Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-12-21
A SPRING BLIND.

love?''
II vowed to marry her or not at all, and
she"--
just at that moment tho spring roller
blind of o house that faced directly on the
sidewalk flew up with a sudden "Br-r.r''
and snap. Both the men looked around,
and both were just in time to catch sight
Of remarkably pretty girls face with a
pout of vexation on it. The blind had
evidently slipped out of her fingers and
rolled itself up when it was not asked to.
"Who is that girl?" Guthrie asked.
"I'm afraid l don't know her, old fell
low," said Bean. "She's very pretty
girl, should say. Well ask my wife
when we get homo. Now go on with your
secret
"You haven't any idea who lives in that
house, have your"
mo. / haven't Oh, by the way, /
think do know! Unless I'm mistaken,
that's old Calthorpe's place. He's fol
low commuter of mine, and that's about
the full extent of our acquaintance But
she isn't the young lady of your secret, is
she?''
"That's just it," said jeff, with puz-
| Zled expression. 'Sho can't be, and yet
that face for tho moment looked''-
Like her? Was her name Calthorpe?"
mo; her name was Sargent.
"How long ago was it?'
Seven years"
We'll, ono of the few things happen to
know about old Calthorpe," said Bean,
laughing, sis that he comes from Rhode
Island So''-
"Oh, no, nor Guthrie interrupted
Miss Sargent is dead, old fellow"
The two walked ON in silence for some
time.
1T isn't q long story" Guthrie present
ly continued ''She taught school there
in that faraway little village among the
hills and the mines. / was interested in
her from tho first and tried to win my
way into some sort of acquaintance with
her But she seemed disinclined to any
thing like society"
You didn't stay there more than year
altogether did you?'' Bean asked.
"Much less than u year. I never OK
changed moro than six words with her in
all the time We were both in that village.
Don't laugh at me, Maurice. You didn't
suspect me of being so romantic, did your
She died."
"There?'
Eyes, there. Somehow tho sadness of
it struck deeply into me, and now-this
girl
SIS this girl very much like Miss Sar-
CENT?
$50 much like that it wouldn't be re-
markablc even If they were twin sisters"
(which, Of course, is impossible" said
Bean
"A twin sister of hers would be nearly
80 by this time"
And the young woman at the blind is
not more than 10, I should judge. 1t is
curious, though"
Guthrie's visits to the home of his mar
ried friend were all much alike in ono very
pleasant feature-he always romped with
two out of three children, while the young
est--tho baby-looked on and crowed and
jerked itself about obviously.
Now, what is it?'' Mrs. Bean asked
turning to her husband when Allie and
little jeff had both been finally silenced
under the bedclothes.
''Oh, it isn't my affair" said the hus-
band
"We-I-wanted to ask If you knew a
Miss Calthorpe here, living in that new
red brick house at the end of the COM
mon, said Guthrie.
Mrs Bean shook her head. mo Miss
IlNtS tHcrc, STU oSllu. ME.
Calthorpe lives there"
"Oh," said Bean, twas that old woman
Calthorpe's sister,"
''She isn't really old, dear. She's
younger than Mr.. Calthorpe. There's one
daughter, believe"
But that night Mrs. Bean said to her
husband: leave me alone for two days,
and will know all about your window
IoIx 10 Taff Er<h
rie come here and stay overnight"
The next visit of jeff Guthrie was plan
ned for Saturday evening, with express
arrangements for a stay over Sunday.
After church this subtle woman insisted
on lingering about the porch until gray
haired lady came out, and with her her
daughter, the girl who had pouted at the
window blind.
Mrs. Perry, let me introduce our par
ticular friend, Mr.. Guthrie, and this is
Miss Perry"
Nothing could have been more properly
conventional than this introduction, and
that was why Guthrie was SO angry with
himself for turning red and becoming
confused. Mrs. Bean had unknown to
Guthrie, expressly invited these two ladies
to dinner beforehand.
you. I should say-of the name of Sar-
CENT?"
The girls face changed in a moment.
She was pale and bit her lip
''Oh, Mr. Guthrie" sho said, ''you
must ask mother that! / don't know
about it. I was only little girl of 10
when poor Margaret left us and married
that
She checked herself; then, after an en-
barrassing pause, went on, lowering her
voice to "a whisper and glancing round at
her mother: did you know her-him?"
II once knew Miss Sargent-very
slightly"
"Where?''
I'm Pennsylvania, at Brinkville.
''Oh, yesl He treated her SO badly, aft
or oil She had to go somewhere and be a
teacher Mother would have forgiven ev
erything, but Margaret was too proud to
come back to us. She went and called
herself miss, l suppose. We only heard
that she had died in Pennsylvania-noth
ing more. was sent to school in Ger
many soon afterward."
II understand" said Guthrie, ''your
mother has had great deal of trouble.
"That Is why she looks so old at so