The San Francisco call., 1905-01-07

he must be an awful old mani That's
what you're going through again anc
again. I've been through it until
wish the word aunt were blotted Out
of the language"
On and on they walked, talking
with undiminished interest. AS he re-
marked. in reply to her suggestion
that it was time she turned toward
home, the more they talked the
more they had to say.
Never had there been the slightest
sentiment between them, though they
had been good friends unlike circum-
stances had sent Blynh to a distant
land on a business enterprise. He
recalled her as the best of comrades,
girl with no nonsense about her:
but he could not remember that in
the exuberant days of his youth, when
he had made love in turns 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 mature grace, he won
dered by what charm she had been
held immune.
Up to the moment of their acci-
dental 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 gentle, 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 COM
pairing 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 understanding, the
lack of which had made him restless
and i'll at ease, and as the conviction
overspread his mind in all it's amaz-
ing certainty, his manner grew alb
stracted. Then he became alert with
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 it at the end of the following
month. He seemed now to himself
to have returned home for the ex-
press purpose of seeing Elizabeth.
Her society was like long draughts of
cool water from some boyhood's well.
He hadn't thought much about the
water at the time-one never does!
He had supposed that all water was
cool, clear and refreshing. He knew
better now. There was but one such
well-but one Elizabeth
1T isn't decent for woman of your
age to be husbandless," was his scorn-
full way of beginning the attack.
"Oh, l don't know" was the ladys
easy rejoinder. I'VE spinsters have
our uses. Think how we serve to
point morals. Why, I've no doubt
that I myself have been the object
lesson that has saved more than one
sweet young thing from celibacy. ]
can lust imagine mother saving
You'd better not be too particular or
you'll be an old maid like Beth
Warev"
He grinned into the dark, debonair
face for moment and then scowled
portentously.
you've had your own way too
long, young ladyr What you need is
the subduing effect of masculine guild
ance, and frankly I should like the
post"
Remember, you let me go away
once BEFORE" he went on in an ag-
grieved tone, seeing that she was
about to protest ''Of course you did.
If you had been the right sort of a
girl, wouldn't you have taught me
that I loved you even them"
She laughed outright.
II happen to remember that YOU
were head over heels in love with
Harolds mamma about that time. :
she jeered. Anyway, we're too old
for sentiment. Our spring and sum-
mer 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 1t Indian
summer!'
Copyright. 1905, by t. C. Mcclure. )