The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-05-23

| in which you may be considered thor oughly versed."
 "Thanks," he said. easily. "shall I tell. you a story, in order to make it strictly impersonal? will tell you | the story of a Boy"
 She moved little, enough to drop | her cheek to her hand.
 "Of course there was a Girl" he went on; but will leave her out of | the story az far as I can. I will tell you the story of @ Boy. because know his story-because I have seen into his wild, undisciplined, uniformed boy heart, and have watched it make great mistakes, and repent of them without words, and slowly break.-Are you still smiling? I can't see your face, but those people out wonder can, and we are playing the farce for. them" T am smiling" she said, without moving.
 "The Boy fell in love-" he said. "He was very young. and had been raised without Q mother. I am afraid he was mer selfish brute. and when he wanted anything he had to have 1t. He saw the Girl, and loved her, and would have waded through blood to win her-and won her. think he was selfish. even in winning her, but he was beginning to be a nobler Boy-and there was great need of 1t. You see. he loved her-he loved her too much. He was unreasonable. have looked into his heart, and know that now. He was half Boy and half savage, and thought himself man. whose iudg- ment was always good, and who was always right.He thought that he was to be regarded aiwys-he didn't think of regarding her. And yet, he loved her lin some blind. unreasoning way. such as boys have. And because he loved her he kept hastening on to his doom, and dragging her with him. He couldn't wake up to the fact that he was slowly killing love in her. It is one of the saddest things. that people who love one another truly and tenderly can live to be alienated. isn't 1t? But that is what happened to the Boy. He was ysung-they were both young-and he was undisciplined-and love was hurt with jar and fret! Over and over again they passed through storms which left them cast ashore in a desert land. They said bitter. heartbreaking things to one another, and it was because the Boy loved her that the bitter things hurt and ranked. And so at last he rose up and said, This is enough-I will | end 1t. I will go away today and will never trouble you again" He paused, and she stirred a little, but he could not see her face. l And so, he went down to the boat" he said, steadily; but even when his foot was upon the gangplank he turned back and stood leaning against something in his utter misery, be- cause he had all at once grown to be a man, and was suffering all a mans agony. That is the end of the story of the Boy-except that the man looked up and saw that foolish little Mrs. Leasing waving her hand at him from a carriage, and remembered that both of them-he and the Girl-were to have been her guests tonight. And | such a hungering came upon him to look upon her face again-that he came-knowing that by tomorrow he might summon strength to go-- "Ned?"
 She raised her face and looked at him. Her lips trembled like a hurt child's, even while she was smiling al him.
 Ned" she murmured, brokenly; "the Girl was very young and inexpe- rienced. Don't you think she ought | to have a chance to try over again?- | And you didn't know-that she was in the boat-hidden away-and that she came very near being taken to Europe i-very near indeed-when you turned back so suddenly"
 
 Isn't 1t beautiful to watch MT. and Mrs. Harding?" asked the lady at Mrs Lessings right. They are like two young lovers. Do they know they are at the table? Do they know there is such a thing is food in the world They have done us all the honor tc forget we are living!"
 But Mrs. Leasing did not reply aloud. She merely looked, and hel eyes were sparkling and brimming.
 "I may be foolish, but can manage some things" she whispered into hel fan.
 cattle.