The San Francisco call., 1905-06-18

(Copyrigtt. 1905. by Martha McCulloch
Williams.)
"HE mischief was done all in
minute. Fate perhaps knew how.
Karsens certainly was all in the
dark and as angry as he was
amazed TO find himself in Cupids
tolls. He had got almost through this
house party, as through a hundred
others, scot free. unburdened by more
than passing memories of black eyes.
or gray, or blue. Indeed. he had passed
up Mildred Gore as impossible two
minutes after he took her in to dinner;
regretfully. too 1t was on many
counts so desirable that he should find
In her the woman he wished to marry.
She was his equal in birth. in for
tune, in position; his people approved
her thoroughly, moreover there had de-
scended to him a burden of obligation
to her blood which it was impossible
that money could discharge. Her father
had come ~ his fathers rescue in a
day of trouble that otherwise must
have ended in disaster. forcing his way
through mob of clamoring depositors
in the elder Karsens bank, with bags Of
of ten times as much at need. That had
stopped the senseless run. Men who had
been ready to fight for their money had
begged abjectly to have it kept in the
vaults
This, of course, had been in the days
of provincialism, before Banker Kar-
sens had come to the city to prosper
and die millionaire. His son. Her
bert, had only the haziest memory of
the fitting of Minton, the little home
town, and haziest of all. Of Mildred,
as a wisp of long, white clothes with
something red and squirmy at the top
of them, which he had been hidden to
kiss, but from which he had turned
away in disgust, sticking small fists
into his first pair of pockets and say
ing grandly: I'm man now-don't
kiss girls any more"
Until two hours before they were to
leave Hidaway. the Barton country
house, he told himself the Gore girl
was out of the question.
His wife must have. above all things.
beauty and brillIanee. Mildred was
quiet, lumpish even, he thought: con-
tent to play wall flower or happy with
Dicky Barton for company. Dicky was
an infant terrible. aged seven. All the
other girls Stunned him as much as
they dared.
He had somehow sensed it that Mil
dred might be n beauty if she chose
before he saw her come home from a
rapid ride, with cheeks like damask
roses and tendrils of soft brown hair
framing her glowing face. A crown of
wild grape blooms lay lightly above
the tendrils; a sheaf of pink wild roses
was crushed against her dark green
coat, just below the throat. She was
laughing, too, as merrily, as happily as
Dicky himself-Dicky who rode at her
elbow, impishly happy over having
brought both their horses TO the edge
| of running away. Dicky it was who
had crowned her, after pulling off her
| hat and letting down her hair. He
| scowIed at Karsens as that gentleman
made to help Mildred down, saying
| shrilly: You go way and stay with
your no-goodsl She nodding toward
Mildred. belongs to me. I'm goin' to
marry her when I'm grown up-that
] will be esabout Christmas after next"
| .Dicky, don't you think it might be
! next Christmas?" Mildred asked. her
eyes dancing 'I hate long engage
ments-they.re always dreadfully sor
Irowful, besides being unlucky." Dicky
| looked at her doubtfully-
/
YOU begaged to the fellow you carry
| round in your locket? 1 saw you kiss
ii the other day-let me see what he
/ looks like-you know you said you
would"
$50 I will-some time" Mildred an
swered, catching him by the shoulders
and swinging him back and forth Kar-
| sens noted how soft yet firm her hands
were. the fine modelling of wrists and
palms. the whole pose of grace and
strength But he hardly knew that he
did note them--he was so blindly, so
| furiously jealous of rhe fellow in the
IIocket. When Dicky at last ran away
to his mother. Karsens stood before Mil
dred. asking imperatively: Are you
really engaged?"
whats that to-Hecuba?" Mildred
countered, her paling roses suddenly red
again.
| sEyerythingp' Karsens said, with a