The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-03-12

nothing, only rose and walked beside
Rob to the garden.
cit looks like witch work-the way
your flowers bloom, 4" she said, glancing
along the borders. Everybody else's
are all dried up. But wait minute,
Rob. didn't come out for just the
flowers. IL want to ask you somethin
-somethin mportant-that i can't
mention to anybody else"
"Why. Alice, / am the last person
for serious matters, and if it's "a secret
please don't tell me" Rob said, with q
half smile. "Not that I can't keep one,
but some one else might not, and then
the one who had trusted me might think
was the traitor. !"
"But you are the only one can tell, "
Alice said, dropping her eyes. "You
are my age an all that. II can't talk
about this with mommer She wouldn t
understand"
''Im sure | shall not understand
either" Rob said her smile broaden
ing. "You may tell me if you choose.
Eut warn you it is no use. "
eyes, it is some use, J." Miss Winfield
persisted. 1T is. Oh, / shall never get
it out. It's about-Jack Talbot, you
know. He wants me TOTO be engaged
to him, an | don't know whether it
would be right while he has to take
care of the family, you know"
Rob was bending to clip an especial.
~ choice rose. She shipped the stalk
with a clean cut and got up steadily,
the flower in her hand, as she said,
with a careless accent: by all means
be engaged to him. The family will be
delighted. And as to taking care of
them, the debts are almost paid now. l
reckon Jack will soon have "a place of
his own
at is not that so much. know he'd
give me everything heart could wish.
had better trl you all of it," Miss Win
fold said, with bashful smile. "You
see, he came to see me, an mommer was
away, SO we got to talkin about-well,
about ourselves. An then he took any
hand an said he-he loved me; never
had loved anybody else; would be en-
gagged to him? Then he broke out (:
Maybe 1 haven't got the right to ask
it. You don't know, Alice, how weak a
young fellow can be nor how he let's
himself get entangled. But you are my
salvation. Say you'll have me after
awhile. But-but don't tell anybody
have asked you, not for six months
yet. Wasn't that a strange way to
talk?"
"Very, but hardly so strange as your
telling me about it" Rob said, waving
her rose idly to and fro. Sat least"
she went on, cit seems to me had any
one spoken SO to me should think a
great many times before repeating what
had been said. Still. if you want my
opinion, it is that you may do whatever
Jack wishes. l dare say he is morbidly
self conscious over some of his flirta-
tions, and no doubt thinks some one is
dying for him who really does not care
the least bit in the world. F"
"Oh. am so glad you say that"
Miss Winfield cried, making to fling
her arms about Rob's neck. "Oe course
I wouldn't let Jack know it for the
world. But oh, Rob, do love him bet
ter than anybody!
II wish you all happiness with him, :"
Rob said, shrinking little from the
embrace and beginning to clip roses so
lavishly that her visitor made protest.
"The flowers will only wither if leave
them," she said. "That is why they
bloom so we'll for me. 1 never let them
waste their energies. "
San you love tn Give them away. YOU