Sharp County record., 1909-02-19
H A A SD n S
Copyright, by + ord Pub. Coz
BY FAY KELLER.

| III 81 oCilloH.
Enid laughed, Il think you're to
blame, Dick! You never will tear
yourself away from your work, | ex-
pect Harry had to resort to force to
persuade you to dine with me and take
me to the theater too,night"
Enid, what a libel! as II the pros
pect of an evening with so charming a
companion was not in itself a"
Don't be absurd, Dick" Enid inter-
rupted. I'VE have just ten minutes
before we start, and want to talk to
you seriously"
Dick groaned. Don't be serious,
please! l want to be amused"
You can be amused later. The play
Is amusing enough"
Very well, you look determined, so
fire away. What is this very serious
gubject?"
Enid stirred her coffee for moment
without making any remark, then fix
ing her solemn gray eyes on Dick, she
began:
II want you to be married.
Il knew it. That's typical Of young
married woman. She insists on sacri-
ficing all her friends because she may
have been successful in the marriage
market herself. | am quite content as
bachelor and don't want wife"
you never used to talk like this,
Dick. When you were hard up you
always meant to marry, and now that
you have enough to live on why won't
you have wife,"
"Perhaps-because-the fact that
certain fair-haired little cousin Of
mine has become Lady Gaythorne ex.
plains my reason for remaining sin
gle"
"Oh, nonsense, Dick, It's no use pre-
tending you were ever in love with
me, and since my marriage have been
pining OF broken heart"
Perhaps no girl will have me-"
Rubbish! l know lots You're an
eligible bachelor, and only 30."
TOO old"
Don't be stupid, Dick; you used to
flirt once. You never do anything
sensible now"
Dick laughed, then smoked in 81,
lencc.
Dick, what has happened to the
girl you met abroad? forget her
name; you never spoke Of her much,
but had IN idea you liked her
rather"
Dick got up suddenly.
Enid was silent for q moment, then
said quietly;
Dick, do tell me. We used to con.
flde In each ether when we were chill
dren, You've been 30 different lately
I'm sure there Is some tragedy In your
lifo,"
Dick turned abruptly and came back
TO his seat All the brightness had
gone out Of his face and troubled
look had clouded his blue eyes.
Enid" he said Il will tell you a
story
Once there was a young mamie
was only 25, and a brieness barrister
but be had gay time In spite Of be-
Ing hard up, and he nlrtod with lots
OF girls, but had never found one he
could marry. This was fortunate, for
he was not an eligible But Il didn't
matter; no one took him seriously.
His girls all danced with him, and
eensibly married men who could buy
them pretty frooks,
But one summer day, when no was
amusing himself in little remote
French village, he mot girl, and he
knew at last that this girl was the one
he had been looking for, and had
hoped one day to meet,
"Sho was--ah, we'll She was all
that q girl always Is TO the man who
loves hor
"lo didn't hirt with her. She was
not that sort Of glrl--he made n friend
Of her, and no came back to work and
Wull anu HVHNt ~ uiHoh Ho WTOle W
her, Ouoh guarded letters which never
gave her hint Of what she was to
him. lie seldom saw her, for she
lived abroad with her mother--it was
cheaper, and they were not rich,
But he was only coldly friendly on
the rare occasions when they met, He
was not In Il position to make her his
Wife, and his standard Of honor kept
him silent,
But he built up his future round
her, llo weayed dream In which she
was his guiding star, All his life, all
his ambition, was conferred In her.
Two years passed by, At last luck
came, and work And ho wrote her
brief letters telling hor Of his success,
but he never once let her have n
glimpse into his heart i0 was going
70 zee hor In the vacation, and bo
meant TO tell her then And she was
touring with her mother In Italy, and
answered him bNeHy--yory briefly he
thought, but he waa too blind TO aus.
peet why, and he continued working
hard until the time for hts well.earned