The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1908-05-01
And Cupid laughed for the first time

And Cupid laughed Tor the nrst tlme
in many days.
That night the deluge. In her delight
at the prospect Of hearing wonderful
music Marjorie had forgotten the dis
tinctly feminine problem Of an Easter
hat. Laying forth the wonderful new
blue green bows, she ransacked every
trunk in the house for a straw shape
that was even possible. But dye and
rain had done their worst. No shape
was Forthcoming. In twelve hours
Carter Douglas would call-and she
would be hatless!
"T'm worse than a three dollar a
week cash girl. OF course can go IN
nv winter hat. 1t may turn cold and
stormy"
Easter morning proved balmy and
sunlit beyond her greatest fears. She
looked at the velvet hat, its black
feathers the worse for various dyeings,
and her feminine pride was touched.
She spent the last Is cents of her ten
dollar millinery fund to send small
messenger with word to the Douglas
mansion on the hill that she was too Ill
to attend the services at the procathe-
dral
It did seem as if never in all her life
had she wanted to go out as she did
that day. The little cash girl in the
hospital would be glad to see her; the
charwoman's heart was heavy and her
children would no doubt enjoy some
candy Easter eggs. But again pride
forbade. She would live out her mis-
cradle lie.
At 8 in the afternoon, glancing out
the front window, she gave a gasp OF
dismay and ran from the living room,
leaving her mother to admit the tall,
correctly CARRIED Carter Douglas. A
few minutes later the puzzled little
mother came upstairs.
"He says he's SO sorry to hear you
are i'll, and, oh, Marjorie, such Easter
lilies as he has brought! Just like
when your poor dear father lived. But
you didn't tell me you were ill. Oh.
my dear, you are so self sacrificing"-
Marjorie fluffed her hair and patted
her nervous mothers cheek in a whirl-
wind of unpleasant emotions. Then
suddenly she flung up her head and
ran lightly downstairs, pausing in the
doorway before the astonished young
man, vision Of slim. graceful. healthy
young womanhood.
81 owe you an apology, Mr.. Douglas
she said, with a lovely flush. II was
not ill-just foolishly proud about a
trife. II failed to make connections
with an Easter hat and so"-
Carter Douglas had wisdom beyond
his years. He did not laugh. He just
dropped the Easter lilies on the old
mahogany table which had been in the
Davis family for seven generations and
took both her hands.
ST don't care about the music. 1
don't care about anything except that
at last 1 am here with you. You are
the most wonderful girl. The old man
thinks so too. 1t would just tickle
him to death if we hit it off. Do you
think you could care about me?"
Marjorie withdrew her hands from
his firm clasp and for second or two
gazed at him in startled wonder. Then
something in his face, in his honest
gray eyes. sent the color flying to her
face again.
ooh, you funny. funny boy!' she
said. but her tones were not full of
laughter The rang with tender joy
BUSINESS. And she hid her face in the
lilies, great masses of faint scented
beauty. the price of which she realized
with feminine humor devoid of ro-
nance would have paid for two hats!