Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-01-02
THE DAY BEFORE
THE WEDDING.

| She was preoccupied and heavy OF
heart. All the same, there was abso
lutely no reason why she should turn
down side road instead 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
violently-into the arms of Fate in
the person of man!
He was walking rapidly, too, and
his expression was just as absent.
minded and miserable as hers
"I'm awfnlly sorry" he calculated,
holding her up with one ann. the
hand of which clasped small picnic
hamper-and raising his straw hat
with the other hand. "Good heavens,
yes, and I've spoiled your frock-it's
the claret bottle in this beastly
basket. l say. am sorry"
He stood regarding her helplessly,
as is sometimes the habit Of his kind
in the supreme moment of crisis.
Tara Baxter's bloodless lips twitch-
cd 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
had daringly put on her one present
able summer frock-and now
She surveyed the dark purple patch
on her skirt. and for moment there
came upon her the hopeless rotion
that the stars in their course were
fighting against her.
The next, her sense of justice, al
ways her most prominent sense, as
serted itself.
sit doesn't matter-really it
Doesn't" she protested, beginning to
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 we?"
Then, with the shadow of smile,
she glanced up at him for the first
time. He was tall and befianneled
and grave, with refined bronzud
face-a face in which boyhood and
manhood were curiously mixed.
There was sprinkling Of grey in his
hair. and his whole expression WASH t
bit in keeping with his holiday at
tire.
What can l do?" he repeated.
Then, blushing till the crimson swal-
lowed up all his tan: 81 wish you d
come round with me to Loberty's or
jays, and let me buy you another
frock. It's wolfe or something of the
kind, isn't it? They do keep such
things ready-made, know. Please
do. Will your"
He stopped down to examine the
damage closer, stroking it thought
fully with his brown forefnger.
Tara flushed, too.
~ shouldn't dream of such a
thing" she said hastily. cit 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
"What COMPOUNDED clumsy idiot
l ami Was, the appointment i'm
portant?"
well, yes, it was-rather. Tara
hesitated. She couldn't tell a
stranger-even sympathetic
stranger-that it was probably finn
portant enough to her to make all
the d ifference between a livelihood
and starvation. She wasn't likesome
OF her sex. inclined to burst into
confidence on the slenderest excuse, or
she might have informed him that she
was one OF the pathetic army of lone
ly business girls-a stenographer in
a big city house-and that ill-health
had made her late at work for some
weeks past; also that an irritable.em-
ployer had told her only the day be-
fore that if she failed to come up to
time again, she could take the ornis-
sion as dismissal. Work was hard
to get-almost impossible just now,
and she knew it; stenographers were
a drug on the market.
The young man who was by no
means wanting in perception, saw at
once that she was poor and reserved
about her poverty, and he respected
her for it.
SAT least, you'll let me see you
into cab?" he pleaded.
90! no thanks.'' she said quickly.
~ live only few steps off, and l
can walk quite we'll / must change
my dress, you see.
She did not add that the money in
her worn purse was only sufficient for
her bare railway fare-there was not
even enough for the days food.
Every we'll, then." he decided 81
shall take you to your door. He spoke
rather vaguely, for he was busy with