Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1906-10-18
Just Miss
June
By Virginia Leila Wentz

Summer after summer the same eld-
erly quiet people had come to Mrs.
Austin's pretty country boarding house,
and the same noisy, vehement children.
OF course there had been some addi-
tons to the latter class, some defec-
tions from the former, but the charac-
ter of the company had remained much
the same. This year, however, came a
new boarder of distinctly different
element. He was Paul Campbell, a
playwright of some reputation.
Being the only eligible man on the
place, Miss Austin had managed to
lay hold of Mr.. Campbell as her es-
pecial property. At first he did not
mind. Were not her eyes sufficiently
blue? Was there not always about
her the odor of orris and heliotrope? :?
But when he discovered that both
mother and daughter were trying to
work the matrimonial game upon him
he baked.
One warm day they had been down
to the lake boating, and now they had
turned their faces homeward.
IF you find the path rough for fash
ionable heels or tear your gown with
the brambles or scratch your face with
the wild rosebushes, on your head be
the consequence" Paul Campbell was.
warning Miss Austin, who had capri
ciously chosen a path through the
woods, while he had wisely indicated
another
Il don't care. It's too hot to breathe
today, and 1 know this is the shorter
way. It'll get us home more quickly
than the other"
well, it must be single file," OBJ
served Campbell. with something like
positive relief, remembering that the
arrangement would do something to
add to the difficulty of conversation.
you'll have a good opportunity"
threw back Miss Austin over her shoul-
der, ''of determining whether my hair
is all my own"
'Its glory" answered Campbell,
quick always in saying the required
thing, must blind me to its defects, IL
there be any"
$50 good of you to make the qualifi-
cationr' retorted Miss Austin.
Here and there the brier roses bloom
ed in all their exquisite pinkness.
Campbell absently broke off a spray.
Absently, too, he pulled the leaves
from the stalk Then he chanced to
look upon the pink bud.
With whimsical, half tender ges-
ture he thrust Ii into his buttonhole.
Oh, lie was a fool, beyond doubt, to
fancy such connection. But those un-
ostentatious little petals, showing their
delicate veins as they tapered upward
and Unfolding SO much wild sweetness,
reminded him of Miss June
June was Mrs. Austin's younger
daughter. She had wide, dark eyes
and teeth G. pearl, but she was not
beautiful, like her sister Jane. Their
names, in fact, many of the boarders
thought, ought to have been turned
about, for June was just like her Sis
ter's name, while Jane was as flushed
and jubilant as summers first month
There's a pleasure as well as a
credit IN dressing her," June had once
overheard her mother say when she'd
slipped Jane into a thin white frock
and brushed her glossy curls. That
was twelve years ago. June was only
six, but her fragile little hands had
gone together In mute protest, and her
eyes had grown larger with half under
stood pain,
Jrne, whom her household and the
summer boarders saw; June of the in
frequent speech, the shy, fugitive
smiles and proud, reticent air-that was
not June of the woods whom Paul
Campbell had grown to know. June
of the woods had an elusive grace,
shining eyes, laughter as silvery as the
ripping streams. exquisite fancies,
quick, dramatic gestures and withal a
delicate, childish abandon of spirit.
WELL" asked Miss Austin rs they
came out from the woodland path on
TO the sunny road, "have you settled
the affairs of the nation? I looked
back at you once or twice, but you
were in such brown study you didn't
notice me-" she pouted.
Miss Jane, how could that be pos
sible?' Knocked he courteously.
"Pshaww she said, twirling her sun
shade Indignantly. II believe I'm moth
ing but a peg for you to hang eompli-
ments on
you are tho magnet which attracts
them," he corrected. Suddenly Miss
Austin lifted her eyes.
''That wild rose bud in your coat is
very pretty. VIII you give it to me for
Il remembrance of the day?'
Campbelis fingers closed upon the
bud to detach it; then he remepbered.
''No, Miss Austin," he laughed,
thrusting his hands into his pockets;
'it would be inappropriate. When 1
go to the village tomorrow I'll get you
some roses from the florists"
One morning several days later they
were in the woods together, June and
he, under the silver column of a beech
tree. She sat beside him, with her
slim, brown lands folded in her lap
and the wild rose buds whitening In
her dark hair. The pink of them had
stolen to her cheeks. She
was happy today in spite Of the fact
that Campbell was chiding her.
''See here, young lady," he was say
ing half seriously, half playfully, ''if
you continue to eyade me as you've
been doing for the past few days I'm
going to pack up my trunk and leave
next week. What possible pleasure do
you think / find in a lot of staid ladies
who knit on the porches and children
who squabble'-
There's Jane" suggested the girl
lemurely, watching the flash of a bird
through a rift in the foliage. "She
likes to be with you, Mr.. Campbell,
I'm sure. And I'm sure"-here the
,early teeth caught the scarlet under
neither a staid knitting
ady nor squabbling child. And why
should you miss me? I'm not beauti-
'ul like Jane. I'm just
"Just Miss June" finished Campbell
simply. But there was world of
luiet pride in his voice.
June trembled beneath his words and
knew not why she trembled. But there
was sufficient dramatic force in her to
20 toward the making of q great
,ctreSs She spied n spray of scarlet