The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1907-01-11

rec other " culmnt d; Of the bus, all
omen. nc id hot ook ut them. Just
that par' cular II loment he did not
eel kindly toward The sex
Smoothin out II le double sheet of
ale gray note pape 7. he reread the let
er fropt Penelope Graham.
You Fde ar old boy aren't you ashamed
D Def SorlSeuSh- sail the 10Th. Is
ot that early an )ugh? You have be-
rVIgeS4 me- every lay of this last chance
II mine TO take fling at the world as a
one oi maid IL every letter you beg
lie to cake the next boat back. And
'eally. Jack, now it will make you
EEL worse, bun w are having splendid
time! Uncle ElS and the girls met us
IN Paris anu VEIL so up to Holland with
Aunt Nam as sc on as Bess and l start
for nome. II been a glorious trip,
and when L tE1H X that next year it will
be you ana rifting together through
all these dear little old world corners
seeing the tntn IS we both love, why, do
you know III ave even kept a notebook
that will serve as our guide, so as not
to miss one ngle place or picture that
l want you 20 see! Next year. Jack!
Won't we he old married people then,
thought inc lie Rex says l don't act
bit like Il you ng person about to be mar
red in three weeks, bat it doesn't seem
like n comm 3 shock at adjust part Of
the drifting and glorious happiness of
life these de vs.
Bess and [ are to sail on the Goth. Will
you meet " )? l know you will. of course,
but l can hardly wait to catch the first
glimpse OF you. Oh, dear boy, sometimes
l am half afraid of my own 10y and the
perfect pes &c of it. Love is tempestuous,
Boss say!,, and uncertain and full of
waivers ol1 quavors and troubles and
bubbles. 'nd: only happy. But Bess
has never been in love, she cannot
know. Three wceksI Mamma thinks
white chrysanthemums will make the
| pretth st decoration for the chapel and
| ferns instead of palms
O'Donnell read no further. Some
! thing blinded his sight; something
seemed to grip his throat and choke
him. SIZE had written that letter to
him and then married Halliday a
week later.
The bus halted and one of the women
stepped by lin. lie held the door open
mechanically. She was old and dress
ed in a white embroidered Elton suit.
with a fine white mesh veil, spotted
daintly IN black drawn over her
wrinkles. 70 o'DQnnell she looked
like the incarnation Of feminine incon-
sisteGcy.
Halliday, Stephen Halliday! Pen
had mentioned him in her steamer let
ter when they had crossed in June
| merc!- mentioned that he was on
board also and that hey uncle was glad
to see him lie must be about thirty
seven. mighty decent sort of fell
low. of course, but not for Pen, his
Pen. with Ehr sensitive ways and dear,
precious, unsp0iIed i!!usiens ma ideals
of life in general and men in particu-
lar. "''
Yesterday had been the Goth, when
he was to have met her. He had seen
by the papers that the Sirius was in,
and among the list of passengers were
Mr.. and Mrs. Stephen Halliday. They
must have caught the first boat out of
Chcrbourg.
O'DOnnell opened the door second
time to let another woman out at For
ty-second street lie did not notice
what she was like, His head whirled
dizzily, as though lie were on the oQd
Of long rope circling through space.
It was foolish to lose his grip just be-
cause Il girl had thrown him over
idiotic. He would get through with
the bank and take a run out OF town
to freshen up, to forget.
At the next corner the last woman
alighted She wore a white chiffon
veil and appeared to be in a hurry.
O'Donnell sighed in relief to know he
yYas alone and looked about him. And
I,, ,,tH Il md
taut. for OIL the floor of the bus, al
most at his feet, lay the little gold
mesh coin purse that lie had given
Penelope before she left for Europe.
Before he had lifted it in his hand
he was positive, even before he saw
her Initials on the top band. 1t had a
curious little ring OIL the chain to slip
over the finger, dull gold circle set in
diamonds. For moment he held the
purse stupidity. staring at it with hun
gry. eager eyes. 1t was hers; she had
held it III her hand Il moment ago.
Suddenly reason began to tighten and
he remembered the woman with the
chiffon veil. 1t was she, of course. He
had not noticed. She had been in a
hurry. naturally Probably she had
recognized him and dreaded their
meeting. Without signaling for the
bus to stop he swung down the steps
, to the street and started headIong
> back to Foriythird street, looking for
Z q goHiau with a white chiffon veil
Rhe was nowhere in sight, but he
kept on II it were Penelope he would
= find her somehow. and suddenly as
he passed the postal station one of the
swinging doors opened and she came
5ut, tail, slender, dressed in gray,
| with the white chiffon veil over her
, face,
Pen" he e4olained, Pen, dar-
ling
And then the white veil was raised
[ and he found himself looking into
g Bess' dancing, laughing blue eyes and
I holding her extended hands IN his.
Don't shout on the street, Jack"
She said merrily. Walk decently and
D orderly With me TO the depot. Nam
T mas waiting for me there. We thought
} you We're dead or something, Why
, didn't you show up at the boat yes
terday? Didn't you get Pens letter.
"Pep-yes, | got the letter" ODon-
!. nell stumbled at the curb and riShted
r himself with an effort. Il also saw
Il the press dispatches. That's why
r, thought perhaps my appearance at the
:, boat wasn't necessary. Rather sud
j. den, wasn't it,
;, Sudden? Was it in the papers
= hefeJ' Bess stopped and gasped
h But 1t couldn't be. We never told q
soul, and we caught the night train out
IF of Paris and the early steamer from
: Ch2rbourG. And no one knew, not
V even Pen. Why, mamma didn't know
n until she met Steve and me yesterday.
q O'Donnell stared at her. The long
:, rope was beginning to swing him per
y | iiously around again. He took Bess
/ by the arm and led her under an avn
n ing at She corner in the shade.
:. where's fGpT he asked quietly
very quietly.
, "Why, 1T home, of course. Where
= would she be, goose? How white apt
/ odd you look, Jack! Pen came witt
u.s. OF course she didn't approve, Per
a never could see anything interesting IL
't love mania, you know, and 1t was per
e fectly useless trying to make her un
Il derstand an elopement. But why OIL
! | earth didn't you meet us yesterday