The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1906-10-02
INTERRUPTED ENGAGEMENTS
~ Nellie Cravey Gilmore.

| ny Nellie Cfavey Gilmore.
| The outlook was distinctly unprom-
Using. One circumstance in particula,
gloomed Kendall's mind. Foollike he
| had allowed himself to be drawn into
a sort of halfway matrimonial scheme
OF his cousin Kitty's. and was even
could carry him to the second fatal
step toward its consummation. The
! first had been taken when he drifted
into the correspondence with the girl
Ia correspondence which had quickly
run through all the successive stages
till now II stood upon a decidedly SEN
timental footing.
Kendall occupied himself alternately
by studying the flying Landscape and
the photograph OF his latest inamori
ia. She was good-looking enough. In
all sense but for some perverse reason
| OF the hour he chose to resent her
rich. dark beauty with passionate de-
fiance. Somehow another face. sweet
| err than a flower. star-eyed-framed in
q cloud of misty gold hair-kept com.
ing in between with maddening insis-
tence, bitter memory Of his disappoint-
ment wr.aging his heart as he ha
never thought It could be wrung again.
An unwonted tear caught in his eye:
himself and tho next Instant was por-
/
paper article.
| Presently came the first call for din
ner, and Kendall rose with alacrity.
making his way to the dining car
ahead. Anything to give relief from
his present gloomy thoughts. Every
table but one was occupied and he took
his seat gratefully. dashing off an
elaborate order in an utterly preoccu-
pied fashion. Then he gave his atten
tion to the dingy train of freight cars
whining monotonously past. and the
shadowy chain of mountains. rearins
| themselves like solemn green cones in
the distance. Presently a driving rain
set in, adding. II possible, to his des-
| perate frame of mind.
After a while Kendall became con
scious of some one taking the chair
opposite him and he held his eyes
| stiffly averted, because he was also
subtly cognizant of the fact that 1t was
a tailor made young lady with sunny
curls and an exquisite modulated
| voice as she addressed the waiter.
After several embarrassed moments
no permitted himself a surreptitious
glance toward his vis-a-vis. Her face
was averted. but there was no mistak
ing the pink. oval cheek with its sweet.
ccbweb hair. the scarlet, tremulous
lips
The girl turned swiftly under the
spell OF his eyes. a river Of crimson
running from throat to brow. But sud-
denly she stiffened and the color for
sock her face.
Kendall WAS looking at her very ear
nestly, very pleadingly. The quarrel
had been terribly bitter. but the after
math was much more bitter. There
had been only six months of that-and
a lifetime stretched drab before them:
"Marjorie" He leaned half across
the table. his glance full Of passionat.
appeal. He seemed to have forgotten
altogether that half a year ago they
had parted for good and ALL with the
promise never to speak to one another
again.
The girl accepted his eyes for a sec
ond; then her lashes flickered and fell,
Her lips were held taut to conceal thel-
trembling and her breath was coming
In little jerks. But she controlled her
self quickly and when she looked UP
again her expression was quite calm.
whatever it may have indeXed
Personalities" she forced herself to
say. will have to be avoided. Dick.
We settled all that long ago. did we
not?'
dali felt himself going white under the
stab Of them. Could It be possible. aft"r
all past reservations, that she had
ceased to care so entirely? Surely she
could never have suffered as he had
done the last six months and sit fac
ing him now with so cool demeanor
He was on the point Of speaking when
the waiter reappeared.
Marjorie welcomed his coming with
u tremendous sensation or relief. Self
control was fast getting away from
her. She raised a glass of water to her
lips and drained 1t feverishly. Kendall
| noted that her fingers were shaking.
and his heart gave sudden throb
Perhaps after all. her GOODNESS was
mere assumption. He sought her