The Van Buren press., 1896-04-04
DRIFTING.
rs.v v.r. AZ suitable . pair a. ever

between them, and BY uniting their
properties, which were only divided ny
a fence, they would both be as we'll on
a. either desired. They had known
one another, boy and girl, all their
lives. had played In one another's ndr-
series, had hunted over the same eoun-
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 m
teSested themselves IN their welfare.
Il was done In this way. Their mutual
Hncle and aunt had met, and Mrs. Cross
lands had said:
ats a pity Frank and May don't
make a match Of It.
To this old Martin Eirwin had rs-
piled:
1T is, indeed"
"Do YOU think there IL any under
standing between themP'
"Theg seem to understand one an
other very WE'LL"
"Do you think Franks affections are
| placed eIsewhere?'
st never heard of such thing. How
about May7"
"She is, I am convinced, heart-free!
Did it ever dawn upon you that they
were in love with one ahotherF
ut certainly has
Il have thought the same thing fire.
quently. and now that you say so, l
/ am convinced that it must be So but
having known one another SO long 1t
has never occurred TO either that their
love Ia reciproeated, and each fears to
lose a friendship by making any al
vance"
Il think, Mrs. Crosslands, there is
/ good deal of sense IN what you say.
/ viii pump Frank!"
/ "And I will question May"
'And then we can compare notes.
"CertainIy-but l am sure there IS
l4rlY one way to arrive at the TRUTH"
"And that is"
For you to assure Frank that May
is in love with him, aud for me to pro-
test to MAY that Frank il 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 put
II to the test. It was curious comedy.
May treated Frank more coldly the
warmer he pursued her. and Frank
thinking he WIS safe, finally proposed
to 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 N the
second act of the comedy to perfee
ton. The colder Frank felt, the more
attentive he forced himself 10 be, and
May. plying 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 engagements brought heaps
of congratulations to both, and every
wedding present that arrived seemed
like a new black seal on the band thai
bound them together Frank could
not face being called q lead, and May
had not the courage 10 treat anyone
badly. There were only two people
who knew the truth. One was JacI
McGregor and the other was Bessie
Harcourt, but as neither of these two
knew OF the Others existence, Franz
and May became Mr.. and Mrs. Ire
mayne, and drove away amid shower
of rice and slippers TO spend theii
honeymoon at Harlesden lodge, neal
Panebourne, on the banks of the rive
Thames.
Tt had been beautiful day-as fair 4
day as ever smiled on bride and III,
evening was delightful. Their luggage
had been taken upstairs, and they had
managed to get rid of all traces of the
ceremony. Indeed, as Frank said, no
body would ever suspect them Of only
just being married. They dreaded the
presence OF the servants, and according
y agreed that it would be pleasantel
. to go in search of some inn where they
. could dine comfortably without beine
stared at. 1t sounded frightfully un
conventional, and May was a little afraiC
it would not be quite right, but the,
had been accustomed to INDUCING In
harmless jokes together, and so it was
arranged. Frank told the staid butler
that he and Mrs. Tremayne were going
out and that they would let themselye,
In and no one was to wait up. Nav
came down in q blue serge, and de
liciously fresh blouse and straw hat
and Frank was soon punting her ND the
river. They found an old-fashione6
inn, and the dinner he ordered was ex
ceilent The consciousness of theil
newly acquired state made them afraid
Of attracting attention, so they dinee
i'll the coffee-room and almost forgot
they were husband and wife in tn.
amusement they derived from the nov
city OF the situation and the innocent
jokes they made about the other guests
They had coffee in the garden, wher,
they sat till Frank, who was ALWAYS al
tcntiVe, where women were concerned
. suggested that it was getting chilly an6
they should be starting for home. Wbar
they got on the water the wind fell anf
: the clear, round summer moon lit mn III,
y | hlnn uIUbr and la