The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1896-03-13
DRIFTING.

we're married. Ihey were both young;
they were both good-locking, they were
neither OF them too rich nor too poo.
;or worldly considerations to be a bar
between them, and by uniting their
properties, which were only divided by
q fence, they would both be as well OIL
as either desired. They had known
one another, boy and girl, all their
lives, had played in one another's nur-
series, had hunted over the same coun-
try, danced in the same bathrooms. sat
In the same corners, and had been so
mutually interested as to be quite
frank. without ever being sufficiently
familiar to breed contempt. They
might have gone on in this way to the
ends of their lives if people had not in
terested themselves in their welfare.
1t was done in this way. Their mutual
uncle and aunt had met, and Mrs. Cross
lands had said:
Its pity Frank and May don't
make match of it,"
To this old Martin Kirwin had re-
Piled
ut is, indeed"
do you think there is any under
standing between them?'
"They seem to understand one an
other very well!"
"Do you think Frank affections are
placed elsewhere?'
II never heard of such a thing. How
about May?"
"She is, l am convinced, heart-free!
Did it ever dawn upon you that they
were in love with one another?"
1T certainly has"
II have thought the same thing fire.
quently, and now that you say so, /
am convinced that it must be so; but
having known one another so long it
has never occurred to either that their
love is reciprocated, and each fears to
lose friendship by making any adj
vance,"
II think, Mrs. Crosslands, there is
good deal of sense in what you say
! will pump Frank!"
"And will question May"
"And then we can compare notes."
"Certainly-but l am sure there is
only one way to arrive at the TRUTH"
"And that is"
For you to assure Frank that May
Is in love with him, and for me to pro-
test to May that Frank is eating his
heart for her."
"a very good idea"
That is how Frank and May came to
be engaged. They each declined to
believe the story told to them, and, by
the way of disproving it, agreed to pu:
IL to the test. 1t was a curious comedy.
May treated Frank more coldly the
warmer he pursued her, and Frank.
thinking he was safe, finally proposed
10 her, and she, for pure pity for him.
and because she was such friends with
him, and also because she was mex
perienced and half thought it would
be fun to be engaged, accepted him,
and they both played their parts in the
second act of the comedy to perfec,
ton. The colder Frank felt, the more
attentive he forced himself to be, and
May, pitying the good fellow she knew
him to be, did all she could to make him
happy, until the inevitable quarrel, as
she thought, would come about and re
lease her. But, not being lovers, they
did not quarrel, and so both drifted into
what each dared not, for very shame's
sake, withdraw from. The announce
ment of the engagement brought heaps
cf congratulations to both, and every
wedding present that arrived seemed
like a new black seal on the band that
bound them together Frank could
not face being called ''cad," and May
had not the courage to treat anyone
badly. There were only two people
who knew the truth. One was Jack
McGregor and the other was Bessic
Harcourt, but as neither of these two
knew of the others existence, Frank
and May became Mr.. and Mrs. Ire