The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-09-19

81 won't promise"
"But you will"-and he did.
But as to keeping his promise, that
was another thing. He was not par
ticularly bashful, but he had an idea
that the sort Of society that Miss Pey-
ton moved in was not his sort of So
ciety, and he was a little uncertain
about his dress suit, which was GER
tainly not shabby from continuous
wear: therefore Miss Peyton looked
for him in vain and in consequence
snubbed several of her admirers so
that they longed for death, or said
they did.
Miss Peyton scolded Teddy with an
air OF proprietorship that the young
man found to be very embarrassing
when she saw him the next time, and
then she suddenly became embar-
rassed and treated him with icy re-
serve for nearly an hour. Soon after
this she brought G. w. b., her father,
up to the studio, and the old man was
quite cordial and seemed to approve
of Teddy's shirtsleeves. He invited
the young artist to drop in and see
ulHl at lllt nOuSt some evening WHEN
he had nothing better to do.
That's what I have been trying to
get him to do" murmured Miss Pey-
ton, with side glance at Teddy from
under her dropping eyelashes, "but he
won't come"
"First time you haven't got your
| own way" chuckled the old man. "I
guess it will do you good, missy. But
If he won't come for you he won't for
me-" Whereupon Teddy could do no
less than say that he would most cer-
tainly call, if he still might, and he did
call this time, and papa came down first
and made him smoke and talked to
him about his prospects in an easy
sort of way and recommended him to
cut the arts and go into business,
which Teddy thought might not be
such bad advice after all.
After little Miss Peyton came
| down in a most bewildering little frock
and the smile that Teddy got ought
to have been sufficient reward for COM
| ing. G. w. b. trotted off before long
and Miss Peyton played and sang in
sweet, thin little voice songs that
made Teddy rest his chin in his hands
and lose himself in the flicker of the
fire. Then the girl left off singing
| and came and sat down by him and be-
! fore he knew it he was talking about
himself, which is a bad sign, and he
was conscious that the delicate per-
fume of her hair had somehow got
into his brain. For time, it is to be
| feared that he forgot all about Miss
Gleason. At last he pulled himself to-
| gether and rose to GO, and she was OBJ
viously unwilling that he should go
just then, so he stayed, and it was
quite late when she waved her hand in
farewell from the doorstep.
There would, no doubt, have been
different ending to this story had it
not been for Teddy's idiotic habit of
talking to himself. He was boy who
took in a show, as a general thing, at
least twice week, so he might have
remembered the almost invariably ia
tai consequences of soliloquizing to
villains and the occasional inconven-
fences to heroes from the same foolish
practice, nevertheless he talked to
himself, and, as it happened, talked
himself into good thing.
1t was after he had talked for near
ly ten minutes to Miss Gleason, whom
he had called "Delia" for the first
time. He was not only unreproved, but
she noticed that his necktie had drift
ed to one side and had Strengthened
it for him.
When he went back to the shop he
threw himself into a chair in front Of
the easel, whereon Miss Peyton's near
ly completed portrait was placed, and,
thrusting his hands deeply into his
trousers pockets and gazing at the pic
ture blanlSly and unseeingly, began to
free his mind.
He was very much agitated, other
wise he would have noticed that the
original of the portrait had arrived and
paused at the half opened door. Miss
Gleason saw her, and shortly after old
Balch saw his stenographer suddenly
rise from her work and walk unsteadi-
ly to the window as the door on the
other side of the passage closed with
slam.
MISS IeytoH pduseu at tHc uoor pc'
cause she observed the young man sit
ting and gazing intently at her por.
trait, not working at it, but just look
ing, and with rapt expression that
she had never seen on his face before,
although she had tried to imagine It,.
Then Teddy spoke.
"It's all foolishness," he said; "I'm
chump to think that she cares for
me just because she has looked kindly
at me few times. She can't help be-
ing sweet and kind, bless her! And l
haven't got any business to ask her
how about it; I'm too internally poor.
1t wouldn't be the square thing"
Miss Peyton did not wait for fur
ther particulars. She tiptoed in, and,
being an impulslve young person, put
her arms around Teddy's neck, laid
her cheeks against his and said: "You
won't have to ask her, dear"