Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1904-12-02

Miss Mitford's
Sacrifice
By KEITH GORDON

whose dark eyes met young Barton's
exploring glance with a smile lurking
In their depths, and whom, with the
arrogance of youth, he promptly cata-
logued In his mind as "old" Around
the next corner and directly opposite
him the figure of June-like young
creature appeared, silent and impress
i've as the facade OF a handsome build
ing. At his left dapper middle aged
man, whose hair showed shameless
tendency to retreat by the back way,
was eating his soup in a severely bust
nesslike manner.
Neither the young lady nor the little
man showed the slightest ripple of In
terest in the stranger at the table, and
with the chagrin Of a warm nature
whose open frlendliness has been 81
lently declined his wandering glance
came back to Miss Milford
The demure smile In her eyes seemed
to have deepened, and whether 1t
meant sympathy or amusement was an
open question. At any rate Stuart
Barton reversed his decision and de-
cided that she was not very old after
all and that she undoubtedly under
stood.
He had heard OF people 30 congenial
that they were old friends before they
had time to become new acquaint-
ances Before the meal was over he
was convinced that Miss Milford and
he were persons of that description. To
be sure. they spoke only In platitudes,
but there was raillery in her soft
eyes and In the smile that played about
her lips which seemed to answer his
keen but unexpressed derision of their
conventional companions.
When you are young, eager and am
bilious and have come to New York to
rise" you have an aching need OF In
telligent, sympathetic companionship.
Before Il week was past Stuart Barton
began to find Miss Mitford's society as
necessary to his comfort az sleep or
food.
She listened to his arrogant. boyish
views of men and things with an inter
est which had not always been accorded
them and which did not fan Of Its eff
feet. After the Jaded, cynical opinions
OF older men she really found them as
exhilarating as wine. Always they
parted with grudging sense of break
ing off at the most interesting point
with a parentheticaI ITO be contln
ued," like serial story.
More than once she had surprised
amused glances on the faces Of other
boarders, and she was far too acute
not to interpret their meaning accu-
rately. But she remained tranquil, too
happy and engrossed to care what the
common, conventional herd might
think.
II suppose you know that they are
saying all sorts of things about usT
she said to him one evening when Miss
Selwyn's behavior at dinner had
amounted to nothing less than a repri-
mand.
Then she went on mercilessly: "They
probably say that am leading you on,
that | am old enough to know better,
that am a designing old maid and n
few more nice things OF that sort.
want you to know all about II, because
I am lot older than you. sixteen long
years OF 1896 days each"
She paused, with a queer, breathless
,oo,,r, ,L,, MAJ. a., rn,Iaaaa,,, s,r
,r,sa 20 hors.,s aha woi,ad sor h,s an.
s,yar n. ~ bar ne hung unon bia
n,ords
.un,hor uo,,u ooap, Ian Ia,,hod aav,v
"your evos arc 40 young asas"ybe
bas,tateG casting about Tor a simiIe-
Gas Mo- sa,wvn,. Indaed they're .
gooa dao, vonnoar and so 10 your
mind your ace 4. inst y,ght II ia I
,yho nm hesstIv young Don,t ever
mention II again for Zoe, like n mere
la Whom vo,, tai, ITO tbis"
uovIng J,snosad ~ tho .uo0es,,on IN
mi. summarv manner he began 70
taIL % o,har and n,eoson,ar thInoa
and he,ora long Mas M,tSord,s cIeor
laugh wa. ringing ont ike a gIrps
Miss selwvn was passing through the
hail hoard n and wondered IN a vague.
Iv nattled wav what Mr. Rarton aaw I'm
that ola maid There we're t,mea whom
aha baIf re0rettad ber bautaur IN tho
Young stranger His ewes certainly
were fine Besides. II touched her
nr,de that a man shouId deI,herotelv
turn m ano,ber vuom.n ubsn aha ,Uas
at hand The fact that the woman was
her senior and no beauty onIv made
the ofYenae more beinoua
nv deOrees tberefore ber nanner
toward him changed. thawin0 aIowlv.
but surely, like ice before the spring
sun. But, though she melted, Barton
was politely Indifferent, and Miss Nit
ford looked on with q keenly feminine
appraciat ton Of the byplay. She felt
that the siren was singing to her
knight in vain, and she rejoiced with
true womanly exultation.
"What possesses Miss Selwyn--
that's what I'd like TO known that
gentleman blurted out as they were
swinging along through the park to
gether one day. she used barely to
speak to me, add now butter wouldn't
mott in her mouth. She's 80 blamed
pleasant afe worries me. II doesn't