Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-23

on my pink gown and the expression of
early Christian martyr. l had an awful
conviction that / was going to funk at the
fence, but at least l would make brave
start. Jack didn't come. At o'clock
Priscilla came in with a horrible headache,
and asked me just to let her alone and
not allow any one to go 20 her room. 1 was
! sorry for her but l felt like a criminal
repreVed at the gallows.
Jack didn't come that night The next
day had note apologiZing-rush of work,
would be up in few days. l asked Pris-
ella if she didn't think it queer. and she
did. She was awfully nice to me seemed
to think I was feeling bad. and rubbed
around and purred and made a doormat of
! herself for me. L never knew her to be so
devoted and humble. She told me how
much nicer and prettier and nobler 1 was
than she had ever dreamed of being. She
said she wasn't worthy to tie my shoelaces.
She swore she never had loved friend
she loved me and that she couldn't be dis
loyal to me if she tried. She gave me her
best shell comb and tried to make me take
her pearl locket. l wasn't used to such
devotion, and it made me tired 1 couldn't
live up to 1t, and didn't want to hurt her
feelings. One day mother came to me and
asked if | knew what she had done to of
fend Priscilla. She said the child hardly
| spoke to her and seemed anxious to avoid
being alone with her. Jack didn't turn up
that week nor the next, and then, the
! third week, l met the English war corre-
spondent, and l didn't have time to think
\
Priscilla and | had come in from the thea
ter, and l had a Christmasy good will-to-
ward-men mood
Z" I'm going to write to Jack Dutton and
ask him what's the matter l said
Priscilla jumped. oh, | wouldn't she
gasped, and then she blushed scarlet l
stared at her
why not?' I asked It's the queerest
thing | ever heard of, the way he has
dropped an old friend. My conscience is
clear, and something's wrong, and I'm
going to know what it is
She wriggled.
Priscilla 1 said, sternly, you know
something about Jack-something that
explains the whole thing
She vowed she didn't.
Priscilla should never lie. OF course,
her efforts are all wrong morally, and
then they are so crude that they haven't
any artistic value.
Il took her by the shoulders and fixed
her with an eagle eye. She opened and
shut her mouth helplessly and began to cry.
" 1T wasn't my fault she said. L never
| guessed; and it was perfectly ridiculous,
and
shed be stringing words yet If an auro-
, raj dawn hadn't occurred in my alleged
| brain.
" You don't mean that it was you all the
"She was a picture of guilt One might
have thought she had our spoons in her
| pockets.
"She pumped down on the floor and hid
Il was paralyzed for one thunderstruck
moment. Then l how1ed for glee
Priscilla looked up at me with a weak
Watery smile and asked me If / was angry
| Angry?-why l wouldn't have missed it
| for worlds. The more l thought about it
| the funnier it got. 1t was such an ALIEN
| bracing joke.
Everybody was in It,
Think of Jacks impotent rage when
| Priscilla kept sliding out and leaving him
| alone with me. Think of mother being
| Machiavellian and having her hopes. Think
| of Priscilla religiousy keeping out of the
way.
And. OH Bobby, think of me, sitting up
| nights to decide whether I'd better marry
him. and steering him off from a proposal,
| while all the time he was trying to screw
| up courage to tell me he was madly in love
! with Priscilla"
| How did Priscilla find out the truth?"
| asked Bobby with a sympathetic chuckle
| Jack met her on the street. He took
her into the park and uncorked his soul
| IL was volcanic eruption. He had loved
her at hrst sight. she must know it. Every
one must have known it. He couldn't live
! without her She was heartless cruel
| She told him she had thought l was
! lt-that we had all thought so. That
| stunned him. Poor Jack! Priscilla vowed
she would never see him again, and then
| ran home and cred all night 1t was a
| tragedy to her 1t never entered her head
that l would think the thing funny
I'm glad I'm not built upon proud or
| tragic lines, Bobby.
| 81 wrote to Jack that night and told him
| that l would forgive him for trifiing with
| my young affections, and that If he'd kindly
! come up and make love to Priscilla I'd take
| the war correspondent out for a walk and
| try to repay well-meant services.
He came They are engaged
.If any young wants to believe
! he is in love with me now, he has to swear
| to il before a notary. I'm not staving off
| any proposals Let them all come. / don't
| know whether they are mine or Priscillas
until it's all over