The Owosso times., 1905-09-22
Little Dorothy's
COurtship
By VIRGINIA LEILA wENTz

would never do for Joan to find the
"big fish, Of the house party-that was
the name she had given the young Eng
lish earl-talking to her alone. She,
alas, was only poor little Cousin Doro-
thy and acting in this particular house.
hold as Joan's mothers paid compan-
ion! SO she pretended to be bored
with his lordship's society.
"La-la, la-la, la-la-la," she hummed,
sinking back into the depths of the
easy chair and stretching her white
arms lazily.
81 say" said the earl, lam firing
you, Miss Dorothy?"
Dorothy stopped humming. "No,"
she drawled, with mock mischief, mot
exactly. But'-here she smiled her
sweetest smile upon him-"you won't
be vexed, will you, If l tell you that
I'm bit sleepy and that must sleep
in the sun? Will you draw this chair
over for me, please?" Rising slowly,
she adjusted the feur-de-lis at her
waist while his lordship drew the chair
to the sunny corner Of the big veranda.
How'll that do?". asked he.
"Splendidly. Now for cushions"
"How many"
Hundreds" said she.
He collected as many as he could
carry and fetched them to her.
"Here are thousands" he announced.
"Deliciousr' murmured Dorothy, sink
ing back into them with q sigh Of con-
tent "This is quite perfect"
1T will be when / fetch you a sun
shade" he amended.
"Sunshadew cried she. "Go away,
you Goth! / want the SUM-"
you'll be pickled!" warned he.
NO" corrected she, dimpling, ''pre-
served" Her long black lashes lay mo-
ionless on the wild rose flush of her
cheeks.
The earl chuckled and, pretending
nat he fancied her already asleep,
.rept elaborately away on tiptoe. Joan
md the rest of them were in sight,
md he advanced to meet them.
Joan Shannon was unquestionably a
beauty. She had been photographed in
every variety Of pose; she had been
painted by several of the most cele-
Drated artists on two continents, but
N spite of this fact she had passed
through the whirl of three seasons and
was still unwed.
"She must be waiting for q title"
people said, as other girls far less
beautiful came out, danced through
season or two, and were led to the
altar by men of their choice.
However that may be, included
among the guests at this particular
louse party at the Shannon's, big coun-
Try place on the sound was the young
Earl Of Stowbridge, and 1t was common
property that Miss Shannon already
lad found him very attractive.
$50 awfully sorry you couldn't join
IS in our sail this morning" she began
n her sweet suave voice, with an ac-
.ent which was the result Of much
ravel SIS your headache better now?"
"'Pon my honor, I've not given 1t
thought for the last half hour. found
Miss Dorothy reading on the veranda,
and she took pity on me and put down
her book, and-well, somehow she must
have cured my headache She's got jol-
" pretty dimples, and she's a cousin
Of yours, didn't some one sayT
"Yes-distant Mamma never liked
NE to associate much with her family
when we were little, and now, as you
:an imagine, we aren't very-er-con-
genial"
"Such fun" observed the earl lacon-
cally. His fair companion turned and
ooked at him reproachfully. "And who
would wish to be funT" said she.
"Oh, / don't know" said his lordship
calamity.
Miss Shannon found herself wonder
ing for a moment as they walked on
whether the earl might not prove testy
after all. Would he be uneasy under
the crushing and ordering about to
which her father and mother submit
ted. If there was one thing she dislik-
I'd It was obstacular people. She had
been brought up to expect people to
agree with her.
"Of course" she sighed, struggling
her beautiful shoulders discreetly, "I
feel sorry for poor little Dorothy. Moth
sr won't need her after the autumn,
and I'm sure don't know what's going
to become of her then. Besides, she
hasn't any practical sense. Just look at
her now lying asleep In all that sun.
She'll be simply black with frecklesv'
That afternoon when everybody was
resting for dinner dance in the even
Ing the Earl Of Stowbridge wandered
into the library, a cool, dim apartment
banked with books and made comfort
able with couches.
He had just discovered one Of his
favorite authors and settled down to
read when the sound Of feminine
voices In the adjoining room disturbed
his attention. Six seconds had not
elapsed when he became aware that
II was no ordinary interview and that
he should make a step forward to an
nounce his presence. 1t was not In his
character or traditions to be an caves
dropper; nevertheless he found him
self curious1y unable to move or utter
a sound.
Angling for him-Ir IL was Dor
othy's voice, low and impassioned, but
with quick little gasp or two, such
as would come from one who had sud-
denly received an unexpected douche
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