The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-07-05

bSNdUHO FG always uOuUlCA WAtStASA
Archie was half good enough for you
The point is" the girl said seri-
ously, mot that a persons good
enough for you, but that you want him
or her. Isn't that it?'
'The point is he returned, that
as you said just now-they didn't want
US"
But you wanted her" she persisted.
He reflected for a moment.
cat any rate he admitted cauti-
ously, Il thought l did l don't know
whether I ought to ask. but you you
really did him the honor to want
him?"
"T-oh, I thought / did, too" she
answered 'if it comes to that"
There was brief silence.
Il wonder" he remarked suddenly,
why we're not both heartbroken?
We ought to be, you know. Hasn't it
occurred to you as odd that we're
not?"
Aren't we?' she said, with rather
elaborate indifference.
Personally, I'm not-not a bit. I
was at first. For "a hours was aw-
fully hard hit. 1t isn't nice trick to
play man, you know, to bolt with his
best friend fortnight before the we'd
ding?"
1T was, perhaps better" she sug-
gested, than boiling a fortnight after
the wedding"
you couldn't expect me-" he pro-
tested, Ito see it in that cold blooded
and philosophical light No, I don't
mind admitting that at first 1 was
awfulIy hard hit. Then I thought of
you"
Thanks" Her tone was dry. "Did
the thought of me comfort your"
! "Well-I-thought you'd be awfully
hard hit, too" he explained rather
lamely.
so was at first" she admitted in
cautiously.
There was a pause. She forgot to
/ torture the gravel
How long" he inquired delicately,
"did it last?"
'It?"-
"The first agony" he said, with sol
emnity
A smile crept into her eyes.
"About-about "a hours-and half a
minute" she confessed
Il told you" he said triumphantly,
chat it was worse for you than it was
fer me-"
by half minute" she retorted.
Then
''WeI?" he murmured
ooh, then l remembered you. But
that didn't" she added hastily, ''con-
sole me in the least. 1t made me
worse"
''Worse!"
81 had to be sorry for you, as well
as for myself. Don't you see?"
Her tone was a shade impatient. He
reflected for a moment or two.
'If I'd known that" he said at last,
cit would have made my recovery
much more rapid. l should have felt
it my duty" there was touch of
laughter in his tone-'to avoid giving
you more cause for distress than you
had already. l should have felt that
"a hours of despair were exactly %
hours and SO minutes too long. l
suppose" he limited, chat we must
concede the other minute to blighted
affection"
Wouldn't it be more truthful, !" she
suggested, eff we conceded it tO-pro-
priety?"
81 shouldn't have dared to mention
propriety," he replied gayly "but 1
can't deny that I thought of it. E.
After all, they didn't want us Why
in the world should we pay them the
undeserved compliment of continuing.
under such unpromising circumstances
to want them?"
81 shouldn't have been practical
enough to put such an admirably SEN
sible idea into words" she returned,
smiling at the handle of her parasol,
"but | must admit that it did occur
to me-"
ut would have helped me enor-
mousIy," he declared, "if l could have
supposed it possible that you might
think like that"
"Tt seems to me" she returned, not
without an attempt at condemnation,
chat you really weren't in need of
any help. Your recovery was quite
rapid enough as it was. If it isn't
the direst heresy to say so, I'm begin
ming to wonder whether you-whether
you ever cared for Angela at all"
eff it isn't the most confounded Inn
pertinence on my part to hint at such
a possibility" he confessed softly, I'm
on the point of asking myself whether
we were-perhaps not absolutely des-
oiated 10y the fact that tRey dldn Z