Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-11-12
The End Of Claire'S Story.
ny ANNIE HAMILTON DoNNELI
"Of all things!'

Yes she said gaily, Its me -
Claire was never strong i'll grammar
''did You think it was my ghost?
jack here, too, the dear boy. It's
sort OF belated honeymoon, YOU
know. We had to put it off till now.
There he is-Jack! Jack -
She called him in her sweet, shrill
voice, very much as she might have
been calling me Tiff things had been
different.
We were ut Dunlop's. 1t was out
of season, and who could have dreamed
of seeing Claire Chittenden there?
Why, bless you, was there for the
express purpose of not seeing her,
"Dunlop's," had reasoned, ''will
he such good place To forget Claire
in" and SO l went 10 Dunlop's. And
here was Claire, as gay and bewitch-
ing as ever, honeymooning with Jack
Chittenden under my very eyes! Tell
me fate is not the superlative of cruel.
"He didn't hear me-, murmured
Claire. ''Tm really and truly afraid
Jack is a little deaf-dear boyl Don't
they have cures-Keeley cures or
something where they cure deafness?
/ shall take Jack there. I'm not
going TO have to make love 10 hiIa
through an ear-trumpet"
Under the gay raillcry in her voice
lurked actual concern. Claire An
thony-C hittenden (confound the last
name actually concerned! / looked
Mt her again and this time noted the
little ratronly airs she assumed.
They were certainly becoming to her.
"Why don't you give me Your chair
or get another or something so we
can have a little chatter like old times?
I'll give you till Jack comes back.
Wait She pulled my sleeve as / was
starting away for another chair.
''There they come! Iwalt You to no.
tice them--look those two ladies
coming this way down the hotel steps.
/ can't get up u bit of curiosity about
them in Jackie says they're we'll
enough aud then forgets all about
them. Do be interested in than, TO
keep me company, Evan.
OF course when she called me
"Evan" was ut her command.
iht wv WoiHVh
slowly passed. The elder one walked
trihe in advance of the other.
''She always does" commented
Claire, reading my thoughts rs easily
rs ever. "That's why decided at
first the young lady was nurse or
companion OF something. But it's
Just the. other way-the older lady's
the nurse and mother, too. It's very
interesting story, as far as I've got,
and I'd wager my best-well. second
best, anyhow-bonnet that I've got
it right 80 far. And now, just "a I'm
getting on so finely in it, Jack must
start up and translate me overland to
San Francisco. Isn't 1t shame?
We're going on the IL o'clock tonight.
Well, when you're married that's the
end Of you, you know"
She sighed charmingly. Her old
merry laugh rippled through the sigh |
into gentle explosion.
SIS it?" said, absently.
The two women were coming back |
toward us, and with unconscious rude
ness looked straight into their faces.
Afterward, when Claire was safely out |
of the way, / remembered Just how
gentle and sad the young woman's
face was, and even how something dark
and fuzzy and soft around her neck
accentuated the expression and
brought into clear contrast the pale,
perfect oval Of her face.
Eyes, on the IL o'clock tonight"
Claire was running on. ''Too bad
In two or three days more I'd have
finished out the whole story to my
satisfaction. Men never have any i'm
agination."
accepted the snub meekly for my
self and Jack, too.
"But women have enough TO lap
over. SO you're at your old tricks
again? Do you keep right on making
stories out of everybody you run
against?"
"Well, I've made one ont of those
two ladies', anyhow, and it only lacks
a chapter or two of completion. Oh,
I'll tell you what! I've got an Inspira-
tion-you shall finish the story for me-"
"Men have no Imagination. I'm
m"
"And next time 1 see you" she
went on, regardless, you shall tell
me how it ends. There comes my
Jack this minute. He doesn't look
as il he missed me bit!'
"When you've missed him so in
consolably! How are you, Chittenden?
This poor wife of yours has missed
you" II
Jack, it's fb. haven't missed
you fraction, dear" II