Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-24

glanced through 1t hastily, rivers OF
scarlet flowing over her cheeks 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 dared to dream
she had been SO sure-she had been
such fool She smothered the sob
In her throat and in quick scorn Of her
! self dashed the hot tears from her
eyes. Then she pulled herself togeth-
err sharply and went upstairs With
trembling fingers she filed out the
blank and directed 1t 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 fiagrantly.
and she would see that he got no more
chances to repeat the indignity. AS to
| 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, II
| was net 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 bitter struggle to him
and he began an u once to look his
j fhfrtv.fiye years. 81 80
II was Is May. almost the close Of
school. fh5 day was warm and Pr
Inrpssive, and j iaxy breeze was blow
1ne. The Professor u,ade BIZ way Y
abzsnf wstfth611 towi1<f zee2ol
house, stopping o. the way % ~ 81
mail from the postoIfice. There Werg
several circulars in his box and hi
breath stopped-a communication from
i the dead letter office. He broke tn,
seal anxiously, an intuitive knowledge
Of what 1t contained making his hear
thump thickly. Sure enough: mis-
Belinda Maxwell, Greenville, Colo"
And this was Alabama! Unadulter
ated blue labeled carelessness ant
stupidity! II living In place fiv'
years could make one responsible TO
an idiotic blunder of this sort, wha
else had he not done? He walked on
OF the postofflce in daze. All wa
clear enough now. She had neve
received his letter at all. only tina
wretched, COMPOUNDED blank! No won
der she had frozen the very air abou
him-no wonderl Out In the open all
he quickened his footsteps. 1t was al
ready 500, only ten minutes before tn
opening Of school, but he turned. d
rectly into Oak street and forgot tina
he had ever been such thing as prin
cipal of the Greenville High school.
In the distance he caught sight Of
familiar blue tailor made gown. H
doubled his pace and was quite u
with Belinda before she realized hi
nearness. To her naughty glance, he
cool drawing away from him, Hard
man paid no attention whatever, Blu
thrust the letter into her hands in
determined, masterful way which sh
could not resist.
Hypnotized, she opened 1t and rea
the lines through, the crimson movin
In her cheeks
My Darling-I want you to give L
teaching and let me do 1t for both. al
not mistaken in thinking that you wi
J come to me? Just line. giving me Il
right to speak, and shall attempt to te
you in different way. In thousand di
!. ferent ways, how much worship yo
I Most earnestly. R. w. H.
Belinda caught her breath In SOM
thing between sob and a laugh 6
! she lifted her eyes shyly to his keel
!. appealing, apologizing and at lastc con
.. manding glance.
.. The professor was tardy, very tard
that morning. but he gave his excus
Of headache glibly and mendaciousl
! and dismissed pupils and teachers Il
: holiday.
This he spent with Belinda.