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Show ,, ......,.. . .., i MISSING LETTERS I ! v ! V ! ' ' ; ; :! By CLARISSA MACKIG, 6 v !! ThrCo months ago they had boon strangers. Now Barry's ring gleamed on Ruth's slim, sun-tanned linger. In tho shadow of tho hedgo Barry bent his tall head to exchange tho parting kiss. "Remember, dear," ho said, that I will como In tho spK.ig to clnlm my wife! In tho meantime, wo slmll s'eo ,each other often tho city Is only lj Ihours distant, nnd besides, I shall expect ex-pect a letter every day I" So they parted, Barry waving his hat from tho stago until It vanished ovor tho brow of tho hill. Then Ruth turned nnd went slowly toward homo. Her oyes wero so heavy with unshod un-shod tears thnt she did not sou nn approaching ap-proaching runabout until tho horn blared sonorously In her ears. Sho turned .nslde. "Is that you, Ruth?" asked a man's surprised volco "Oh, Dan!" eho laughed, shnklly brushing away tho telltalo tears. "How you frightened mo!" Dan Wales looked down at the girl's slim figure nnd noted with a frown that sho had been crying. Ho had loved Ruth, always, long boforo tho handsome city chap had cut him out. "Whoro Is Barry Lano?" ho nsked abruptly. Ruth's faco grew scarlet nnd then whlto. How readily Dan had connected con-nected Barry with her tears! "Ho has gone homo," said Ruth, coldly, "and I must bo hurrying nlong." With a hasty gesturo of farewell sho disappeared down tho road. That evening In tho library of hla handsome homo, Bnrry Lano told his parents of his lovo for Ruth Fielding nnd showed them her picture. Two hours later ho Bteppcd out to tho nearest letter-box and mnilcd a letter to tho girl ho had left bohlnd In Seaport. Sea-port. Tho morning after Barry's departure depar-ture from Seaport tho llttlo post omco was crowded with Its usual expectant expect-ant throng. Eva Whlto, behind tho partition, par-tition, peered at tho gossiping crowd, her Up curling knowingly as sho Identified Iden-tified each and mcntnlly guessed tho hopes nnd fears that brought them thoro so rcgulnrly threo times a day. Sho did not see tho faco of Ruth Fioldlng until tho crowd had departed. depart-ed. Ruth looked bvvcot nnd dewy In her pink gingham and nodded a greeting greet-ing to Eva Whlto boforo sho peered Into her own letter-box. It was empty! Ruth grow pale. How confident sho had been thnt Barry would keep his promiso and write to her. Sho laughed at her fears and left tho office but sho could not forget the contemptu-ous contemptu-ous smllo that hovered about Eva's faco. Eva Whlto had mndo no secret of her Infatuation for Barry, nnd his unswerving un-swerving dovotlon to Ruth had embittered embit-tered tho post offlco assistant. Ruth went homo nnd wrote her promised letter to Barry Lano, and ( resigned horsolf to waiting until tho evening mall should bring hor Barry's belated letter. But day after day passod, tho autumn au-tumn waned, tho first snow fell, and Ruth had not received that promised t letter. At New Year's Ruth roturned (Barry's ring by registered mnll. Tho i usual receipt card came' back to hor, .signed with Barry's firm hand, and , tho eplsodo was ended. , Gradually Dan WaleB renowed his wooing of Ruth, nnd by Juno their .wedding day was sot. Dan know that ho did not possess Ruth's entlro heart, (but ho was confident of winning it In (tho ond. t It was a beautiful day lato In Juno i when Ruth Fleldtng stood In hor bridal attlro boforo hor stmplo dress-(lng dress-(lng table. Suddonly sho wont to hor i bod and knelt, praying. ' Whllo sho kno'.t tho door oponod 'and Eva Whlto, dressed to attend tho .wedding, poorod in and then entored .softly, locked the door and Went and .dropped to hor knees bosldo Ruth. ' "Oh! Ruth, pray for mo, too!" sho sobbed wildly. "Forglvo mo if you can, I havo wronged you!" With their armB around each other, Ruth heard Eva White's confession. Tho packago of suppressed lotters thero woro eight of them in Barry's bold writing all unopened, bostdes tho single letter Ruth had sent to him. And tho letters! Ruth read them with streaming oyes. Barry had boon faithful. Hla parents would wolcomo hor with open arms. Barry now bo-llovod bo-llovod Ruth to havo been tho faithless ono. Sho had returned his ring and ho had never rocolvod a lettor from hor. Whllo they talked, Mrs. 'Fielding brought tho smiling bridegroom to soo his brldo and in their presenco Eva Whlto repeated her amazing confession. con-fession. Fifteen mlnutos later, Dan Wales, whlto and grim looking, wont down and dismissed tho woddlng guosts and tho astonished minister. "Indefinitely postponod," he told them all. When ho was alone ho went to tho telophono and called Barry Lane on the long dlstanco wire. In Seaport they still talk about that Juno day. Thoy toll about tho marriage mar-riage in tho Fleldtng house, and add that Barry Lano was tho happy brldogroom, while Dan Wales was best man and Eva Whlto was tho bride's attendant. fn the ond Dan married Eva White, and out of tho sin and prldo and pain ot that bitter year came qulot happiness happi-ness and content. (Copyright, 1915. by the AfcClur News-paper News-paper Syndicate.) |