The Sauk Centre herald., 1908-05-14

A SUMMER i,
AFFAIR
By CORNELIA REDMOND
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)


fact. to tell you the truth, l am al
ready engaged"
And you have been merely making
a plaything of my heart" exclaimed,
hotly. You were engaged before you
came here. and you never told me-.
1T is not yet announced" replied
Miss Mason. with a movement of her
graceful head Il have told no one ex-
cept my most intimate friends. George
Mr.. Sanford-does not wish it to be
known until his return from Europe.
He was obliged to go over on business
two months ago"
And in the meantime my devotion
has served to make the period OF mis-
absence a trif1e less dull than you
would otherwise have found it," in
terrupted, bitterly.
1t was summer" answered my fair
companion, apologetically; Il thought
there was an unwritten agreement
among people of the world that sum-
ner affairs were never to be taken Sc
riously."
y have not been brought up in
school where such lessons are taught,
| returned, curtly Il know very little
of women and their ways. i thank
you for the opportunity that you have
given me Of learning something about
them"
picked up my hat and leaving my
companion seated on the grass, strobe
away across the field in the direction
of the railroad station. 1t was not
the most gallant proceeding in the
world, but / had just received blow,
the bitterness of which had made me
almost irresponsible for the moment.
l had come to Beachport about the
middle of July for much needed rest,
legal business having kept me hard
at work in town up to that time The
one boarding house in the quaint lit
tie New Hampshire village was kept
by two dear old ladies, the Misses
Wrinkles
Eleanor Mason was a splendid look
ing woman of three and twenty, tall
and slender in figure, and with dig
nifty of carriage that was almost
Queenly
i went at once to my room at the
Misses Wrinkles. packed my things,
and in less than an hour had settled
everything. made some incoherent ex-
cuses TO the astonished elder Miss
Wrinkles, and was on my way to New
York
Once back in town, l was soon deep
in my work again, and in the hurry
and hustle of the city life l began to
recover from what had been the bit
terest disappointment that had ever
come TO me.
One evening about three weeks aft
er my return to town, l was looking
over my summer clothes with the in.
tention of packing some of them away,
when l found in the pocket of one Of
my coats pair OF ladys gloves
l thought at first that they must be
Miss Mason's, for | remembered that
had worn this coat On that day when
we had parted for the last time Then
I recalled the fact that Miss Forest,
the little school teacher, had pulled
of her gloves. and having no pocket
care of them for her. So these were
doubtless hers.
| unrolled them and looked at them
curiouSly. | was unaccustomed to
women's things, and as l handled
them it was with feeling of some
thing like reverence. How small they
were, and what a tiny hand it must
noticed Miss Forests hands, or in
fact anything about her. except in a
passing way. All my looks and
thoughts during those summer days
at Beachport had been for Miss M
son
had a half formed intention of e.
turning them to their owner, but some
how | shrank from my communica-
ton with the place which still had un-
pleasant associations for me, and so
from day to day | put it Off
week went by, and one morning l
which | recognized as that of the
elder Miss Wrinkles.
Dear Mr.. Trevor" it read. Miss Fo =
est has lost pair of gloves, and seems
to think that she gave them to you f,r
safe keeping on that day that you all
went grabbing. In the confusion attend
ant on your sudden departure that after
noon you doubtless forgot that you had
them, and ii has occurred to me that DOS
sibly they may still be in your pocket
/ trust you will pardon me for troubling
you, but as you perhaps know, Miss For
est is entirely dependent upon her own
eexertions for her support, and feel sure
that the loss of even a pair of gloves is
of consequence to her. She does not
know that l am writing to you so if by
any chance you should fird the gloves,
will you kindly send them to number -
Madison avenue (Which is the address Of
the boarding school where she teaches)
without mentioning my letter. She is
leaving US to-day TO return to her du-
ties. With kind remembrances from my
sister, 1 am yours very truly,
BARBARA WINKLES.''
l laid the letter down, and opening
my bureau drawer, took out the little
brown gloves. They had come to look
so at home in their corner among my
things, that l did not altogether like
the idea of parting with them and
vet my conscience troubled me when
/ thought that perhaps their owner
was actually wanting for them.
The next day / took one of the