The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-07-30
CHAPTER XXX.


Il guess your paw was rich, " she OBJ
served cheerfully when all lures to con
versation so far had failed.
Hulda only heaved n sigh and turned
her pale fearless face eloquent with
misery
Il guess ye're used TO better vic
tuals, remarked the undaunted Hattie,
NJ the end of another five minutes.
Hulda nodded vaguely, and Hattie,
full of encouragement, continued:
Did yer beau go back on ye, or did
We have a row with the old man?''
The obvious displeasure which this
query occasioned made Hattie a bit inn
patient, and she followed it up with a
declaration which was intended as a
vindication Of her own self esteem.
''Ne might do worse, tell ye, " she
said, vexed at the others unresponsive-
ness than TO talk TO me. | amt no
blabber; l eau let ye know that
wouldn't ask nothing bettor than to
help ye if 20 would only le me "
Thank you. | appreciate your kind
ness Hulda replied, raising herself on
/ her elbow and scrutinizing the features
of her interlocuhess with a new inter
est IT. flashed though her brain that
perhaps this girl who knew the city and
was honest and we'll meaning might
serve her in many ways. There was
something withuI her, an exaggerated
sense of delicacy perhaps, which madQ
her reluctant to speak of her love TO this
blunt, rather coarse grained girl who
scarcely could comprehend her motives
and might leap at conclusions Never
theless she conquered herself, and with
as steady voice as she could command
she said
Il came here to marry Mr.. Olaf
/ Brun, a young artist TO whom / have
/ been engaged for more than year I'm
( happily, he has changed his address,
and the letter in which he must have
informed me Of his new address never
reached me Now | am, of course, very
/ anxious TO find him, and il you can give
me any good advice as to how l ought
to set about it l shall be very grateful to
/ you.
Hattie's gray eyes fairly blazed with
/ excitement as she listened to this thrill
ing romance. She felt her self respect
! heightened at having been thought
worthy of the guardianship of so i'm
portant a secret But this very sense of
b,lng honored by ihe confidence of 50 ca
| quisite a creature made her anxious TO
prove adequate TO the occasion.
'Ye-ye-don' I say-ye came all the
way from--Sweden just to hunt him
up?' she calculated breathlessly
No, l came from Norway" said
Hulda quietly
We'll from Norway; it's the same
thing Why, ye must care lots for him.
And does he care as much for yer"
She simply reveled in all the details
of the affair and could not bear TO dis
miss a single one before having extract
ed from it its full sweetness
Yes, no loves me as dearly as love
him. said Hulda with beautiful seri-
business and without a shade of embar-
lassmcnt It seemed wonderful TO Hat
tie that she could speak so unblushingly
Of her relation 20 young man, and
urged on by ravenous appetite for this
forbidden topic she allowed her curios
ity TO outFun her discretion.
''Did-did he-ever kiss yer" she de-
manded with half guilty haste, flush
ing TO the edge Of her hair
Eyes, Of course. Why should he notG''
Hulda replied with lovely simplicity
and a slight heightening OF color.
"Lawsl He must have been awful
gone on ye was Hattie's comment al
she sat staring at her friend with an alb
ject admiration As She received no re
sponse to this she remarked with blum
sincerity;
II wish Twas a man. Shouldn't / fal
in love with ye, thought / never saw
anybody so beautiful. l guess ye'v,
had to look out for yerself. -
Glow do you meant
well, Of course ye understand.
mean gentlemen have given ye lots 0
trouble.
"No, not at all. "
That's funny. Then / reckon the
must be different in Sweden from wha
they are here.
I'm Norway, yo' mean Perhaps the
are.
Truth 20 tell, Hulda failed 20 ocompre
hend the significance Of these remark
and was az no great pains TO deciphe
them There was something else whic
she had more at heart, and she lost n
time in brOaching it.
"You promised 10 advise me, " sh
began. Knowing this huge city as 20
do perhaps you might tell me wher
you would be most likely 20 find
young artist What places would he b
most likely to frequenti"
: ''rhe - -"
Hattie mentioned a rather disreputa
bic music hall. patronized by the lev
! nesse doree
sivVhaf Find az Z. .,lsca ia thaf,si ast