The Newtown bee., 1902-02-28
FOSTER, BESSIE e. CO.,
Bridgeport, Conn.

has beautiful character, though in ,
some ways she still seems a child. 1t
is my dearest wish that she should find
happiness. Young Pierce has always
been fond of her,-but of her feelings
am not sure,-and don't know how to
advise you."
'You have already advised me-" he
said grimly. "And will-wait."
eyes, wait; that will be best. Willis
Pierce will be here soon. You will see
them together,-and then you will
know"
meanwhile, can rely on you not to
speak of this to her? Garth said with
grave anxiety. And GWendolen had
but given her promise when the gay
Young party swept down upon them
from the upper galleries, and Dorothy
took possession of her delinquent cav
alier.
Gwendolen kept her promise, but
few days later, when the opportunity
arose, she could not resist taking ad-
vantage of it to satisfy herself. They
had just heard of the engagement of
a young girl whom they knew to man
almost thrice her age.
II think it's a dreadful thing"
Dorothy emphatically declared.
april should only mate with April,
and November with November!'
"You are right, dear, speaking gen.
orally" assented Gwendolen. "But
there may be brilliant exceptions to
every rule"
"None to this!" said Dorothy. "Now
no young girl wants to settle down
all in minute, and if she marries
fellow of her own age, where's the
need? But let a girl marry her grand
father, and instantly she is obliged to
give up everything she has always en-
joyed for the dubious pleasure of Sit
ting at home and taking care of him."
"Oh, but it's not always a question
of grandfathers, Dorothy"
"No, sometimes it is the contempor-
airy of ones father. That might be
we'll enough just at first, for some
quiet middle-aged men are very jolly
and lots of fun,-like Mr. Garth for in
stance. But, Aunt Gwen, imagine a
girl like me marrying man like him
why, when I should be your age dear,
he would be stiff old equity man!
Ugh, it makes me SILVER to think what
blind fools some girls are! Anna and
Agatha have known better than that
but there, 1 didn't mean to give
their secrets away-even to you! But,
Aunt Gwen, as I've let out so much I'll
tell you something more, though I
didn't mean to tell a soul so soon. But
I do want you to know, dear. I've had
a letter from-from withstand I'm to
Ito give him the answer when he
comeS-and oh, Aunt Gwen, can't
you guess? 1 think I'm just the hap.
pest girl alive""
Oh, inconsiderate youth! AS a re-
suit of Dorothy's threefold revelation
Gwendolen Morton did not sleep that
night. If Anna and Agatha had only re-
spected her responsibility toward thei1
parents and had waited, before thus
binding themselves, until they were
) off her hands. AS tor Dorothy, Gwen.
dolen felt strangely exultant and al
} the same time oddly depressed. She
heartily liked Willis Pierce, and knew
him to be we'll qualified to make Doro
thy happy. But what blow for Ceci
Garth! Yet why should she make her
) self miserable over the sorrow which
now must inevitably fall on him?
! The next day she was quite unlike
, herself and when the signora arrived
: to give them their Italian lesson
| Gwendolen took the opportunity tt
leave the girls with her and Slip on,
: for quiet walk in the open air.
She kept along the Via Condotti anc
; entered the Corso, but the crowds anc
, the noise of the thoroughfare Cypress
ed her SO she turned aside, and soor
) found herself alone on the Rispetta
bridge. There she paused and stood
gazing down at the turbid waters OF
the Tiber, thinking of Dorothy's young
happiness-ando of Cecil Garth's i'm.
; bending sorrow for she had seen
enough of him to know that he was nc
light nature to easily throw off a strong
emotion. And when passion such as