The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1907-07-18

vi sellllHE udlleTS DelWeeu tueu.
Belinda was coquette. there was no
getting around that fact. even In ones
most generous moments, and Hardi-
man was determined to corner her
completely. He composed his lines
carefully; they were insplrational. And
now that he had broken the ice at last
he meant to carry things to a rapid
finish. The professor was nothing II
not businesslike. He fshed In n draw
er and pulled out teachers resigna-
ton blank. This he put In a separate
envelope and directed both to the dear
est girl in the world
The following morning the postman's
shrill whistle brought Belinda herself
TO the door She took the mail aud
glanced through 1t hastily, rivers OF
scarlet flowing over her checks as she
recognized Hardiman's familiar back
hand. She tore open the envelope
eagerly and scanned the contents with
whitening face. The paper fell from
her fingers. and she leaned Imply
against the banister rail So she was
asked, in the briefest possible way, to
resign, and she had damd to dream
she had been SO sure-She had been
such n fool She smothered the sob
in her throat aud in quick scorn of her
self dashed the hot tears from her
eyes. Then she pulled herself togeth-
er sharply and went upstairs. With
trembling fingers she filled out the
blank and directed it to the board
Drab weeks followed. Every eff
fort the professor made to gain an au-
dience with Belinda failed. He had
mortified and insulted her fagrantly.
and she would see that he got no more
chances TO repeat the jpdigpity, As 10
Hardiman, he was on the rack. Fool
like, he reflected, he had rushed in and
frightened her away with his maudlin,
importunate lovemaking, and thus lost
her for good But perhaps. after all, 1t
was not for him that she cared, but
the other fellow. What dolt he had
been to presume upon the affection of
matchless creature like that Life
grew to be a bitter struggle to him,
and he began all at once to look his
thirty-fye years
1t was In May. almost the close of
school. The day was warm and OPP
pressiye and a lazy breeze was blow
ing. The professor made his way in
absent WEAKNESS toward the school
house, stopping on the way to get his
mail from the postoffice. There were
several circulars in his box and-his
breath stopped-a communication from
the dead letter office He broke the
seal anxiously, an intuitive knowledge
of what 1t contained making his heart
thump thickly. Sure enough: Miss
Belinda Maxwell, Greenville, Colo"
And this was Alabama. Unadulter-
ated. blue labeled carelessness and
stupidity! If living In place five
years could make one responsible for
an idlotic blunder of this sort, what
else had he not done? He walked out
of the postotfice in a daze. All was
clear enough now. She had never
received his letter at all, only that
wretched, COMPOUNDED blank! No Won
der she had frozen the very air about
him-no wonder Out in the open mir.
he quickened bis footsteps. 1t was nj
ready 500, only ten minutes before the
opening of school, but he turned di-
rectly into Oak street and forgot thar
he had ever been such thing as prln-
cipal of the Greenyille High school.
In the distance he caught sight of n
familiar blue tailor made gown. He
doubled his pace and was quite up
with Belinda before she realized his
nearness. To her naughty glance her
cool drawing away from him, Hardi-
man paid no attention whatever. but
thrust the letter into her hands In n
determined. masterful way which she
could not resist.
Hypnotized. she opened 1t and read
the lines through. the crimson moving
in her cheeks:
My Darllng-I want you to give up
teaching and let me do 1t for both l am
not mistaken in thinking that you Will
come to me? Just line, giving me the
right to speak and l shall attempt TO tell
you in a different way, in a thousand diff
ferent ways, how much / worship you.
Most earnestly. r. w. II.
Belinda caught her breath In some
thing between a sob and laugh as
she lifted her eyes shyly to his keen,
appealing. apologizing and at last COM
manding glance.
The professor was tardy. very tardy,
that morning. but he gave his excuse
OF headache gllbly and mendaciously
aud dismissed pupils and teachers for
a holiday.
This he spent with Belinda.