The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-04-19

ali8nL embarrassment tndl sat strange
~ on him.
Helen" said he, Miss Van Valken-
burg has promised to be my wife.
hope you viii be pleased"
stared at him. and when I got my
breath / must have said something
that sounded like a protest; for he
came over and put his arm about me
with a caressing air quite unusual with
him, and said he was sorry: It must
seem 70 me that he had kept me on the
outside in the matter; but, indeed he'd
given me the first definite information
he had on the subject which was such
an exposition Of Donaid's didactic. bus
iness-like way Of stating things. that !
laughed a little. and then gasped,
'sMelw
"Oh, yes" said Donald: "Mels very
much attached to her, and she TO him;
they got on nicely from the iirst. I'm
sure you'll love her when you know her
WELL"
The fatuity Of a man in love. Well,
as he didn't know, it was better not
to tell him: SO ] turned with a vague
notion Of hunting up my poor, abused
boy, who had. through my ofieious ad-
vice. been so hurt. and saying what
could to comfort him.
opened the office door. and saw him
sitting at the fatal drafting-table His
arms were thrown forward on it. and
| his rumpled. dark head rested on them.
At first sight of that bowed bOyish
head all the iiimsy sentiment, the self
consciousness and despair l had been
cherishing for weeks, dropped away
before my real affection and sympathy
hurried in and knelt down beside
him to bring my head on a level with
his.
oh Mel" I said. Il never thought
it was so bad as this. didn't know
you really cared so much"
Go away" came in a mudied voice,
FOR reply.
This incivility. so like the old Mel
art the dear old days quite washed
al my last reserve. and LETT me
feeling only that loved Mel very dear
ly, and he was suffering.
Never mind. Mel" ] said, "sho isn't
everybody IN the world. We love You
II love you, anyhow" laying MY hand
on his shoulder
This brought the bowed head erect
and Mel's face around toward me, to
my surprise, looking more angry than
hurt yes, | believe you do--in
milk-and-cider kind Of way said he,
angrily. "Oh, Helen!" with sudden
break OF voice and face, why can't
you love me as love your" Which
was an inadvertent quotation from a
! Juvenile classic. il either Of us stopped
to think Of it. 1--WE loved you SO much,
ever since you were little girl and
cared about things because they
pleased you, and noticed your dresses
and your little ways and expressions
till / hardly knew whether there was
any other girl in the world; and now,
with a change 10 witbering scorn, 81
believe you're going 10 offer to be a
sister TO me"
I'm not" l said, decidedly.
Mel told me after that he had seen
how things were going with Donald
and Miss Van Valkenburg from the
first Il wasn't sure Of it, though" he
added, "till / saw him buying flowers
for her the evening she took tea with
us. l thought that nothing less than a
natural conwulsion O. natur',' as Sam
Weller says, could account for that"
"You knew all about it. and never
told me-" I said. aecusingly.
well, / did come very near It once
or twice: but" with a return to his
usual teasing manner, you know you
had other views in regard to tho mat
ter"
turned rather red, and was silenced.
After a brief, happy pause, Mel said,
very softly-almOst in a whisper, 10
you think you won't mind so much
about being poor?'
"Oh, Mel" 1 answered, shamcfaoedly
burrowing my face against his shoul-
der, you couldn't have thought ]
meant all that horrid stuff"
why, yes, did, he answered. So
berly. there's no reason you shouldn't
A bright, beautiful girl like you has
f q right to expect something peter taan
a fellow like me. who hasn't anything
to offer her but just himself and his
love. II that last is any inducement.
though, you'll never do better, sweet
heart"
Il don't want you to have anything
i else" / answered. hotly. Its an veiy
nice for Donald and his fraulcn to
be rich and live in stately style-seems
to sort Of become them both-but you
and I are going to conquer our des-
tiny hand in hand. I'm going to be
such help to you, Mel. aud II you
were rich already you wouldn't care
/ for me to be, you know
should blush to repeat an the
things Mel said about the help ana in
spiration was going to be to him, and
how much better fate I deserved. ana