St. Paul daily globe., 1893-06-21

edge of the sofa. Page, whose face
had suddenly become very serious, drew
UP the corners OF his mouth and showed
his teeth f"r an instant, as il these were
the only 'equisittS OF successful
smile. ii tinmond's face and neck were
slowly changing to the color of the
crimson pillow on which they rested.
You two think that because you've
pressed the buttonhole I'll do the rest"
he said with feeble air OF uncOncern.
"Well, shan't."
"Pve got no end of cheek. don't you
think, to come down and tease sick
Stantly aware of a distinct change in
the atmosphere and judging it wise to
withdraw. Come and see me when
you're better, and make this man bring
along his violin. Tve got lot of duets
and things i'll my own room." A minute
or two more and he was standing be-
fore his own fire, just as if he had not
left it for an hour. and stirred up some
kind of a row between two rather inter-
esting new men.
That was the beginning. and Town
send, who was given to specnlating Oh
the accident of college friendship,
wondered idly what The middle and en-
of it would be like. Both came sooner
than he expected.
On the following afternoon, as he was
writing at his desk, there was knock
on his door, and Hammond entered.
Townsend was rather surprised at the
alacrity with which his invitation of the
day before had been accepted. especially
as the boy looked pale and i'll and sank
heavily into the first chair he came to.
you'll think me an awful fool"
Hammond said abruptly, as he leaned
back and closed his eyes for moment.
81 ought to be in bed, but Pve got some
thing OH my mind. something that must
be attended to right away. | can't ask
Austin-I don't know why, but | SIM
ply can't. His brother, my cousin, that
is, is my guardian. you know, and If he
were to find out about it'-the horrors
of this possibility were apparently so
numerous and confused that Hammond
was unable 10 express them in words.
The Harvard mans ordinary attitude
of unimpusive politenesS in the pres
ence of anything bordering on the emo
tonal failed to show itself this time.
Townsend could not repress great.
and he. feared crudely Western, SYM
pathy for. anything so young and big
and so evidently in pain and trouble.
''I'll do anything l can for you
gladly" he said, taking a seat near
Hammond. "But before you tell me
about it, don't you think you can find
some one better able to advise you, some
one you've known longer? Pm sure
Page would be better than | am-he
looks so clever and kind"
'He is, he is." assented Hammond
hurriedly. "He's no end of brick;you
know how much care for him. But you
saw how he looked yesterday when he
found out about the violets. He guessed
where they came from, and never can
lie to him. l don't know any ore else
here" ne went on to explain. IF |
ditferent-I'm comiug next year. But
60 to school. in Cambridge, now, where
they're all babies. I've been lonely,
horribly lonely-I never saw America
before a year ago, and l hate it all.
That's why I've spent every cent | got
onIMrs. Vernon Vaughan. She's not
lady, she isn't even respectable-but
she's been good to me and speaks
French. I've given her most all of my
allowance for four months, and pawned
my watch and my scarf-pins, and now
she says Boston is slow and writes that
she will tell my guardian all about
everything if don't give her money so
she can go away. Read the letter, and
tell sHl6 WlldC 10 40.
Hammond had made his confession in
the headlong way of child eager to be
through with something unpleasant, and
it had relieved him ineXpressibly to coll
tidesin some one who looked grown up
and discreet and rather worldly. He had
taken the first disagreeable plunge and
now he felt that he could swim along
quite easily. He told Townsend great
many things during the half hour he sat
there-h0w Austin had once paid all his
debts for him and had then asked him
never to see Mrs. Vernon Vaughan
again; how he hadn't-for the two
weeks; how he wished that he knew
some nice girls in Cambridge, but not
like the ones he had met at ''tea'
given by the wife of his school teacher
they were SO oppressively proper;
how cruel it was to bring up boy
abroad and expect him to be patriotic
American; and how beautiful Mrs. Yer
non Vaughan was.
sWhere is she FROM" asked Town
send, absently.
'Oh. don't know" answered the
other. trying to think. 'She's been in
Europe lot, and in the West-Califor-
MIA or some place like that"
Townsend was drumming nervously
on the arms of his chair with his fin
gers.
"What does she look like2" he asked
slowly.