Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1902-10-08

NJ Ind himsslfq" asked the girl,
RsaSaysJ.
r. deputy claimant began to chew
hsaae q grass. "WelI. TO tell the
ArutA I think he was g little bit-ahem
=aerv0na."
~YOu mean that he was afraid. lam
Dot surprised. All thieves are cow
arda."
~Thlsveai' exclaimed the deputy
claimant reproachfully.
eyes, thieves" said she. "What do
you can a man who, just because he
happens TO be my uncle's son, and my
nRels happened 20 be two years older
Ghan my father and happened to have
get married without telling any Of his
rsIationu-just because of . little
thing Ike that-Aere he comes and
takes my home away from me and
makea me 90 and live with Aunt Marial
] hate Aunt Mariai" she finished, vim
Hictiyely.
The deputy claimant reprsESsd =
smile.
aDOn't you call 9 man like that .
theft" repeated the girl, angrily.
"I-r-that ia-the law"
ooh, If you're going to talk law"
said the girl, disdainfully.
The deputy claimant Immediately re-
pressed his legal knowledge. Instead
be looked up at her and thought how
very pretty she was, and how the back
ground of green trees and velvet lawn
suited her. he had been thinking these
same things ever since he first visited
there, four weeks before.
at is deuc-very hard on you. You
seem to be in place here. You were
made for parks, you know, and big
rooms and servants and pretty dresses,
and-er-that sort Of thing"
The girl threw out her hands with g
little pathtic gesture. at is my
homel" In her eyes there was a home
sick look already. Her glance wan
dered over the broad terrace, through
the branching green of the trees to the
flowers in the distance, and the quaint
old house basking peacefully in the
eun. She went on, dreamily:
"It is not so much giving up the serv'
ants, or the pretty dresses, or c~easing
to be called the lady of the manor
or any Of the hundred-and-one things
that 60 with IT; |. is the thought Of
having no right here-here, where
have lived all my life and thought
should live always. To go away and b
q stranger, and all this belonging t
some one else-some one whom I have
never seen-an outsider-an alien"
at is hard luck" said the younI
man, alphabetically. Then, remem
bering his duty as proxy for the alb
sent one, he continued: "But, youse
you ought to be Just. You can't he'll
seeing that he could not help his ia
Their being two years older than yours
and he could not help the law"
The girl gave a weary little sigf
"No," she said, II suppose not. But h
need not have insulted me-"
"What2" said the deputy claimant
sitting up straight and nearly chokin
himself with the grass blade he ha
been chewing.
"He could have helped that" said tn
young lady, with emphasis.
ST do not understand" he protested
"Did you say that he has insulte
your"
"Oh," she said, SCI thought you di
not know. bwill tell you If you prom
ise never, never to breathe a word. 3
wrote to Aunt Maria"
Nv - III a1~-A -
she wrote to Aunt Maria" she col
tinued, triumphantly, land he told h
that 1 might have the property bac
If would take him with it,"
ooh" said the young man, reproacl
fully, she did not put it like that!"
slow do you know?" she aske
quickly. "But Of course he did not pr
It in just that way. He said that
was very sorry to dispossess the pre-
ent claimant, that he understood thi
the person in question was very youn
He said he did not know much abol
girls, but that didn't she think it wou.
settle things naturally if-if-"
81 see" he said. "He made a te
rible bungle of 1t, poor fellowl"
"Was it an insult or was it not
asked the girl, inexorably.
The deputy claimant looked vel
miserable. he wal certainly in a tigl
place.
Looking at It from your point
view" he said, finally, "considerir
your character, your training, yov
views Of life and things like that,
was certainly an insult. Iunderstal
that now. But when he-ahem-res
me the letter
ooh, he did read you the ~letterl"
81 did not look at 1t in just tn
way and neither did be. You see, '
had both lived all our lives out on
prairie farm. We did not know mu,
about girls. as he says. he did n
understand-well, he did not unde
stand anything" be finished, despe
ately.
"And ron think9"
II think he did not mean it as an 1
suit. know he did not"
He glanced at her imploringly, b
shs looked away. There was 3 slig,
pause.
"YOu are the jury" he remind.
her.