Smyrna times., 1905-05-10

"a "H luaC old set who Would bo,,,,
peen picked out as likely to mako oor1
y marriages" he went on How ~,
ueL tne sun do you account for it9,
It's one of the things that oon o,,,..
Do accounted for on the theory that we
are Doth wise beyond our time" was
.lie Inock grave answer. Then in a
'easlhg tone she continued. .sNTv br+
you're going to have a lovely +imoI
1here are about two dozen IittIa and
Dlg Johns, Marys, Charles and FranITs
IOr you to admire.
Ihls is your Uncle Fergus, tba
Ioi'u parents will say. He and, I usnd
" 20 10 school together oh. papa. no
must be an awful old manp THAT'S
"hat you're going through again and
again. I've been through if rn+iI
wish the word aunt were bIotted on+
OF the language"
On and on they walked, talking with
und1minished interest. As he remarI[-
ed III reply to her suggestion that n
was time she turned toward homo
the more they talked, the more tbev
had to say.
Never had there been the slightest
sentiment between them, though tbev
had been good friends until circum-
stances had sent Blynn to q distant
land ON business enterprise. He re-
called her as the best of comrades-o
girl with no nonsense about her Ru+
lie could not remember that in the
exuberant days of his youth, when he
lad made love in turn to most of the
girls of their set, he had ever included
her. As he watched her now from the
corner of his eye, losing no whit of her
m"ture grace, he wondered by what
charm she had been held immune.
Up to the moment of their accidental
meeting if he had thought of her at
all his mind had only brushed her
identity along with the group of old
friends, all of whom it would be a gen
tie, half sad pleasure to see again, if
only to fix a standard by which to
measure how far he had gone, for it is
only thus by comparing ourselves with
the friends with whom we were once
abreast that we can gauge our progress
or estimate our failures.
Yet now he had a curious sensation
of having stumbled upon something
that he had craved-something the lack
Of which had made him restless and
i'll at ease, and as the conviction over
spread his mind in all its amazing GER
tainty his manner grew abstracted.
Then he became alert with q sudden
purpose. With something of his old
impetuOsity he reasoned that here was
matter that had been deferred long
enough
If his instinct told him so much at
that first meeting he was dOubly sure
of 1t at the end Of the following month.
He seemed now to himself to have re-
turned home for the express purpose
of seeing Elizabeth. Her society was
like long drafts of cool water from
some boyhoOd's well. He hadn't
thought much about the water at the
time. One never does. He had sup
posed that all water was cool, clear and
He knew better now.
There was but one such well-but one
Elizabeth
''It isn't decent for a woman of your
age to be husbandless," was his scorn-
full way of beginning the attack.
"Oh, don't know!' was that lady's
easy rejoinder 1--WE spinsters have
our uses. Think how we serve to point
morals. Why, I've no doubt that my
self have been the object lesson that
has Sova6 mara than Opo Sxuao+ xyo,,,1c,
thing from celibacy. 1 can just imag-
inc a mother saying. You'd better not
be too particular or you'll be an old
maid like Beth Warer"
He grinned into the dark, debonair |
face for q moment and then scowled |
portentously.
you've had your own way too long,
young lady! What you need is the sub
DUNG effect of masculine guidance, and |
frankly 1 should like the post.
Remember, you let me go away once |
before" he went on in an aggrleved |
tone, seeing that she was about to pro-
test. "Of course you did. If you had |
been the right sort of a girl, wouldn't
you have taught me that loved you |
even thenT
She laughed outright.
Il happen to remember that you |
were head over heels in love with Har- |
olds mamma about that time" she |
jeered. Anyway, we're too old for |
sentiment. Our spring and summer
are over"
''Yes, they are" he admitted, with
gravity. But this love of ours"-his
tone rang with the mastery of one who
Is sure-''we'll call it Indian summer"