The San Francisco call., 1905-08-20

Copyright 1904, by Frances Wilson.
EFORE they reached the first
q ledge overlooking Sausalito
mist like floating globules of
r. J crushed pearl rolled noiselessly
~ through the hssures OF the hills
and blotted ont the village, the bay
and the towers and chimneys of San
Franciscan other words. the world.
In the damp air the girls hair curled
more distractingly than ever. Never
Had he seen 1t when ii framed the low
forehead in so bewildering an ara
besque of rings and curves and waves.
You look rather swell yourself" she
laughed in response to his eloquent
glance OF approval "Knickers and
A Norfolk cap and the jacket aren't
half bad on you. Taken in connection
with your cleft chin,'' she went on.
throwing her head back and screwing
up her eyes critically, they make you
a very presentable youth indeedi"
I'VE won't talk about that" was the
terse reply. This walk to Point Bon
ita has an object!'
She opened her eyes wide.
Certainly" she assented politely.
Point Bonita, for instance. II 1T has
any other object" she went on stern
ly. .if you're going back to that old
subject 1 won't go a step further"
BY this time they were moving in
the midst of cloud.
1t was his turn to be innocent
You mean-oh!" with fine imIta-
tion of impatience. Doesn't a girl
ever forget it if u fellow has once hap
pened to fancy himself in love with
her and say so?"
The pink OF the girls cheeks-it had
the soft. furred look that is responsi-
BILE for the slang adjective "peachy,"
deepened suddenly. unaccountably. Out
of the tail OF his eye the youth OBJ
served this interesting fact with cruel
glee. rejecting with pang that he
should have chosen diplomacy as a vo-
cation instead of engineering.
you should forgive and forget the sins
of my youth" he resumed. *You know
you insisted that you would always be
the best OF friends-and that's what 1
need now!
You change quickly enough. 1 must
say!' she remarked with some heat. "It
isn't six months since"
"Since what?" he challenged, but she
the walls of mist Iazily closed in nearer
and nearer.
What do you want to tell me?" she
questioned at last in an oddly subdued
manner. He did not answer Immediately,
but swung on ahead of her in the mar
row path, as il he were making a way
for her through the mist. She felt
shuddering sense of desolation. Still, she
argued she could scarcely have supposed
he would go on caring, especially since
she had explained to him with judicial
carefulness that she MUST marry a man
with money, on account of her mother
and the younger girls.
Strangely enough, though she had pic
tured herself as married TO another. there
had always been a Somber, INTEREST,"
figure lowering In the background Of that
picture-one to whom she meant to be
so kind, so gentle, so all-sweet that his
regret should become like beautiful.
sad song-to be wept overland enjoyed.
And now -he brute was asking her 10
forgive and forget" that he had ever
told her that he loved heri
They had reached the summit of a hill
and he proposed that they sit down upon
a convenient boulder to rest before at
tempting the next one. Apparently her
silence was unnoticed.
''You see. Fates been telling off my
buttons lately" he began in a business
got to be money!
What do you mean?''
Rich woman. poor woman. beggar
woman, squaw!' he elueidated, touching
the buttons on his jacket. land the lot
falls to rich woman every time. 1t seems
Z beastly thing to think of-marrying for