The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1906-06-20
Gerald's
M1fe 1 nz.;5
FORESTER
Copy 1903, by Ruby Douglas

who lived In Pinevillc proper were CON
tent To call it Pineville. Gerald had
written that they did not live In Pine
willie proper hut in Pineville by the Sea,
otherwise Plheville improper.
All that Frederick saw were pines.
plenty of them, Il fiat white ribbon of
roadway and bit of postotiiee
roughly shingled. In the midst of the
nearest clump of pines. lie stepped
into the postofiee as the central spot
of civilization. Some one was stamp
Ing letters behind the glass Enclosure.
a girl with smooth dark hair beatrice
had smooth dark hair.
lie watched the girl stamplng'letters
with interest and wondered WHY some
one did not tell her TO wear her smooth
dark hair In two soft braids around her
head crown fashion, az Beatrice did.
"Wherc do the Vaughans Dive,
please" he asked finally. when' the
stamping censed.
"rhe Naughans? Oh, Mr.. Gerald
Vaughan and his wife? It's brown
house down near the shore. with n
wide veranda and funny roof. About
a mile straight down the road"
A Wide veranda and II funny troof.
That sounded like Gerald. He lwon-
dered how Gerald's wife liked it. .Bea-
trlcc WINS artistic. but not artlsteally
eccentric. She hud horror of things
odd, bizarre. SO called bohemlans and
yet she Ind married Gerald. Aud IGer-
AIDS brother knew that Gerald was
utterly odd. bizarre and bohemian, so
called
lie walked ON down the Hat white
rhboned roadway and wondered
whether he would find her like the
girls Gerald had always admired.
lithesome, limp, blessed damozei type,
with close silky gowns and loose hoppy
hair. Last summer she had not been
that type. lie thought of the trim girl
figure holding the rudder of the Water
Lily TINT last day. She Ind been more
than the sort of II girl 10 fall In love
with She had been II good fellow. II
stanrh friend. And MS he watched her
he had stopped rowing and they had
drifted slowly In the sunset glow that
Hooded the lake while he told her.
There hud been no actual engage
ment. lie had nothing to reproaeh her
with lie had not been In II position to
ask her to be hls wife then. but he Ind
thought n girl like Beatrice had meant
more by kiss. hand clasp. few
vague words of understanding, than
| other girls. He had thought she might
wait untI next summer. And now. in
April. he had returned TO New York
To learn that Gerald was In disgrace,
had married on nothing, eloped TO Pine
ville-by- the Sen. n. g.. and his wife
was Beatrice Stafford.
Gernld's mother had said they were
penniless. Gerald's father had remark
ed that he didn't give n rap. They
could exist upon love and art.
More or less for Beatrice's sake aud
Il little for GeraldB, Gerald's brother
had taken IL upon himself to visit the
bridal couple aud help Gerald. Smoth-
erlng his own love. he had mnde MP his
mind that as long as Beatrice had
married Vaughan she should not SUI
fer from it,
There was no bell at the door of the
little brown house with the funny roof.
1t was merely n bungalow In weather
ed shingles. and he pounded on the
door Justify until IL opened and Bea-
trice stood before him.
She was not the blessedi damozel
type vet. Her smooth dark hair was
wound about her head Ia justtthe same
crown fashion, and she wore IA short
dark blue linen skirt and II white shirt
waist The sleeves were rolled To her
elbows, and from her finger tips toNel-
bow dlmples there was flour lsprinkhd.
lie hnd not expected to see her face
TO face 30 soon or alone. Neither had
he expected her to net us{s she did. The
color rose In her cheeks tipping even
her ears with pink. It was an old hab-
il. He remembered II.
Il thought you were lntI.ondon," she
said
you don't glveta fellow very de-
cent welcome after he's travelled from
London 20 this wilderness TO sayl icon
gratuln tons
lie stepped intol the hall after her.
She hesItnted and laughed. looking at
her Toured hands.
II can't shake hands with you, and
aud the Biscuits are In the oven. |
shall have 10 watch them. DO you
mind coming OUT to the Kitchen"
He didn't mind. There appeared to
be only three rooms The studio-sittng
room the dininar0om and the Kitchen
Collapsiblc ready in-G mnItte studio di-
vans were ia the,sitt1ng room and din
ing room in lieusof bedrooms. 1t was
all cImrmingly,, most uncomfortably
odd blznrrc an1ebohcmfn.
Where's Geratlf' helasked when he
mad found,H CHAIR Ia thclktelpn.
Bcatrlce kuelg beside the stove to
look nj Tie biscuit Hetcould not see
her face
lie wentj to the lpostotIice FOR the
last mail You must have missed
him"
well. what ryerimadclhIm,eome to
this losttcornert'
"Oh. because 1t twas ,the chance OF
something dcdnlteA yoh know! Don't
you know, she added aulekly,i seeing
Tic uuLNlttl Ibpk va lilSN lh''s " N'fE
Gerald's chun, NetherbgA James, kbroke
all to pieces last fall from overwork
and so on. (ond he was torderedtdown
here. AndJhe couldn't afford totcome
and stay lindehnitely. ~ he pulled IA
few wires. and things happened. He
was made postmaster there at Pine
willie. And hctgot lonesome ami healthy
and ,wortful again IL mGth ago $"
Gerald's In Ids place, ,apd hes In New
York Don'h you seed: 1t was really
very definite and hnRinesslike and
right under the cicums tances."
"Oh. certainly, undera the eircum-
stances" agreed 'Broderkk. 80 old
Gerry's postmaster inst cad OF artist"
Both" she corrected.S '.He has lots
OF time to study and it'sSgood for him
the responsibility. l mean. You
wouldn't knowjhim,"
q suppose pot." Iassented Broderick
nneasily. Heltriedlto reconcile his lit