The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-04-13

0 her skirts, and it lighted up.

es," she said, fervently, plan
ming dresses, wearing them, making
an impression in them" She broke
off with a laugh She twirled her
parasol. when You look at me like
that" she added, 'what are yon think
ing?"
II am thinking that I used to know
YOU"
81 am beginning to think that nov
er knew you or any of you until now y
Hel eyes flashed and then roved away
"Look, Rufus. | can see the tops of
Mrs. Halls sparkleberry trees. Don't
you remember how we used to climb
them when we went to play with Sc
rena Hall? Sometimes" she said,
"when l am sitting at my window
looking out at the horses and people l
can see in my minds eye the Halls
woodward and those sparkleberry trees.
The leaves were so shining and the
berries were such big ones"
"You had lot of fancy notions then.
l used to call you Lady Elizabeth, -
said Rufus. more genially.
why" she asked at once, "did you
let me stay here three weeks without
coming to see me?"
Rufus smiled as if the question
pleased him, and his square figure
settled.
"Have many ofyour old friends been
to see you?"
"Why, Miss Percival came-and-
and one or two Others" she said glanc-
ing away.
Miss Percival told my mother that
she thought it was her duty. The
opinions of the world and the opinions
of Little Britain don't agree about
you" Rufus leaned easily against
his stick. You took the worldly
road when you left here, and the world
admires its own, but the people you
were born and raised with have to dis
own YOU"
She looked from Rufus firm cheek
ed face up to the sky, around at the
trees and up and down the empty weed
grown street with a glance of rest
less bird Then she nodded her head
at Rufus
at is very easy thing to be single
minded here in Little Britain. Who
would suppose to see the cows grazing
around that-oh, lot of things. Take
my word, Rufus, the world is compli-
Gated. You may be right, or l may
be right, or both may be wrong. At
any rate,' she said earnestly, 'credit
me with trying to do right, and meet
me on that ground"
"That's loose way" he said A thing
is right, or it's wrong. There isn't
any use talking between"
81 took pleasure in the thought of
coming home, but nobody wants to see
me-" said Mrs. Ritchie, suddenly.
"Please, Rufus, let me keep one friend
l do care"
Rufus leaned easily against his cane
again.
"It would have been better for you,
Elizabeth" he said consideringly, "it
, ;oi had stay ed at home"
well, | don't think-maybe so. Just
shake hands. I want to shake hands
like old friends"
"That's just like you," said Rufus
after a pause, "trying to wheedle peo-
pie into what you want"
Mrs. Ritchie looked at his settled
figure and important face until her look
changed from wistful to musing and on
to comical.
"You've got to be an old man." she
said. There is no moving you. The
world is big and liberal, Rufus. It's a
pity you couldn't have gone round it
some"
81 don't want to go roand it," said
Rufus, angrily; ~ don't want to go
round it," He caught her smile and
took off his hat abruptly.
I'll say goodbye"
He did not look back at her, though
she watched him walk stifily away.
When he turned the corner she moved
forward, smiling, with tears in her eyes
~ T. Commercial AlcertiseI