Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-12-04

with me. What IL III"
Grace laid friendly hand on the
heaving shoulders
II think II is your name-and your
hair"
Violet sat up very straight.
my wbatT
"Your name and your hair. You see,
one always thinks OF violet as some
thing small and shrinking and delicate.
and you-well. you are six feet tall
with that pompsdour You cannot
change your name. but you can change
your hair"
The weeks that followed were IKE
fairyland trips To Violet. whose mother
had read herself into mental aud phys
ical Inertia on diet of novels. while
her father had tried To wrest gold from
! the sphinxlike mountains She learned
! that Grace Saunders was merely study
ing bookkeeping and stenogrnphy In or
der 10 help her father whom she
adored. and that she had time between
studies TO do the most wonderful sew
Ing Violet had ever seen. But frst she
| taught Violet how to dress her hair,
low and soft I'm puffs above her ears
and a low knot at the nape of her
neck; then how TO do Delsarte exer-
cises TO acquire ease and TO feed GER
tain angles with massage cream.
The change was gradual but one day
when Violet waited on the table In "A
frock made with deep rufiles that broke
her height and soft frills at throat and
wrist young Graham looked puzzled.
Seems like violets do bloom some
times rather late In life" he remarked
\ into his confidence But would like
10 know how she became shorter"
"Some girls are born with feminin-
/ ity," remarked Grace Saunders gently.
! like Miss Layton. for instance"
Whereat the little stenographer dim
pied delightfully."- and young Graham
beamed approval And some girls
have TO acquire it. like Violet. Just
as soon as she dropped exaggerated
high heels, lowered her pompadour
and wore fluffy frocks instead OF
straight lines she became feminine and
attractive. Such is the psychological
influence Of frocks. But under il all
she had always most charming ma
ture and brilliant mind"
Yes. and she makes such good fudge.
| never tasted better I'm my college
days"
1t was Professor Kinds who spoke.
and in the sudden silence every one
stared at him. who would have
thought the man behind the glasses
cared for fudge? And then somehow
I IL dawned upon the circle of boarders
that the professor was looking very
young and had yes-he had some wild
violets, the first OF the warm early
spring. I'm HIS buttonhole. He took off
his glasses and glanced around With
amusement
"Why not? always was partial to
violets"
Mrs. Brent slipped her hand under
the tablecloth and found Grace Sam
ders' palpltating finger tips.
you knew all the time" she whis-
pered
"Ratheri 1t was my idea. but the
/ professor took TO II with amazing alac-
rity."
And then pretty Miss Layton sprang
\ from her chair and pushed the aston
ished young waitress, who had just
entered the place. beside the profess
or
The idea Of announcing an engage
ment with the bride to he out OF the
room! | insist upon passing the hot
1 cakes this morning"
And then. with the memory OF that
first day and the wave OF amusement
that had gradually changed 10 respect
and admiration for the girl and her
, pluck and her adapta bility. the board
ers OF Mrs Brent's select and homelike
establishment rose and solemnly drank
toast In the coffee for which Mrs.
Brent was famous:
ITO Violet" cried young Graham.
And this time no one laughed, but
the tenderness which comes when
7 loves wings fiutter close seemed TO
soften every eye that looked upon
the happy professor and the happier
girl.