Show A man s mistake y y J Q BP GEORGE MUNSON if copyright 1916 1919 by W 0 chapman when diaries charles dawson left home with n alth his fathers fervent wish that he might never return few had expected to see him again so when N hen tom daw soll eon died and left him his entire property the flourishing farm and dairy and the lots on midvale avenue aggregating gre gating a suni sum of everybody knew that the neer do well would turn up again soon ile he did very few people remembered that esther rogers and charles had been engaged but the few who remembered speculated esther w was as now a midd lish aged woman which is not the same its as middle a ged aged she was perhaps thirty seven diaries charles must be forty three if he was a day would the engagement be renewed that engagement ga that esther had broken at her mothers insistence they met and resumed their friendship people wondered but little was to be learned they seemed just good friends meanwhile charles charif s proved that his journey west had sobered him lie ile ran the farm systematically and made nood good money out of it then laura lafira dean came into his existence laura had been a little thing in short dresses when charles went away now she was a young lady of twenty five the prettiest in the village and the gayest esther watching saw that after charles had met laura all the welcome in his eyes tor for her seemed to fade away like all good women esther craved a husband and a home she had EN ro fa 10 looked at him piteously when V hen he came in dreamed of charles ever since his return it would be affectation to say that she had not often forgotten him during the years of his absence but with his return the memory of the old love came back to her and though she dared not show it she fancied charles was riot not indifferent to her she fancied so that night when he opened his heart to her ile he told her what a wreck he had made of his life 1 I was a fool esther he said unhappily 1 I squandered my youth what Is left to me now As he said bald this he looked up and suddenly esob esther r knew that her eyes had answered tarn birn she blushed blashe d furiously now that she knew he cared for her she was afraid and then well then an interruption camo came for a girlish voice rang out from the street miss rogers oh ob miss rogers where are you it was laura unconventional as always of course she was invited in ia lind ind presented to charles and as soon as the man had set eyes on her ll 11 he degan began to dream again ile he dreamed of a youth that was yet recoverable he looked at laura as it if she embodied till nil that esther had been after that the man and the tha girl often met and esther shrank more and more into her shell it was plain that charles cared for her no longer As tor for charles himself his mind was in a whirl and ho he hardly knew what he wanted he was drawn like a magnet by lauras bright eyes and obvious interest in him then one evening when he had entered the garden to call on laura he was surprised to hear her in the little summer house it was pitch dark and before lie could make himself known the words he heard held him spellbound laura was talking to esther of course I 1 dont love diaries charles dason daison she was saying indignantly i cant I 1 have a little amusement with th the e 0 only n ly eligible waa man left in town do you consider it amusement to ruin a mans happiness and break brea it its his heart asked esther oh mens hearts are not so easily broken laura answered tie ile thinks be Is irresistible that middle aged man of over forty and I 1 am going to teach him a little lesson which he sorely needs 1 I have been leading him on and tonight I 1 expect he will call and a little encouragement will soon bring him to the prop propping ising point and then I 1 shall rise and say illana thank you sit for or thi tha honor dionor you pro propose prose to po do me but I 1 sin an not abot taking inking any 11 laura I 1 exclaimed miss rogers in III horror then with rising indignation 1 I think it is dreadful of you yon to pro pose to break a good mans heart la in that way may and I 1 dont want to know any more about it 1 I believe youre after him yourself esther sallied laura mockingly but esther walked past charles in the darkness so near that she ahe almost brushed brus lied him and lie be heard her con vu eulive lIve sobbing us ns she went by charles waited a few moments but in those thosa moments he experienced oner ona of those repulsions ol of feeling that turn love into bitter hatred and then having regained his self control ha went forward into the garden miss dean he be called why Is that you mr dawson called lauras voice out of the darkness 1 I was hoping you would calf call tonight do come and sit down be side me wont you and tell me about the west charles dawson sat down on the seat scat ile he could just see lauras white dress lie ile cleared his throat threat the fact Is I 1 came to speak quite quit seriously to you miss dean he slid it is a subject I 1 have thought over for a long time now there lg Is the one question in my mind and I 1 must aa a k it i what Is it asked laura softly 1 I am in love said chatles charles taking her hand in his and I 1 thet tha courage to ask her faint heart never won fair lady said laura letting her hand rest la his who Is she but let rue me see it if I 1 can guess I 1 should say well esther rogers bogers youve hit it first time answered charles lauras hand leaped out of hla wh what she stammered it is esther rogers and I 1 haye hate loved her all my life said charles do you think I 1 am worthy of her do you think there Is any ebancu for me oh yes said laura py hysterically 1 I suppose so you are of an age you see she added venomously then I 1 shall ask her said charles rising of course a matt mail with my income has to be careful whom he asks so many women have mercenary inclinations cli in this age there are lots lota of the young girls about here who would jump at me but ral im not taking any how dare you mr dawson tf awson began laura rising too do you darg to insinuate that I 1 oli oil no ao indeed you misunderstood rue me answered charles 1 I but perhaps I 1 made on an unfortunate statement good evening and raising his bis hat he left laura in collapse upon the bench and mado made his way leisurely to esthers house ills his heart was singing for he knew now that youth turns to youth and middle age to middle age and he knew too that his lovo love for esther deep in hla his heart had bad been the gulding guiding star of his bis life esther standing in the living room loo looked e a at t him piteously when he came la izi she could hardly restrain the tears that came into her eyes she had resolved to go away never neer to see sea him again what was he saying she look looked zed incredulously at him she felt his arms about her and her own heart boating beating and then tile the long jong ion long waiting was merged into the tha happy now |