Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-19
taut to the pier. 81 hope you find the

parson In"
Tom helped the girl out with an air of
possession he had never before assumed. =
shouted, as Tom handed him double .he
fee he had promised and this, despite the
fact they had missed the train.
Alone, they looked each other In the eye,
each trying to read what was uppermost
in the others thoughts. Helen was nervous.
excited. but not displeased The man was
| anxious. fearful lest what he had deter
mined to do should go wrong-lest the
castle which he had just erected should
tumble down about his shoulders. -,
Half an hour to walt, did you sayF
asked Helen.
yes, only half an hour" smile played
about Tom Evans clean-cut mouth. 1t
was brave, determined smile.
"Only?" gasped the girl
1T is hardly time enough ne Ventureo.
Tom Evans, you talk in conunofums'
| What-wh-"
But he had silenced her by deliberately
| taking her hand and leading her 10 the
right. They walked a block before she
could pull herself together. 1t all seemed
| so queer. What had come over her! Usu-
| ally she did not let Tom-no, nor any one
lead her so blindly. And wheref :.
| Tom this isn't the way to the train. IS
it," ., 49,
No he replied, smiling still, with an
| amused, tender sort of smile now. NO.
! it isn't dear
| She drew back. tom, you-youre SO
queer. Have you Wheels too?'
They had reached the second block to the
| right. Three blocks and half to your
| right" the old man had said. Yes, ne re-
nembered the directions distinctly.
| Where, 1 ask, are we going asheu
Helen, with some spirit.
| "Tm glad you have that flower" he said,
quietly ignoring her question.
| The girl was beginning to think the esca-
| pade had deprived her companion OF ms
| reason. They were nearing the end OF the
second block
II would have preferred white roses, ne
went on looking straight ahead OF Hill
| mentally seeing around the corner to the
| north. $3.50
Are you quite crazy, Tom?
| Almost" ...,,
| ..Weu. before you reach your destination
| would Won mind telling me what 1t Is!
| zone more block and half. TINS time ~
| the right" He stopped abruptly anu pu,
ed out his watch. christening the c ;nnaG
| he removed from it plain, oio-laslioiieu
| gold ring and held 1t up. ~ s,oo
| warn, bushes were flooding Helen race.
| What she had somehow anticipated, Jus.
for the tiniest second of a minute on oot,u
| the boat was really taking place. But-he
had no right thus to impose upon her-thus
| to take advantage of an unavoidable situd
ton He had not even asked her-at leas'
| not on the boat-nor since
OTIS a little old, but II Will serve tne pun
| nose If was mothers" He interrupted her
| mental soliloquy. Somehow his tone, III
| speaking of his mother softened her in
! dignation. .,,,a
She could feign. innocence even IN the most
obvious sort of a situation.
"About this ring" he retorted. His own
presumption astonished him. tomorrow
will not do this time Something kept re-
heating the words and their awful impllca-
ton to him all the time. He had dallied too
long over the winning of Helen Worlhlhg-
ton; he would take no more chances
II won't go another step she announced
at the end of the third block. And she
stood in the center of the board walk.
Just half block more to the right
he said with the least suspicion of pleading
in his tone. He tried to be stern but failed
And then Where?" She was moving on
again with him, but with uncertain steps.
why then block and a half NORTH he
enlightened her. Don't you remember,
dear what he said?"
Helen's heart beat rapidly, wonderfully,
ioyously! This was the sort of man she
had always wanted to marry Why mad
Tom never shown his real, strong, firm
nature before? She would have accepted
him that first time-a year ago-had he
been like this But she would not yield yet.
What who said?' This with wellfeigned
imDa thence.
The old boatman. Three blocks and
half to your right, yes, that was it."
OH
Helen, shall we turn to the north?"
What for?'
Don't be so adorably dense Don't pre-
tend, any longer, that you don't know what
am dong-where we are going. You are
going with me to that parsons, and, with
his ring, I'll thee wed, and with all my
worldly goods-including two tickets to
Princeton and the foot ball game-Tll thee
endOw!
"Oh, Toni
"And then when we are wed, we will go
to said game and-Helen, don't you love
me enough for this?' She hesitated before
the house on which was the nameplate
Rev Jay j, Blessing Don't you. dear?'
cla clio
wanted to stop and think how much we
will always have to be thankful for on
Thanksgiving day"
And Tom Evans led the girl, the chrys-
anthemum the Princeton pennant and all
into the parsons presence.