The San Francisco call., 1905-06-11
Love and Grammar
By Catherine Burgess

I'm getting hold Of It," he an
nounced- Il say, do you come I'D on
this train often7"
Every morning"
Then" but the train was already
starting again. He had just time TO
dash to the platform and bow to. Mar
garet at her window before 1t was
: gone. His smile, as he stood bare
headed in her last glimpse of him, com
pleted the broken sentence.
= Committing lost It's terrors after
that. Many things may be said in
twenty minutes. and. though Margaret
conscientiously held her pupil to ques-
tfons of syntax, she learned a good
deal about him In spite OF herself; that
his name. for instance. was Harold
Bond; that he was in the employ OF a
firm of piano manufacturers, that they
were extending their business into
Cuba and South America, and that he
had the chance to represent them
there IL he could acquire a working
knowledge of the language within two
months.
She did not inquire when the two months
would be up She was not sure that she
cared to know. Early IN their friendship
he had asked permission TO visit her in
her home. but she had replied that 1T
would be embarrassing to introduce so ir-
regular an acquaintance to the relatives
with whom she lived, and he had not in
sisted. Perhaps she was little disap-
pointed that he had not.
One morning in June he squared his
shoulders Gefiantly toward One Hundred
and Sixteenth street and met her sur
prised glance with look of decision.
~ am going on with you." he declared,
'and / am going to walk over to school
with you and tonight / shall wait for
you at the visitors entrance and go home
with ycu!''
Have I nothing to say about it?' she
inquired.
certainly. You will say, I shall be
very glad, indeed. my dear friend. to see
you this afternoon. and have an oppor-
tunity of presenting you to my family
''And if don't choose to say thatg'
..Then I will introduce myself"
She was silent. For the first time her
heart misgave her. What had been a
pleasant adventure, something to brighten
day-dreams and think of-vaguely between
sleeping and waking, was turning into
urgent reality.
At the foot Of the elevated stairs be
guided her toward comparatively QUIET
street.
..I shall be late" she murmured. but
obeyed.
1T doesn't matter" he replied. Mar
garet, have confession to make The
first time we spoke to each other I
asked you if you came up often by this
route I knew it without asking. / knew
IL before you ever noticed nae-long be-
fore the days of the subjunctive mood.
/ followed you up here, followed you to
school: ! held. up a boy outside and
found out who you were and what you
taughr-and then / bought a Spanish
grammar. Margaret, sweetheart. forgive
mer'-for she had grown very pale-s.I
love you, I loved you them. / hated to
do 1T, but we had no common friends.
as people have in books; no accident
ever happened in which i could rescue
you. 1 couldn't speak to you first. / just
had to depend upon your professional
spirit and the subjunctfve mood. Say
you forgive me-
'And Cuba, and your position and the
rest Of it?" she gasped.
"True as gospel he answered. Cuba
is simply holding its breath till it can
get cur pianos. My position is that of
Junior partner in the Arm: and I am
really going thereon my wedding trip.
Unless you would rather go somewhere
else?'' Then. pleadingly, ''You wouldn't.
would you?'
And Margaret surprised herself by
whispering No" Afterward she re-
Tested it was what she had meant to.
say all along