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Show TIE OLD m ROMANCE. "Going west, arc you, BobP" asked the old man quietly, us ho added fresh stick to tho already glowing lire. "Yes; I Icavo for Texas ou tho early train to-morrow. Cousin Tom," the youug man auswered firmly, almost solemnly. "Do you find havo you hoard that thcro is a good opening for a physician out thcro where you nro going?" said tho old man as ho'lightcdliis plpo and reseated himself in his comfortablo leathern chair. "I don't caro n continental whether thoro Is nn opening fur a physician or not; I nni going west to go to work," snld Hob, quickly. "I may ond by being be-ing a cowboy or something worse, per-Imps," per-Imps," ho milled with u laugh that it was not pleasant to hoar. "Ami how docs tho little Alice llUo tho idea of your going?" nskoil Cousin Tom carelessly, it seemed, but his half-closed eyes under hi? shaggy brows wcro fixed vory Intently upon tho younjg fellow ns ho spoke. Hob winced. "1 havo uot considered It necessary to uotify Miss Ames of my intentions," he said stlflly. "Perhaps I tuny ns woll toll vou," ho continued aftor a moment, "that it will bo through no voluntary act of mine that sho ever hears of mo again; so, if you pleaso, wo will ioavo hor out of tho conversation. Hut come, Couslu Tom, you havo been out west yourself. Tell mo something about the country." The old mnu pulTeil nway slowly at his pipe. Tho young fellow's Indifference Indiffer-ence dill not deoolvo him. Thcro woro a good many thoughts in his mind. lie had been sitting- a long wlillo nlono with only tho dim firelight anil his memories for company. Tho comiug of Ills young cousin had hardly dis pelled the visions he hud beon recalling, recall-ing, nnd ho waited u long timo beforo roplving. "Yes." ho said, at longth. between the pulls, "1 havo seen a good deal of the west, and a very dilTcront country it is from this, I can assure you. Thoro is hardly a squaro mllo of ground lu tho wholo stato of Texas that I havo not been over; and Mexico and tho territories, and California, too, I know pretty woll. I was a considerably youngor man than I am now whon I went to tho frontier. I llttlo thought then of becoming tho decrepit old bookworm that I nm now, with hardly strength enough to light my pipe, ft has beon a good long timo sinco the Mexican war though, hasn't it? I was rcnlly as old as you whon I enlisted. "Did I over toll you, Hob," said tho old mar suddenly, "how I camo to go to the war?" "No," salt! Hob, "and I havo ofton boon curious to know why you throw iiii everything and spent so many years of your llfo in wamlorlug about." "Wbll," said tho old man, loaning forward to empty Ills plpo upon tho hearth, "I may mako a pretty long story of it. null If you get tired you must lot mo know. Aftor I left school I settled down in tho vitiligo to practice prac-tice law. I was never a vory wild fellow, fel-low, onlv quick mill hot-toiupercd quick nni) hot-tomporcd. Ave, thoro't whoro the troublo eanio," snlil tho old man musingly. The firelight lliekered .upon his bald head and sunken cheeks, and his oyos wero very sad, "Here, boy," ho said, as ho fumbled to his pocket and produced a little, worn volt et case. "Hint has beon with mo everywhere through all that western west-ern wild. Look ut it as I talk to vou.'' "Why. this is Alice, sir," said" Hot eagerly us lie onenoil tho case. "Aye, Alice," said tho old man, ' but not your Alice. My Allco I used to call hor in thn old days. She va Alice Ames' aunt. I can sqo her now, boy, us I saw her tho day sho sat listening lis-tening to mo as I tolit my lovo to her. Sho kept Iter eyes bcut down uuon tlif 1 grass at her feet all tho timo I wat j talking to her. Wo liuil walked down the hill to tho rustic scat under tho old beech tree, but that, too, is gone now, I forgot. Her lint had slipped oil, 1 remember, anil her rough rings ol hair seemed to have caught tho rays of tho sun himself nnd shouo and glinted round her head. She lifted her sweol ryes to mine when I hail done, and putting her hand in mine, said: "Why, Tom. don't you know I have loved you always?" "Ami, boy but why am I telling you all this? You wanted to know why I went west. Well, ns I told you, I was a hot-headed, quick-tempered fool, and, though it scorns to mo now that Alico did everything that a sensible sensi-ble mau would havo been satisfied with, I used then to bo very exacting, nud was often vexed witli her. She was bright, ami cheerful, anil happy, nnd used to treat my high anil mighty humors with tho lightness they deserved. de-served. Finally ouo day I shall novel forget it I had beon to sco Alico in tho morning, and, with my usual fool hardiness, had bceu censuring her foi dancing so much the night beforo with Henry Wentworth. your banker in town, you know. It seemed to mo she hail taken my strictures u llttlo more defiantly than usual; at all ovouts, 1 wont olt feeling very angry. "Hut, us is always tho case with hotheaded hot-headed fools, I cooled off very quickly. Allco hail always beon so ready to fo'r-givo fo'r-givo mo that it was with no hesitancy that I went out that afternoon to take hor for a drive I found her with hoi hat upon her head, standing on the gallery pulling somo roses. Thoy wcro yellow, I remember, anil vory sweet. 'Come, Alice,' I said, 'Solim is in oxcollcnt trim; let us tako a drive out the Greensboro pike.' " "I am vory sorry, Tom,' sho said, but I cannot go with you this afternoon.' after-noon.' "Sho stopped breaking tho flowers ns sho spoke and looked at mo half shyly from under her lashos. . -Why not, pray?" I asked, firing up in a moment. I fancied there was something teasing in her tone. "I huvo othor fish to fry,' sho said simply. '-I shall never forget how she looked ns sho stood thoro twirling tho yellow rose in her hand nud bending down her head till her little elilu rested upon up-on her bare, whltu throat. Somehow n yellow rose always brings back that plcturo to me. 1 remember my first Impulso was to tako her in my arms and beg her to forgivo me, but ero 1 mo ml or spoke I heard tho sound ol wheels ou tho gravel without, nud, turning. 1 saw young Woutworth drive up. Without a woru I turned and left1 tho house. As I entered tho village I met a llttfo baud of troops starting fof tho Mexican war. lu a moment I waj. out and had enlisted. Wo left thai' night. I wns accountable to no one for my actions, nnd no ouo kuew ol, my whereabouts. "What I suffered in tho war it mutters mut-ters not. That gash across tho little case you have show.i how near I came bolng pricko'l by a Mexican sword. When my term of enlistment was out I was moro than willing to return home, nud lost no timo in doing so. As I left tho train nud walked up the village street I saw u funeral procession proces-sion just turning tho brow of the hill. Henry Wentworth and his young wife wcro getting In thoenrringoas I passed tho gate, lie had married, ho told mo, tho week nftor I left, a girl from the south. Thoy both soomcil vory sad uud in a hurry to bo gouo. ' 'Whoso is tho funeral?" I nskeil as I turned to go. '"Alice's," ho answered. "My God! It was my Alice, anil I had gouo uud loft hor." The old mau pressed his head upon his hands anil tho tears trickled down his sunken checks. Hob dtd not speak: his fnco was hidden too. "After that," tho old man said by-and-by, "I spent the next twenty-tiro years of my life in prowling about the wost, nnd It was only when .1 became an old man, when I had nothing left but Alico's gravo over thoro on th hillside, that I camo back home to rest. Hut hero am I," ho said witn n sudden start, ''keeping you up listening to ray chatter wnoii you ought to be in bod, gottlngrcady for your trip to-morrow." Tho young man sprang to his feet. "Just 1 o'clock," ho said. "I can yol catch tho 1:30 train to town. I shall not go west nt all. Cousin Tom, aud 11 my Alice will forgive mo you may conin to our wedding uoxt month." Fittieuce Oriel in Philadelphia Times. |