Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-10-03
Alicia
Home
Coming
~
By
Cecilia A.
Loizeaux
Copyright, 1906, by Ruby Douglas

- Ut isn't even as If you needed to d,
: this, Alicia" Bob Kendall held bis
. voice to a cool, argumentative tone
J. that made the girl before him still
J: more indignant.
It "Who are you that you should decide
Q whether need to do anything at ALP
d she blazed Indignantly.
. Il am your fiance, and he was be-
ginning when she interrupted him.
"If that is your excuse for such I'M
just interference with my wishes, /
can at least relieve you of your duty"
: And she placed her engagement ring
: on the table between them. The young
? man glanced at 1t without seeming to
see It. Then he looked sharply at the
angry girl who was drawn to her full
{ height
Alicia" he said gently, you are too
angry to realize what you are doing.
Put the ring on your finger again.
You don't mean this"
Pardon me. do mean IT," said the
girl icily.
The young mans face whitened, and
a hurt look sprang into his steady
brown eyes. Then he Strengthened up
and squared his shoulders and SGT his
strong chin firmly. When he spoke
there was q note of hardness In his
voice which the girl had never heard
from him before and from which she
shrank mentally.
ALICIA, do you realize what you are
doingf We were to be married In May.
Your trousseau is begun, know. And
you've given me every reason to be-
lieve you cared for me as much as do
for you. And now, because ask you
to do this one thing-for your sake as
well as mine-you are going to give all
this upp'
The girl turned suddenly and went |
to the window, where she stood look
ing out into the dripping garden. She |
felt her lips quivering, and she must |
not let Bob see
Bob looked at the crown of dark red |
hair against the deep green Of the
window draperies, and his voice sof
tened.
"This is all I've ever asked of you,
Alicia. I've been too confident of your
love for me after you confessed It,
I've believed in you too utterly ever to
be Jealous of your fllrtations, as many
another man would have been-and
rightly too. I've submitted cheerfully
to being 'tralled' in public because 1t
was you who did the trailing"
Alicia turned and faced him again,
her foot tapping the floor impatlently.
as the list Of your virtues a long
one, sirT' she asked
Il shall not name them ALL" he an
swered calmly. THE only thing I've
ever insisted upon your doing Is this
one we're talking about. Give up this
silly concert tour I've never said a
word when you've sung for sweet char
ity's sake or for any society affair,
even when the publicity of the events
has often made me writhe. This time
you haven't any real reason. You are {
not In need OF money, and you're not
doing 1t for charity. 1t isn't even the
necessary ambition of the professional
to win higher place for herself. You '
will get hattery from the critics who |
spend real criticism on society anna
tours. If they should criticise you S
way they do profession S
lis, to whom II means bread and but L
er-yOu'd see the point I'm trying TO c
make. / appreciate the charm Of you i
ole hn l
ooks and listens to you possibly can,
md, Alicia Fairall, don't want to see
'ou damned with faint praise or hui &
Inflated by any conscientious critic. s.
)an't you see that "
when you are quite through" inter- c.
upted Alicia, you can doubtless find 1t
our way out. / must ask you to ex 81
use me-" And she swept from the IN
Dom, pausing once In the curtained b
Doorway as If to speak. II
Unconsciously she assumed theat-
cal attitude. Her face was turned back II
yer her shoulder, and her lips were
arted little With her glowing head
nd her soft green dress between the III
eavler green Of the curtains she look al
4 like tall, beautiful dahlia, and Bob ca
voluntarily started forward. But she III
osed her lips to a thin red line and De
ent on dropping the curtains behind al
er. Presently he heard the tapping Of al
er slippers upon the stairs and then "a
lie bang Of q door. -
He did not leave the house at once,
ut stood at the window where Alicia To
I'd stood and looked out into the gray
Wight. 1t was early spring. AS he
oked YEARLY at the sparrows on the
aked lawn Bob felt his throat tighten co
Id brushed his hand across his eyes. fir
"She couldn't mean It," he muttered tn
he turned and picked up the emer- de
d ring and slipped 1t into his vest en-
cket. ut is too close to May for her XII
mean that" Then he sought for pa ow
r and pen and sat down at the table CA
e wrote: luz
Dear. If 1 have been too harsh forgive WI
:. L have said too strongly, perhaps, or
lat believe to be true and all l want | no,
to spare both Of us the pain any failure 90
yours would be sure to cause. Think VI
over well. dear, before you decide. tha
hat came to tell you today is that off
r house Is all done. The last workman thr
9 left. | am inclosng a key-there are 49,,
y two-and / beg you will go there WI
think IT all over at least once before In
j decide finally. emf
lie inclosed the key and on his way ma
handed the envelope to the butler gre
"be taken up to Miss Alicia" cat
Is for Alicia. she hGd gone straight
her desk and had written the follow i.
, note: q
ly Dear Mr.. Courtenay-I have decid- to
as promised would by today. about "
concert tour. You may depend unon lnte
for your soprano. And as I have. been goli
only one TO object to the longer trip "Hc
# also irn mu, ,o',r my ouJee.Ions 70 int
alira tun ehnM ho n,,nnnanf..i c,l.. "l