Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1906-04-07

too late she paused abruptly an
lapsed into silence.
why are you glad" asked. l ba
not intended to proceed on exact
these lines, but found It Difficult
TO be sufficiently brutal now that IN
necessity confronted me.
on she drawled, with a woefu
ahectation of Indifference, IL think
as the song says, You are owre youp,
10 marry yet you know"
i wonder what your wife will h,
Ike" she went on presently. "a
90 nope she will be nice, helpful sort
OF slrl, and not mere society butter
hy-llke me-"
and stopped.
quickly. 'N' ''''''
| Il mean" she explained, that the
OBJECT OF our first fancy is so sci.
uom the person to make us truly han.
ny, II we but knew it."
remembered then that some one
had told me- this was Miss Kerrison,s
third season.
'hIrst love is the only love" / said
nrhlly' II was no time for mawkish
ScrUples, had temporiaed with my
conscience too long already. She must
now De made to realize the sad truth
IN all its ghastllness.
THAT Is not So" she said. "Belleve
me, MI, Craven, when l tell you that
you are as yet far too young to know
what Is best for your welfare"
anyway" said l, when my fate
does come along"
And there | made an abrupt end FOR
she had suddenly begun to laugh,
There could be no doubt about IT.
she was laNghlng-nCt hysterlcally, Gl-
lReh put with unmlstakable ,,ssseg,s
ment, as at an Irresistible s,,ssf ENJOY
serl w., raven! she said It last, more
II ,OuSly, ~ think III be frank with
you. My honest dealing may cOncelv
ably cost me your good opinion, but
only for time. You'll like nue. all the
better afterward, Aud ! am sure you
have enough common sense, really, not
to think me unwomanly or immodest in
saying what am about to say to you
now
"Mss Kerrison," cried in sore dis
tress, "forbear, reflect, consider. Don't
speak yet. You may save lis both
much pain if you keep silent"
"NOnsensen' she exclaimed sharply,
This was an affront. Go on, then,
IL you will" said sternly,
"Pve an idea" she said, chat we are
at cross-purpOses, and that it is all
the fault of those dear, foolish Fris.
bys. Mrs. Frisby has said
to you about-well, about
me, hasn't she? Please be straghtfor-
ward, Mr.. Craven"
mo, she HASN'T" I answered.
"Mr. Frlsby, then?"
"Yes,"
"What did he say"
| turned on her in desperation. "HOw
can | repeat what he saidY' l cried.
"Mlss Kerrson, let me implore you to
say no more. Let me entreat-"
NO." she replied. 81 will tell you
what they said. They told you'll
well-had a penchant for you"
"They were Wrongw 1 exclaimed,
still eager TO spare her.
"Of course they We're" she Feioined.
"As wrong as they were when they
told -well-that you were-in love
with my unworthy self. But"
And she began to laugh again. This
woman, tell you, had no sense of
humor, or of decency either, should
think, "But they meant well, l sup
pose. And there's no harm done
except to our vanity, perhuPs. Any
way, the path they would have had us
tread hardly leads to the Wicked Place,
does it?"
- -'iIAsl-at ma inScrutably,
aud ! think she would hav6 added
sope pleasant, salving words. But
Just then a man poked his head round
the bead curtain and she darted up
and went forward to greet him. l
heard her call him Frank" and
guessed then it was for him she had
been waiting so meekly, all alone, And
Mt last | understood-I knew-that /
| had merely provided some comic re-
lief from the tedium Of her vigil
Edward Pugh, in the Sketch.