Show 41 arit S BEFORE LEAVE TAKING by Z A dally story pub co Q vsev the season at the national capital was at its height the whir ol 01 fashion was in the air and it seemed the social question would it possible aboab the political one street was crowded for it was cabinet day and two members ot the presidents official family resided there within a square of each other some people just think they are enjoying themselves R chard stacy exclaimed indicating with his cane the stream 0 callers pouring into the secretary s door they are not after pleasure har vey johnston replied smiling they are following the band the two men had walked into the street together and stood in front 0 johnston s home watching the scene oh vanity of vanities how wayward the decrees of fate are how very weak the very wise how very small the very great are stac quoted following his friend into the house they left their top coats in the hall and went directly to the library the low book cases lining the walls were filled with handsome volumes some of them rare and difficult to obtain and the center table was covered with mag abines and journals scientific and po lotical A bronze head of minerva hel 1 the letters and loose papers on he desk in place stacy seated himself in an easy chair and appropriated a footstool thoughts are bottling with each other for a channel of utterance in this room he said glancing up at the busts of statesmen standing guard over the books no wonder your editorials are a surprise to your friends harvey was amused but my val bant effusions are launched from the office down town nonsense the army officer per aisted I 1 do not care where they are written they are inspired in this room I 1 believe in this chair johnston was looking tor a box of cigars I 1 thought these could not be lost he said placing the havanas before ali guest it was growing dark and the fire had become the significant light in the library clouds of burld lazily above their heads I 1 wish you would not leave wash ington to night I 1 want you to go to the warrens with me they made quite a point of your coming johnston said at first stacy way back in his chair seemed too comfortable to reply then he leaned forward it Is out of tee question old man I 1 claim a social furlough when away from home tell me dick the editor watched the rings of blue vapor as he spoke were you ever hard hita if I 1 understand you no but the question aroused his inter est harvey be continued do yon remember a picture that bangs in room to the right as you entera johnson nodded a look of genuine amusement showing in his eyes it was copied from a rough draw ing I 1 made in war times stacy left his seat and stood with his back to the fire to day I 1 thought I 1 saw that face again it was somewhat older and very much sadder I 1 was going to the navy department to see ry and passed her as I 1 crossed the aven ie from lafayette square the servant came in to light the gas many carriages rolled by outside an bouncing noun cing the fact that the secretary s home tor the present had lost its ja as the gathering of fashion harvey watched his friend with in creasing interest I 1 shall induce yo i to remain over another day he de aided mentally upon the chance of meeting this love of long ago ani take you with me to the warrens night when stacy was presented to M ss clarke of tennessee that evening he was conscious of a sudden ex hilara tion of Tennessee 1 he repeated the notes of low music filled th house palms waved their graceful fronds from niches and archways and brilliant women and what 1 better beautiful ones moved from room to room A good many years ago stacy said I 1 was much interested in a fam lly named gray they lived twelve or fifteen miles from memphis the old gentleman s four sons he went on stacy seated h iselt in ah easy chair reminiscently were in the confider Con feder ate army but he dispensed a lordly hospitality and later when an was issued to destroy his fine ancestral ance atral home we were able to prevent its execution isabel clarke smiled brilliantly the grays are my dear friends ehe exclaimed and I 1 have often heard them tell of the time when jean pren dropped on her knees before the handsome young officer and pleaded so eloquently with him that he re yoked the order to burn her guardian home she glanced up into col stacy s face I 1 conclude con clide you are the man he bowed his head in assent tell me he said earnestly what has be come of the grays of miss prentiss he had not known before the young girl s name the old people are dead the daugh ter lucy gray Is married the family is scattered and the homestead sold and miss premise jean is here in washington visit ing the family of the member of congress from our district he bent eagerly toward her woud you object to giving me her address 7 she gave it to him and he left the warrens that night thinking that at times it Is well to follow the lead ot an editor there must be some mistake I 1 know no one by this name jean prentiss said neat morning when stacy s card was brought to her below in the library stacy was hav ing a bad halt hour it was not a sound but an impression that made him turn his head a lady stood in the doorway tor a moment then moved I 1 ve found her he exclaimed bursting into harvey s sanctum slowly across the space dividing them the eyes be well remembered were looking again into his own my apology tor coming miss pren he said is that I 1 am a man with a and I 1 too have not forgotten col stacy and she extended her hand cordially to him I 1 have found her he exclaimed an hour later bursting into harveys sanctum and she Is all I 1 thought or hoped her to be I 1 have been thinking ot the old times since I 1 saw you jean prentiss said to stacy she was very beautiful her ays eys sparkled like sunlight on a jewel and her laragh was as spontaneous and merry as when she made tbt bright ness of gray farm I 1 too have been he replied and there Is one scene that will never leave my memory he drew a yellow paper from his pocket and spread it before her this has been my talisman since I 1 first saw you jean s color heightened as she bent over it she saw a kneeling figure a fair girlish face uplifted in sup tion and great wondrous eyes that looked an appeal that carried a corn mand below she read A face to lose youth tor to occupy age with the of to meet death with I 1 could not be so impressive now she said gazing sadly at her othar self this was the audacity of youth that had confronted no failure that night she wrote to lucy gray claire I 1 am coming home to be married all the happiness of my life except this last has been shared with your people and I 1 want to associate them now in this new era in my life As a postscript she added col stacy says that aabel clarke must be one of the wedding guests |