Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-01-01

don't know, Miss Wlnslow, whether
you-you have suspected"
my goodness !" said Reginald, with
n high-pitched eight-year-o laugh;
what are you trying to say, Arthur"
Craig looked at Lucy. Was she
laughing Mt him, too? His face grew
warm with the sudden wretched sus-
picion that she was
After all, was he not fool to think
for moment that she could care for
him? OF a sudden he saw matters in
new, painful light.
If she had cared for him, would she
not have managed now and then that
they might see each other alone?
! How rarely had that occurred-how
continually had that little nuisance of
nephew dogged them! Had she con-
trived it? Had she made Reginald a
defense, a guard against unwelcome
advances? He was all at once misera-
| bly, certain of it.
He was warm with modification, and
cold at heart with keen unhappinness.
He had been stupidity slow of percep-
tion, that was all But that was q
thing which could be remedied.
He rose from the grass, and looked
down at Lucy Winslow with set
smile.
"Well, don't believe know my
self what I'm trying to say, Reginald,
he answered. 81 needn't say good-by
to You lust now, Miss Winslow, for I'll
be here II day or so yet. But I'll be
of about Thursday, | guess, and after
month or 50 at home, | expect to go
ont West on business that will keep me
there indefinitely, imagine. l shall
think of this summer often, and with
pleasure, | assure you.
He bowed, and turned away.
He took himself and his bitterness
up to hisroom. He felt that ever hour
until Thursday would be u period OF
6 anguish; and he began to put things
lr into his trunk in helter-skelter fashion.
ed He had half filed it when Reginald
a walked in, without knocking. He sat
n down in the largest chair.
G. "Ho?" he remarked, scotfngly,
k 'fhat the kind of trunk you got,
G with cloth all over it? Mines got
e wooden Stats on, and tin and brass
nails. What's that thing? Opry-
glasses, amt it? Say, II you give
} 'em to me!
eyes, take them, said Craig, wear
lily.
Reginald spent several minutes in eI-
amining objects in the room through
the glasses, for which he saw fit to re-
turn no thanks.
Say" he observed presently, turn
ing them upon Craig, "she's crying.
That's what / come up to tell you. l
thought mebbe you'd like to know"
Who's crying?" Craig demanded.
His heart stood still.
Aunt Lucy's crying" said Regin-
aid. "She began to cry soon s you
turned round, most. l told her
somebody'd see her, but she didn't
stop, and wasn't going to stay there
and her blubbering, and 1 thought
I'd come up and tell you" Reginald
looked up with his angelic blue eyes
and his cherubic smile. ''Say, Pm
going to see what's in that plush box,
Arthur. You care?'
Craig strobe from the room. He
got down the stairs two at n time, and
rushed around to the red-and blue
hammock between the shady oak trees.
Lucy" he said, bending over her.
"You are not-you can't be crying
because I'm going away, Lucy?"
There was hot flush in the fearful
face she raised to him.
ooh, Lucy" he implored, "don't
be ashamed of it If you are crying
about me, don't You know / am the
happiest man on earth? l was so GER
tain you didn't care for me, and had
tried to ward me off with-with
Reginald, you know, because he was
forever around. But if you can cry
because | am going away, Lucy, then
| can finish what | was trying to say
to you. You know what it was.
Lucy caught sobblng breath.
"But you are going out West !" she
fatered.
eyes, and you with me-" Craig re-
torted
Nobody was near them, and he sat
down beside her, his hand warmly
clasping hers
How did you know l was crying p
Lucy queried, suddenly, after ten
minutes of glowing happiness.
Reginald came and told me.
Reginald is trump" said Craig-"a
Jewel !"
"There he comes" said Lucy. "Oh,
Arthur, he's got your-your smoking
: jacket on -
'It's my bathrobe," Craig re,
,sponded, with the composure of @
perfect, allsatisfying beatitude. 81
+ don mind it in the least Saturday
; Night.