The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-02-14

ly. She picked up a pair at random,
They were rimless, jaunty. with a slim.
dangling, golden chain. She was quite
breathless when she found herself on
the street with her treasure. When
she boarded the open car for home, she
adjusted the aids to vision she had pur-
chased. She fancied everyone was
looking at her. AS this impression
grew her air of studied nonchalance be-
came more profound. She bought an
evening paper. She stared hard at the
printed page. But the letters merged
in one purple blur. Even faces took on
grotesque and perplexing outlines.
When she reached home her young
brothers guyed her. Her mother only
was as discreetly and sympathetically
silent as the widowed mother of the
one girl of her flock alone knows how
to be. For awhile she was desperately
uncomfortable. She did not wear
the glasses in the Office, but the dread
possessed her that on her trip to and
from luncheon she ignored ''the girls
who likewise found vent for their
youthful energy in Office work. Her
reading-and she read good deal
was done surreptitiously. She, who
mad always walked so fearlessly, and
with football so assured, began to hesi-
tate at street crossing or the step of
curbstone. She dreaded lest she
should make a descent of unpremedi-
tated abruptness. If she had known
anything about Dundreary she would
have sympathized with him in his dread
lest he should sit down before he knew
he sat down! When at night she took
off the glasses she insisted she required,
she was ashamed to confront her own
sweet reflection in the glass. The con-
sciousness of hypocrisy weighed heavi-
ly upon her. but the moment of contri-
tion was belated in its arrival.
1t is possible its advent would have
been delayed much longer than it was
were it not for the fact that Ned Del
mere was back from his vacation, and
had not come to see her. She knew he
had returned. The fact was duly chron-
icled in the little suburban paper And
Allie Lyme had met him and said he
was handsomer than ever-had a mus
tache-think of that!
Lorraine thought of that. and of
good many other things. Between the
embarrassment of her glasses and the,
detection of her devoted young lover
she grew positively thin and haggard-
as far as 10 may. Ned. who had been
her shadow since they had graduated
together from the high school! Ned,
who had impoverished himself taking
her to theaters and sending her flowers!
Ned. who had written her loads of the
loveliest hymes and nonsense from the
northern wilds whittier his firm had
allowed him to go for rest and recuper-
alton. Was he deserting her? She had
answered his every Letter. To be sure
her replies were little airy, gossamer
things. bright and shifting as cloud of
butterflies. But she had written moth
ing that could offend-estrange him.
She heard Of him, now here-now
there. She began to think that he had
never really cared for her. And she
was not one to wear the willow publicly
for any man! She would accept Roy
Millard's invitations! She would go
boating with him in the park! She
would
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding
ding-ding!
She looked around wildly. Too late!
The cable car flinging frantically
around the corner had crashed into her
resentful meditations! Going back to
the office after luncheon, wrapped in
the childish abstraction of passionate
pique, her sight dimmed by the fash
ionab.e pince-nez, she had stepped un-
heedingly before the modern jugger-
naut.
A Babel of hoarse cries arose. She
shut her eyes-stepped backward.
"All right! In here! No-l'm not
hurt-;n here!"
So much she heard in a voice that
sounded somehow like her mothers
just as comforting, as full of sweet
and compassionate protection. Then
the people, and the car, and the big po-
liceman, and the blanched visage of
the motorman, and the sharp, inquisi-
tive countenance of the newsboy all
in waves of blackness which
whirled. eddied, swept into a cornu-
copia of illimitable perspective, and
went down with the roar of overwhelm-
ing waters!
When reason asserted itself she was
in the little emergency room back of
the drug store.
what happened?' she asked, and
struggled to sit up.
Keep still a little longer, dear
beart!" whispered Ned Delmere.
She drank the cordial he held to her
lips. She looked him straight in the
eyes. "Tell mel" she entreated.
He explained how the accident oc-
CURED. you were not hurt" he con-
cluded. "The man stopped his car just
as it touched your gown. You tainted
from fright. That was ALL
"All!" she exclaimed. NO! should
not have become bewildered were it not
for those dreadful glasses. wore them.
because I thought they. were becom-
ins. ] really could not see with them!"