Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-12-13
Alicia 5
Home
Coming
8
By
Cecilia A.
Loizeaux
sc


more indignant.
who are you that you should decide
whether need to do anything at allT
she blazed Indignantly.
Il am your fiance. and he was be-
ginning when she Interrupted him.
IF that IS your excuse for such un-
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 II 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, l 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 set his
strong chin firmly. When he spoke
there wa . note OF hardness IN his
vU'cc which the girl had never heard
rI1n u before and from which she
s. ak mentally.
"A+cjl, do y0u realize what you are
dom? We were TO be married in May.
Your t-0u Seau Is begun, | know. And
you've gen me every reason to be-
Eeve y0d cared for me as much as do
I III
to do this one thing-for your sake as
well as rline-you are going to give all
this up!'
The girl turned suddenly and went
to the window, where she stood look
ing out into the dripping garden. She
felt her lips quiverlng. 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.
"Thls 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 firtations, as many
another man would have beeu-and
rightly too. I've submitted cheerfully
to being trailed' in public because it
was you who did the trailing"
Alicia turned and faced him again,
her foot tapping the floor impatiently.
"Is tie list Of your virtues q long
one, Sir?' she asked.
II 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 a higher place for herself. You
will get fiattery from the critics who
do not think 1t worth the effort TO
spend real criticism on society anna
teurs. II they should criticise you
honestly-the way they do profession
ais, to whom il means bread and but
ter-you'd see the point I'm trying TO
make / appreciate the charm Of you
and your voice rs no one else who
looks and listens to You possibly can,
and, Alicia Fairall, | don't want to see
you damned with faint praise OF hu-
inflated by any conscientious critic.
Can't YOU see that
when you are quite through inter
rupted Alicia. you can doubtless find
your way out. | must ask you to ex-
cuse me-" And she swept from the
room, pausing once in the curtained
doorway as If to speak.
Unconsciously she assumed a theat-
rical attitude. Her face was turned back
over her shoulder, and her lips were
parted little With her glowing head
and her soft green dress between the
IIvut,Irt sIUru tii- Turualus sne look
ed like a tall, beautiful dahlia, and Bob
involuntarily started forward But she
closed her lips 10 thin red line and
went on dropping the curtains behind
her. Presently lie heard the tapping Of |
her slippers upon the stairs and then |
the bang OF a door.
He did not leave the house at once,
but stood at the window where Alicia |
had stood and looked out into the gray |
twilight. 1t was early spring. AS he
looked YEARLY at the sparrows on the |
soaked lawn Bob felt his throat tighten |
and brushed his hand across his eyes.
"She couldn't mean It." he muttered |
as he turned and picked up the emer- |
aid ring and slipped 1t into his vest |
pocket 1T Is too close to May for her |
to mean that" Then he sought for pa
per and pen and sat down at the table. |
He wrote:
Dear II l have been too harsh forgive |
me. ! have said too strongly. perhaps, |
what / believe to be true, and all want |
is to spare both Of US the pain any failure |
Of yours would be sure to cause. Think |
IL over well. dear. before you decide. /
What I came to tell you today is that |
our house is all done. The last workman |
has left. / am incloslng a key-there are |
only two-and l beg you will go there /
and think IT all over at least once before |
you decide finally.
He inclosed the key and on his way |
out handed the envelope to the butler !
TO "be taken up to Miss Alicia"
AS for Alicia she had gone straight |
to her desk and mad Written the follow !
ing note:
My Dear Mr. Courtenay-I have decid- |
ed, as ! promised would by today, about |
the concert tour. You may depend upon |
me- for your soprano. And as have been |
the only one 20 object to the longer trip
you planned withdraw my objections to
that also. Under your management !
feel sure we shall he successful. Sim ,
cerely, ALICIA LEE FAIRALL. /
When she had heard the closing of
the outer door she gave the note to the
butler and took from him the envelope
Bob had left With 1t In her hand she
went slowly upstairs and sat down be-
iore her crate fire She felt her anger