Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-05-10
By INA WRIGHT HANSON
Copyright, 1905, bv P. c. Eastment

Z
Ss-s~s-s-s-s-s-s-s ,-s-.-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s
| 1t is q notable human trait that two
men who barely recognize each other
at home will exchange the most cordial
| pleasantries If they chance to meet
abroad. In cognizance Of this law Of
nature / was more than ordinarily de-
! lighted to see Miss Alice Ruybottom Of
California enter a railway train. It
wasn't that Miss Ruybottom and had
only bowling acquaintance. In truth,
we had had great deal more than
that Operas, balls. teas, picnics, ex-
/ cursions by land and water, walks,
talks and drives we had enjoyed them
all together. expecting SO to continue
! to the end of our lives. But one day,
as we stood looking over the pictures
hanging for a prize in the Mark Henry
art rooms, among which was one OF
Alice's, she suddenly tore my ring from
her finger, threw it at me, burst into
tears and fed. crying out that she
hoped she would never see me again.
| am naturally proud man and, not
being able to perceive any reason for
her actions, took her at her word and
sailed that night for Europe. The year
| Of my absence had dragged woefully,
and came home, all the while debat-
| ing whether / should seek her again or
whether should let pride dominate
love- Now, fate seemed to have given
poor love a chance, so with some little
trepidation / went forward and stood
at her seat.
Good afternoon, Miss Ruybottom,"
/ said politely.
She looked up, her face tremulous
with bushes. why, Joer' she ex-
claimed How glad am to see you!
Do sit down.
sat down, my heart throbbing with
happiness. / was about to blurt it all
out at once-m longing for her and
my delight at being with her again
when my eye CHANGED to fall on her
suit case. In great glaring letters
read, s.Alrs. DR.. Arbogaste."
] | received two separate individual
shocks first that she was denied to
me forever, the second that her charac-
| ter had lost something of its sweet sim
plicity to allow of her proclaiming her
self as Mrs Doctor"
isn't it delightful that we both hap
pened to get this train?" she said, her
sweet face still pink. Il remembered
| that your mother lives around here
somewhere. suppose you are visiting
her.
| / bowed assent couldn't trust my
voice just yet.
81 am visiting, too, but l am going
home soon. I'm glad. I'm on my way
| to see No. 43. l don't think could
stand many more relatives"
| must have proved a sorry converse
tionalist, but Alice didn't seem to no.
tice. She chatted in her charming way,
her voice thrilling me as Of old, her per-
sonality sending delightful zigzags of
feeling all over me, but through it all
was tasting the bitter fact that she be-
longed to another
alice" / said at last, s'now that 1t is
too late to repair mistakes, it probably
won't be any good for you to tell me
why you threw me off so suddenly that
day in the Mark Henry, but it would be
Of considerable satisfaction to me to
know
"You said you thought / should win
a prize for it was the poorest collection
of pictures you had seen for long
while'
| / meditated. .sWell,' / acknowledged,
st was an ambiguous sentence. But
why should you have chosen to take the
uncomplimentary meaning? You ought
to have known me well enough to know
| that / wouldn't have Intentionally hurt
your feelings I meant it all right"
81 know / acted very foolishly, Joe,
| but | was tired and nervous, and that
speech was only the last of many. AS
look back they seem unimportant
enough; but, really, at the time you
kept me In nervous strain wondering
what you would say next. Do you re-
member the time you had mentioned
some Mrs. Newrich whom you had met
and asked you what she was like?
| You answered, oh, the kind Of woman
that you would expect to see wearing a
1 purple DOAiltL duu feu waist.
Il have some faint remembrance of
some unpleasant occurrence over the
remark, but
why, Aunt Rachel was present and
her favorite combination Of colors is
red and purple. Don't you remember
her scathing rejoinder p
Too well remembered it. So that
was Tiny penchant for saying the
wrong thing in the right place or the
right thing III the wrong place join
ed ruefully in Alice's melodious laugh
ter and kicked surreptitiously at the
suit case.
IF that unsightly object is in your
way, remarked Alice sweetly, sset 1t
j In the aisle. don't know where the
owner Is, but as I didn't see any other