Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1902-05-08
CHAPTER XVII.
THE RUNAWAY.

Rss = rs. Elsie did not fail to
ksS ysg5sSssS [i comment with great
SSSF-:a.--ssss .tfiyA satisfaction.
NS=---.<AS) "You Will be very
happy" she said: And then she heaved
a little sigh, presumably for herself
"My dear child" replied Brenda, this
is altogether too sudden and incom-
pIqhensible to suit conventional per-
soa ike myself This weird Irritation
Of the madhouse which DIR. Kendall
and seem to have begun in a manner
shameiessly public may be only the
temporary alteration of our minds and
have nothing to do with our hearts. |
hope ii will strike in; ! do most de-
voutly Then you and Clarence could
arrange your agreeable romance with
out rcmorse"-
"That is ended" said Elsie. I'm fact,
IL never began. Brenda. you opened
your heart to me; let me open mine to
you want some one in the world.
some one whom care for, to know
the whole truth"
"Are you sure you really wish to
trust me with this confdence?' asked
Brenda earnestly. You do not really
know me. Your mother may soon be
with you"
81 would never tell my mother" said
Elsie sadly "She has had trouble
enough AS for trusting you. knowing
you-why. 1t seems to me that we have
been here together since the dawn OF
TOT M m
friend the first minute. I'm afraid you
may not care to be after you have
heard the story, but | don't want to
hold you by false pretenses. So hear
me. Brenda"
st will not excite you? 1t will not
make you iii again|
at would excite and worry ME II ]
should stop now after I have made up
my mind" said Elsie. Listen. You
shall know everything but a name.
can't tell you that"
Brenda was silent. She was saying
TO herself: 81 am afraid. My heart is
trembling for this girl"
at doesn't matter when, 1t doesn't
matter where" continued Elsie, "but
when and where fate pleased l met
man who took great liking to me. !
know little now. and l knew far less
then, though it wasn't so long ago.
He was all educated man, and / was
not an educated girl, but | wished that
pwas. We met In n merry party, and
] expected him to talk frivolty. He
didn't His conversation was very i'm
proving. Oh. he took a deep interest
In my mind.
"What idiots girls are! Why, this
man read me like book. He saw that
! was full OF yellow covered ambitions
and ten cent aspirations. He had prob
ably seen a great many girls equally
deserving OF encouragement. l thought
he was splendid. | put my band in his
and prepared to ascend the bill or
learning.
"It was n supper after the theater,
and we rode to my house together in
q hanson afterward at 2 o'clock in the
morning, and the chaperon Of our
supper party rode in another direction
In another hanson with another man.
My escort talked about the 'Rubaiyat'
y
appreciated the beauties Of that sub
lime composition. Afterward he spoke
Of my work in very earnest and en-
couraging way. He let me know that
he had been quite student of the
drama and that his criticism and ad-
vice would be of the greatest assist
ance. That, at least, was the infer
hn ho1 mo n
on the doorsteps, with a gentle sadness
In his manner which let me know that
there was a romance in his life. That
made me feel safe, for at that time l
surely did not want him to fall in love
with me, and l still retained the delu-
sion of my earlier years that romances
In a persons life acted like vaccina-
tion.
"The gentleman called upon me the
next afternoon, and he was very enter
tanning as well as instructive. He
brought me n large book. l forget
what it was about. The next day he
took me out to dinner, and l remember
that he gave me some very shrewd and
helpful criticism about my work.
days, and l began to miss him very
much. AT that time / was lonely. My
girl friends in. the profession were all
out of town, and some Of the men In
the company who wished to be kind
to me were rough in their ways-not
at all like the cultured gentleman
whose acquaintance 1 had been SO
fortunate as to make"
"But didn't you ask about him?" said
Brenda. Didn't you find out how he
stood sociallyp
Elsie laughed.
"How was to find out any Of those
things?" she said. "The world Is big
place, in the midst of which is society
as you know 1t, little mutual insur-
ance company for the purpose OF pro-
tecting its members, especially the
younger ones, against accidents. l only
knew that liked this man and that he
seemed to be true friend to me. What
other guide was / to have except my
own beautiful ignoranceT
81 don't know" said Brenda aloud,
but to herself she was saying: '"The
more wrong she has suffered the more
l want to help her. 1 won't let any
thing take her away from me-"
Presently l heard the story of the
romance in his life," continued Elsie.
at appeared that the gentleman was
married-most unhappily. Where was
his wife? He had permitted her to OBJ
tain divorce. This was pure generos-
ity on his part. He would rather suf-
fer an injustice than attack In the
courts the woman he had sworn to love
and cherish He mentioned several
high society precedents for this con-
duct. In fact, he convinced me that
divorce was, upon the whole, q mark
of distinction in these days. 1t ap-
peared that his was a sort of limited
divorce which did not permit him to
remarry, bot after this aspect Of 1t
had been presented to me on several
occasions he discovered that he could
marry under certain conditions with
the full sanction of the law and heav-
en-.
"Well, Brenda, let's be fair. want
ed to marry the man. l persuaded my
self that | was in love with him. i
wasn't. ! can see that now. / wasn't
within a million miles of loving blm,
but | was ready to be loved, Brenda;