The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-05-17
ENLIGHTENMENT of PoHic.
BY Elizabeth |. Mason

marked Polite, plainfiYely. VIVA
/. do girls do in books when their guar
dams get married."
They get married themselves, &c
their Oldest friends" answered Rich
ard. ungrammatically. You could dc
that. You might marry me. ] am the
Oldest friend you have around here
"You forget Cesar" corrected POI
lie. patting the shaggy head of the
bear r of the name.
We'll. he's dog protested Rich
ard, thinking what pretty picture
she made.
well you're goose" retorted
| Polite irrelevantly. Don't be silly,
Richard. | don't want to marry you
or anyone else | said | was per
picked. Why do you suppose Luther
wants to get married, anyway"
Perhaps he's lonely" suggested
the young man,
Polly shut her fan with a snap and
sat up to look disdainfully at him
Lonely" she repeated superbly.
"He has me.
True" agreed Richard meekly
do you know" resumed Polite
presently. subsiding into sololoquy, Il
think I'll ask him why he wants TO, "
You'd better not, Richard warned
her. He won't like it,
Wei. l shant like his getting mar
ried. either so Wen be even. Pollie
peered out into the summer dark
ness. Richard, l think he's coming.
/ wish you'd go so | can talk with
Kim alone.
Il don't want to-" protested Rich
ard.
You'll be awflllly in the way II you
stay continued Polite impatiently;
you'd better go"
Richard goes early tonight" re-
marked Mr.. Howard. smilin gat Polite.
I'm afraid you havnt been kind to
him.
Luther Howard, she began. Il am
going to ask you some questions"
Mercy, calculated the gentleman.
"Theren be no mercy for you!'
said Polite firmly. Luther, are YOU
going to be married.
q hope so. sometime he returned
seriously
Polite pulled her hand out of his
erd sat up. 4 wonder what Is going
10 become of me. she said wistfully.
why my dear little girl" he an
swered paternally; 'of course 1t would
make no difference whatever as far
rs you are concerned You win al
ways have a home with ire"
Il don't want home with YOU"
Poiiic said petulantly and With rising
tears
Don't vast a home with mel
gasped the astonished Mr. Howard.
"Pollle. said Mr. Howard soberly.
81 suppose YOU feel toward me just as
you might toward an own father"
Eyes. sobbed Polite THAT is. did
until Richard told me he heard You
were going TO he married. | won't
have you for a father, If you do,
81 dee,s pegan Mr. Howard. com
posedly. Polite bounced of the arm
Of the chair and stood up straight and
slender in the white moonlight
Then I'll go away!" she cried tragl-
caIIy = thought YOU cared a little
bit about me-"
Mr.. Howard reached for Pollie's
little hand and drew her gently be-
side him. Now be a gaad little girl
and listen to me-" he said; I'm going
10 tell you a story"
Once upon a time" began Mr.
Howard seriously. "a young man
went out into the world 10 make his
fortune. This young man was a lone
~ fellow. for he had no friends and
no one cared for him But ont in the
world he found a friend whom We
learned to love with all his heart,
and whom he saw so constantly that
they became like brothers. This
friend, like the man. had come on. in
seach Of fortune. but somehow he
never found 1t, and by and by he be
came so III that he gave up trying 20
work and lay for hours at a time
talking to the man about his home
and the little motheTless girl he had
left there The child was always in
his mind and the man knew he wor-
RED about her Then there came
time when the man lost his friend
Nobody knows how he felt that loss
o: how dark the world seemed 20
him But by and by he remembered
that little lonely child and he went
10 the country place where she was
and took her away with him"
That was l." murmured Polite
who had forgotten her grievance.
We'll. after that the man was never
lonely because he had someone to
live and work for and he loved her
as II she were his very own. And SO
a number of years passed and the
man realized one day that although
he had once been satisfied to have
her love him as she would her father.
now the dearest wish he had was
that sometime she might be his wife
He he's found that he is holding q
beautiful lady in his heart instead OF
a Tfft1. II