The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-02-12
THE GUIDE
The Mistake of an American
Girl Abroad.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


time, realized that, and, although he de-
cided it became her wonderfully, he new
ertheless generously shortened its dura-
ton by his own act, for he answered her
faltering German tinged American query
for general information in his best Eng
fish, while he obscured the effect of its
insular excellence by comprehensively
mistaking.
She laughed to herself at her former
difidence. "Of course he is the guide"
She allowed her self congratulation to
overflow beyond her natural pride in her
own discernment under difficulties. She
found grounds for it in the fact that she
alone seemed DESTROYS that day of seeing
the treasures of the castle of Moring-
stein, that therefore the guides whole
attention would be devoted to quenching
her almost unquenchable thirst for
knowledge and that he was SO good look
ing, almost wastefully SO, considering
his calling. But that regret only crept
in later, when she was forced to leave
the ancient German castle, its age hal
lowed beauties and it's fascinating guide.
At the time she was far from complain
ing. The guide kept her too busy for one
thing.
For he certainly was a man most ex-
ceptionally gifted for his post, and all her
enthusiasm seemed unavailing to discov-
er weak spot in his resourcefulness. AS
she said afterward, she admired above all
things a man who would rather tell
transparent untruth than cause a woman
a momentary disappointment, and here
was man who, if he helped himself by
his Imagination, did it so skillfully that
even q connoisseur became perplexed in
trying to detect him in it. For she was
connoisseur-that is, if seeing everything
to be seen and eagerly hearing everything
to be heard can make one. AT any rate
she was an exceedingly pretty girl, and
every pretty girl considers it her privilege
to be always pleased. And. judging by
her expression and the very way she still
fingered when so much had been seen
and copiously commented on, she evil
IDENTIFY did not consider herself robbed in
any way of her rights on this occasion.
Perhaps the very fact that this model en-
tertainer ranked only as a salaried guide
gave q zest to her enjoyment by unlock
ing romance with the key of unusualness.
Still, the luncheon hour protrudes itself
into every normal day, taking more than
a leavening of romance to displace it.
"But l suppose one might study this
place for weeks" she said as she pre-
pared to depart, land yet meet fresh sur
prises~
Zone might" he acquiesced, "even ar
range to be surprised beforehand" He
was smiling at her, and smile is some
times less involved than the words it ac-
companies.
''But should be surprised" she asked,
''to meet you here tomorrow
mot so surprised as should be-
''Well?" she questioned briskly.
disappointed, he continued, ito find
myself unsurpassed"
But she laughed. ''you know very
well that your real surprise would be If
failed to come"
I'VE were talking" he objected, 'of
counterfeit emotion"
Eyes, only tomorrow will. show which
is the counterfeit" said she. And then
she went very quickly to avoid his next
glance.
81 don't at all know which will hap
pen," she told herself And yet the
knowledge that he considered that he did
know exactly what would happen hardly
disturbed her. 1t made her laugh-that
was all.
What she knew he considered must in
evitabIy happen certainly came to pass.
Yet it was brought about, she assured
herself, by something so unforeseen that
she became by its intervention entirely
an agent of circumstance, unmoved by
the exercise of her free will. The very
least she could do, considering every
thing, was to be there and to apologize.
This she told him, looking extremely
lovely as she told it. with the addition of
blush to heighten her ordinary at
Effectiveness. Also there is always some
thing taking to the masculine mind in an
unqualified apology from pretty wo-
man. even when its exact cause is wrap
ped in mystery.
~ ought to have known" she said. 81
blame myself terribly" And he was so
engaged in begging her to show herself
leniency that he had no time to inquire
exactly what it was she should have
known.
at was so sillyl What must you have
thought of me?'
He enlarged, quite in the poetical
strain, on what he had thought of her.
There seemed. moreover, a great deal of
it, showing him to be an unusually rapid
thinker This took some time, vel it
failed to wholly satisfy her.
II don't like to think of it," said She
"My poor thoughts" he began.
II mean of my stupidity.
"There never has been such a thing"
he declared. He abandoned his thoughts
that he might prove its impossibility.
and he was rewarded by the almost in
exhaustible fruitfuness presented by the
theme This again took up a considera
BILE amount of time. But was ever time
better spent? To their knowledge. never!
'Yet. after ALL he said. as again the
luncheon hour laid its mundane touch on
the intangnSAs, 'a1ter all, what we espe
cially left to look at today we have nev
ed looked at"
She looked, for her part, on the ground,
apparently determined not to read fur.
Their what his eyes were saying.
'There is always tomorrow, though
he said, thus forced to give his meaning
words.
EYES," she said, but absently. And the
impression arose in him that she was
trying to say something she found espe-
cially difficult.
How much" he inquired, "does that
yes Govern"
"All the possibilities of tomorrow" she
began. Then she plainly braced herself
for the effort he had foreseen in her.
"And my right to regard or disregard
your highness' suggestion as-as /:
| pleases me-"
While he was recovering from the your
highness" she disappeared. She left the
castle of Morngstein this time breath
less, but not only from the haste she
made in doing so. This state in her was
also compelled by the bewildering uncer'
tainty now pressing on her as to whether
in the future she could ever again dis
entangle her pleasure from his. Thai
question, being a very wide one, engross'
ed even more of her thoughts than heI
decision concerning the disposal of the
following morning, the last on which she
could be free to visit the castle and him.
| But over all was sense of triumph
that she had managed to introduce the
"your highness" with some neatness
The necessity for doing SO at least once
in the course of conversation with any
one to whom it applied she understood tt
be binding or, at any rate, customary
And it had faced her as strangely dim
cult of accomplishment from the mo
ment it was pointed out to her-at the
very luncheon which had parted them
how she had plainly mistaken German
prince for a German guide strange
mistake indeed! Yesterday it hat
brought her some secret pleasure. for 81