The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1907-01-11

t.
of heart. All the same, there was
absolutely no reason why she
should turn down a side road in
stead of keeping straight along
Main street, which was really her
nearest way. But being quite
feminine, and consequently quite
illogical, she did so, and there upon
ran straight and violently very
violenty-into the arms Of Fate in
the person of a man!
He was walking rapidly, too,
and his expression was just as
absent minded and miserable as
hers.
I'm awfullv SORRY he ejacu-
lated, holding her Up with one
arm, the hand of which clasped
q small picnic hamper-and rails
ing his straw hat with the other
hand. "Good heavens, yes, and
I've spoiled your frock-lt's the
claret bottle in this beastly basket.
l say, I am sorry!'
He stood Regarding her helpless
", as is sometimes the habit OF his
kind in the supreme moment of a
crisis.
Tara Baxter's bloodless lips
twitched the twitch of despair
she was making heroic efforts not
to weep outright. 1t happened to
be the first hot day, and, tempted
thereby, she daringly put on her
one presentable summer frock-
and now!
She surveyed the dark purple
patch on her skirt, and for 4
moment there came upon her the
hopeless notion that the stars in
their courses were fighting against
her.
The next, her sense of >justice,'
always her most prominent sense,
asserted itself.
1T doesn't matter-really it
II shouldn't dream of such a
thing,' she said hastily. 1T really
is of no consequence only it's a little
awkward, as I had an-an appoint
ment in the city at $50. And now
I've missed the train.''
'sWhat a COMPOUNDED clumsy idiot
lam! Was the appointment import
anti"
swell, yes, it was rather. Tara
hesitated. She couldn't tell stran-
ger-even a sympathetic stranger
that it was probably important
enough to her to make all the differ
ence between q livelihood and star
walton. She wasn't like some of
her sex, inclined to burst into conf
dences on the slenderest excuse, or
she might have informed him that
she was one of the pathetic army
of lonely business girls-a steno:
he repeated. Then, blushiqg till
the crimson swallowed up all his
tan: IL wish you d come round
with me to Loberty's or jays, and
let me buy you another frook. It is
voile or something of the kind, isn't
it, They do keep such things ready
made. know. Please do. Will
you9''
He stopped down to examine the
damage closer, stroking it thought
fully with his brown foretinger
Tara flushed, too.
doesn IT," she protestded, beginning
10 pity the man more than herself.
''Besides it was quite as much my
fault as yours we neither of us look
ed where we were going, did we1'
Then, with the shadow of a
smile, she glanced up at him for
the first time. He was tall and
f1anneled and grave, with refined
bronze face, in which boybood
and manhood were curiouly mixed.
There was a sprinkling of grey in
his hair, and his whole expression
WASN'T bit in keeping with his
holiday attire. ''What can I do2"
grapher in big city house,-that
ill health had made her late at
work for some weeks past; also
that an irritable employer had told
her only the day before that if she
failed to come up to time again, she
could take the omission as a dis
missal. Work was hard to get
almost impossible just now, and she
I>nou r. atonOoranhars wal.a j1rli O