The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-12-03
M GOUSIN SUSIE
loarlnaI1

face. "I'm In a hole"
"a deep one2y
ayes. I have only two days In
which to prepare for examinations.
without putting in an my time I'm
sure to be conditioned on two subjects
at least. And now comes a letter from
my mother to tell me that my cousin
Susie. her only sisters daughter. Is
coming TO town especially to see me.
She has promised her mother and
my mother that she win not go home
without ha wing seen me. She comes on
Friday. surprising I'll be free till Mon
day, whereas these cursed exams re-
quire every moment"
ELS your cousin prettyF
"How do 1 know? 1 have never seen
her She was born and brought up in
California. But what has that to do
with it?''
"If she is pretty and attractive.
might help you out"
EFT isn't that she is to be entertained.
She must be entertained by me"
Very well. II you haven't seen her
suppose she hasn't seen you l will
be you"
Ned Colt and discussed the matter
pro and con and at last, both being
young and foolish, decided that l
should meet his cousin at the station,
take her to the theater and the next
day conduct her through the college
grounds and buildings l went to the
station to meet her-Neds mother had
said she would wear our college colOrs
in buttonhole-and l found the love
Hest. daintiest. prettiest bit of fem
mime humanity had ever seen. 1t
lot of oh
arrived, so I drove her to the house of
friend with whom she was to stay.
After dinner called for her and took
her to the theater.
Now, would rather guard a foot
ball goal against eleven staIwart men
than again guard the secret that was
not her cousin Ned. She attacked me
In front and on both tanks.
81 have always fancied you were
dark complexfoned." she said. like
your father, and ind you light
Cousin Molly (Seds sister told me
that you were OF a retiring disposition
and dreaded strangers 1 feared you
might make some excuse for not meet
ing me. l find you very easy to get
acquainted WITH Then she began to
talk about her relatives in California,
Of whose existence was supposed to
be cognizant, but whom had never
seen. blundered and stumbled, rush
ed madly-to speak fguratively-to the
right, then frantically to the left. and
1 had no sooner smoothed over one bit
Of ignorance than l fell into another.
II she had tried deliberately to trap
me she could not have done better.
However, 1 got through without any
positive evidence that was playing a
part When l parted with her l knew
enough of her family to send my love,
mentioning them all by name, and just
before the train started felt embold-
ened to attempt a cousinly kiss, but
she drew back with decided refusal.
For the next week the person of
Susie Leigh kept between me and my
books. II in hours of idIeness 1 danced
or skated was oblivious to the person
1 danced or skated with and called
them all Susie. Then came a letter to
Ned from his cousin, which he turned
over to me. She showed far more af-
lection In her letter than she had
shown me in person. I replied to the
letter warmly and received warmer
reply. After considerable correspond
ence wrote offering my heart and
1and. Her answer was that on no ac-
count would she marry a cousin.
Here was complication that had
not been foreseen. II confessed that
had played upon her creduIity she
would refuse me, and If remained her
cousin l knew by the tone of her let
ter that / could not persuade her. Be
sides, couldn't possibly marry her
without the whole affair coming out.
Meanwhile she had written Ned's
mother that he had been more than
kind to her during her visit and she
hoped he could come out to San Fran
cisco as soon as he had been graduated
and make his cousin visit
Being in for it, concluded to accept
the invitation. No sooner had passed
my final exnms than 1 sped across the
continent. found my cousin" Susie
very different person since had
proposed to her. She showed none of
that ease she had shown In my COM
pany during our first meeting, though
since my proposal this was to be ex-
pected I made up my mind to confess
ut once but before doing so stated a
similar case Of which I pretended to
have heard. Susie declared that the
man who had played such part could
not possibly be possessed OF gentle
manly Instincts.
This threw me on my beam ends.
For several days l went about with
her. feeling and looking as If had
melancholIa, and finally told her that 1
would return to the east. I had no
sooner made this announcement than
her manner changed perceptibIy. Dur
ing the evening before my intended de-
parture she gave me every encourage
nent The clock struck in the
morning before summoned courage to
tell her the story that proved me to be
uyTfbOnf o-apfIay,,o V,Iy 10sfFpctu