The Cooperstown courier., 1902-09-25
little brail-children." reproaehed the

girl.
"You have been sufaciently over
kind to. even up accounts in menti6n-
ing them. 1T ALL" returned Ashe.
''There, you see I can do the
proper; now, for heavens sake.
Miss Gregory, tell me II I dreamed
Of you, or saw you, that day ct Dick
Thurston's?" The girl drew back.
II don't understand you," she
said. little haughtily, and then she
smiled at his crestfallen face.
"It can't be possible!" insisted
Ashe. "The Princess Constants
Gregorius-and was ass enough to
ask Of what! Don't you know, Miss
Gregory didn't you realize that you
are my Lady of Dreams 2"
"I?" said Miss Gregory-"I your
Lady of-oh, Mr.. Ashe! Remember
that I'm not resident-not to the
manor born, as it were. I'm just q
country cousin from Binghamton.
Do you think it's nice to make fun
Of me? Constantia Gregorius, in
deed!" She laughed out, a merry
little laugh.
She comes from a land nor near
nor far" said Ashe, guilty Of
the banality Of quoting his own
verses. Miss Gregory surveyed him
| with amusement.
s"This is too fine a frenzy for me, -
she announced. "Aren't you hungry,
Mr.. Ashe? Shan't we go and have
something to eat?" Ashe followed
her mechanically.
ssDon't you sometimes wear q
cross on that chain,"'- he asked.
Sometimes" she answered, with
lifted eyebrows.
Weren't you in Morristown at the
Thurstons' last September" he pur-
sued.
'Yes, I was in Morristown, but
only occasionally at the Thurstons'," "
she returned.
''Then you did walk into the library
one Sunday afternoon and tell me
you were the Princess Constantia
Gregorius," he said, positively.
'sMr. Ashe!" she said, reprovingly.
''Have you twin sister?" asked
Ashe, desperately.
81 am all the daughters of my
fathers house." she said lightly, but
her eyes were dancing as she gave
him his chocolate.
Don't you remember the painful
taking off of Sapphira?'' he inquired,
sternly.
Miss Gregory counted on her fin
gers. "a princess, Constantia
Gregorius, an astral body-let me
see! a dream, and now a iar!" she
said. ooh, fie, Mr.. Ashe!"
II have $50 that belongs to you,"
said Ashe, irrelevantly.
81 beg your pardon?" said the girl,
blankly.
"By rights" asservated Ashe, with
nod. "Haf of what got for that
poem, you know. Il calculate that
my thought and labor are good for
half, but you furnished the idea,
you see." Miss Gregory sat down
on the nearest chair and laughed
aloud. Ashe slipped his chocolate
meditatively and watched her.
"For poet" she said at last, "you
are most unexpectedly practical"
"When I've offered to share my in
come with comparative stranger
a chimerical, elusive dream-lady at
that?" he asked, raising his eye
brows.
s'I'm not sure about chimeras, but
I think they were monsters Of some
kind" said the girl. "And your in
come is too small to be alluring, Mr..
Ashe. If you don't wish any more
of that chocolate, won't you have
something cold? No. Well,s then
come back to Mrs. Foster. I'm afraid
you'll be borrowing money Of me
next, to say nothing of the way in
which you are straining your poetic
fancy to find aattering names for
me-" She took his cup and turned
away. Before he could follow he
was seized upon and carried off in
triumph by some fair admirers, and
quick glance back showed him that
fortunate elderly gentleman had
taken possession of her, so he re-
signed himself to the inevitable, and
did not see her again until just as he
was leaving. He had looked for her
to say good-by, but in vain, and Mrs.
Foster did not know where she had
hidden herself. so, he was starting
off, disappointed. but resolved not
to let the thing drop, when her voice
stopped him with his hand on the
door.
eau revoir, Mr.. Ashe," she said,
leaning toward him from the lowest
step of the stairway. EAU revoir." Z
"Thank you," he responded,
heartily. .And very soon, most fair
lady Of the realm Of my dreams"
''That is really a loving thing, Mr..
Ashe," she said, land I am very
proud ter think that you think that
I had any part in it,
''But didn't you?" he demanded.
"Do believe in telepathy?" she
asked, mockingly. "Am I an astral
body, or bad dream?" He shook
his high hat threateningly at her.
The truth is not in you, Mad
emoiselle Sapphira," he announced
Hear the lion growl!" she retort-
ed, with a saucy nod, and turned to
go upstairs. He took a step toward