV ilnce I was young, and" ';B& A ringing laugh Interrupted her half angry words. B "I didn't know Aunt Km in I o had a niece you called her 'Auntlo,' I bo- Here?" "Aunt Emndel Is she your aunt 7" "Yes; surely this Isn't Eleanor, tho lrl Aunt Em has always been writing about tho ono who Aunt Em calls M 'Sunbeam'?" lj "Ves, Mrs. Oraham calls mo Sun-M Sun-M beam, and I've always called her Auntie. Did you Bay she was your B auntt" IB "Ycs! permit mo to Introduce my-B my-B self, 1 am Harry Graham., and you, I suppose, are Miss Mackey?" He seemed In no hurry, to bring tho . unexpected tcto-ateto t,o an ond, but ; stood Idly flipping tho leaves of the hedge with his thumb and Ilngor. B "Aunt Em's coming homo to-night; she didn't know I wajL coming hero; I i got a telegram this rimming telling mo to mako myself athome; sho'll reach .here at eloven." H The next monlng Eleanor was gatnering vlolcjx whllo tho dow still hung upon tho gi Istenlng loaves, when a remombered v Ico greeted hor. "Are you a I owor, that I always And you among tho blossoms?" Harry Grahan i, hat In hand, Btood In tho walk rcg irdlng her with open admiration. I "Good-morning ,y she said, as sho shook hands wit b him across tho violet vio-let border. . J "Won't you co mo In? Tho rector Is at home," fc "I can't stay (now. Aunt Emmie came last nigh and sho has a bad headache this riiornlng. I offered to come for you, sK you seem to bo the panacea for allfrier Ills won't you come?" 1 ' " ""Together Ihcf walked through" The" quiet coolness Eif tho morning. Eleanor, Elea-nor, in her haijlo to reach her belood adopted aunltf' kept Just ahead of hor B?SCOr,i ller 1"f"'0 1BUro moved so 1M JJKbtljr, so gnlccf.ully ovor tho moss- lined stones, Ithat she reminded hlra J of some falryl vprlto, soma wlll-o'-the- 'lsp always Just ahead, Just , out of 'E "Is reach. I "Really, (lu needn't run. Aunt Em's not dangerously ill; In fact, she to tell ybL tn come this afternoon f you were bufy, but I forgot that part of the messagf until this minute." Ho qulcken(d his pace and waived by her side. 1 The lilacs iRdded a friendly wel como as tho)l passed botween tho rustling bUBhJa, Mrs. Graham stood on the top sttfp wnitlng. "How la yijur head feeling, Auntlo, dear?" asked UJleanor, aB she throw her arms aroiind the neck of her Ufo-long Ufo-long friend. K Hotter, milch better. Harry Insisted Insist-ed upon hurraing for you. Ho told mo low ho mot iou, lovey; ho talked of Ittle else. I i-ould scarcely get hlra to ell me aboutl his Illness." "Has he ben Blck?" where ho saf on the lower stop. "Oh, uothUag much; only fever," he fltnswered. Doth wometi saw that bis hat shook HJn his tremblKug hand. "Why, Hardy, whafa the matter?" Hxclaluied Mril. Graham. HJ. With a grom her nephew's head Bank upon hlfi breast and he slid to BEu ground u conscious. Bf "A pusson wr.ui had 'larla fober ain't no call to overdid theyseffs," declared de-clared Aunt Tillle, as sho hastily carried car-ried a pall of cold water to bathe the face of "Mnrs Harry." A young civil engineer, with all the enthusiasm and ambltldn of youth, bo had entered his profession, only to And that a plungo from collego Into tho woods and swamps was a chango too great for even his strong constitution to stand. To recuperate from tho fever which followed ho went to his aunt's, whero ho knew a hearty welcome and the quiet of a secluded vlllago awaited him. Now, as he lay in tho white, clean room nnd looked with conscious oyes, for the first tlmo In many days, Into tho dimpled face of the llttlo nur80, whoso gentle fingers soothed his still throbbing head, ho' was glad ho came; glad ho had fever; glad of anything that kept her near him. "I am so thankful you arc hotter," Eleanor said; "hero comes Auntie with your broth. Tho doctor says you aro out of dungcr now." Tho lilacs had withered and gono nnd tho early rosea wero scattering their leaves in tinted flakes over tho grasB, beforo ho was strong enough to walk about tho grounds nnd sit beneath tho arbor and llstqn to tho music of Eleanor's voice, as she read to him. Then he wns. suddenly recalled to his home, back to his Interrupted work. Eleanor was away when he left Whon Mrs. Graham laid In her hand his nolo of farewell, a feeling of unut-tbrablo unut-tbrablo loneliness crept Into her soul. Sho let Mrs. Graham turn her pale faco up to her own and gazo deep Into her oyes. Without a word Eleanor kissed her, and turning, walked down the path between tbo lilac bushes nnd down tho quiet street. Tho summer slipped Into autumn; then the cold breath of winter held tn check tho Impulsive spring. A new sweetness, a womanly loveliness, loveli-ness, added a new charm to Eleanor. That farewell note she kept; no oyes but hers ever beheld tho missive. All his letters sho kept; letters telling of his perfect health, his ambitions, of .his memory of a beautiful summer gono by, of his gratltudo to her, and his lovo for his aunt. Eleanor reproached herself for tho aching voM his letters left in her heart Was he not kind to romembor her, to bo grateful for tho little sho had dona to help him master his Illness? Ill-ness? As she approached tho cottage one morning her thoughts wero far away It was Just one year ago that sho came that glorious morning to gather a bunch of lilacs. She was living orei again tho anxious hours of his Illness, the happy hours of his recovery, when, llko a wave fraught with recollections a delicious fragrance swept over hor Lilacs! Yes, they wero again In bloom, tho white ones nodding to the purple ones In the slow moving breeze. Elcnnor took a bloom from the lowest low-est branch and pressed It ngalnst net chcok as sho thoughtfully walked up tho well-known path betweon the over hanging foliage. "Eleauorl" Harry Graham, bronzed by wind and sun, Btood In her path. "Eleanor, I have waited so Ions; speak, darling; tell mo tell mo, dent heart, that I havo not waited In vnln; toll mo you lovo me, for, dearest, I lovo you so." For n moment sho stood looking at him, aa ono looks at happiness but onco tn a lifetime ; then over her face swept a change the letters! so friendly, friend-ly, only frlondly. "Why did you wait?" sho hesitatingly hesi-tatingly asked. "Ah, Eleanor, tho waiting has been hard. I promised Aunt Emmie; she gucesoJ my secret I promised hor tc wait ono year. Sho thought you toe young to know your own heart. To my aunt I owo everything. I promised 1 would not by word or letter try to win your love It was a mad promlsol How I longed to know If you cared for me. Eleanor, sweetheart, toll mo."' Ho stood closo to her, Sho dropped her eyes to hldo tho tell-tale light ol love. Taking her hand, that held the spray of Illnc, ho clasped it In bis own. "Tho year has passed. To-day my life Is cither made happy or ruined. The. lilacs, darling It was on a throne nf ntnm that 1, first saw you. Am J I tol remember tho blossoms always with" pain or Joy?" "I thought," Bho whispered, "the lilacs li-lacs would never bloom for me again as Uiey bloomed beforo. I thought " "Eleanorl you lovo me you yes, ah, my darling, my own." In hla arms he held her close, crushing crush-ing tho white spray until Its fragrance covered them llko an Incense. |