Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-30

was poor. He is in very comfortable cir
cCmstances now
Tell US all about it, Aunt Olivia" said
Peggy. She did not look at me, which
was my salvation. Had ! caught Peggy ;
eve when Aunt Olivia said Mr.. Norman
Nicholson in that tone I must have
laughed, willy-nilly.
when i was a girl the Nicholsons
used to live across the road from here.
Mr.. Norman Nicholson was my beau
them ooh. Aunt Olivia, if you could but
have left out that simperD But my
family-and your father especially-dear
me, l do hope he won't be cross-were OPP
posed to his attentions and were very
cool to him. l think that was why he
never said anything to me about getting
married then. And after time he went
away. as 1 have said, and l never heard
anything from him directly for many a
year. OF course. his sister sometimes
gave me news of him. In June l had a
letter from him. He said he was coming
home to settle down, and he asked me if
L would marry him. 1 wrote back AMI
said I would. Perhaps I should have
consulted your father, but l was afraid
he would think 1 ought to refuse Mr..
Norman Nicholson
"Oh. l don't think father will mind"
said Peggy. soothingly.
Il hope not because, of course, l would
consider it my duty in any case to full
fill the promise l have given to Mr.. Nor
man Nicholson. He will be in Hillcrest
next week, the guest OIL his sister. Mrs
John Seaman, across the bridge
when is the wedding to be-" j asked
oh" Aunt Olivia blushed dlstressfully
II do not know the exact date Nothing
can be definitely settled until Mr.. Norman
Nicholson comes. But there will be 50
much to do. You will tell your father,
won't you?"
We promised we would, and Aunt Olivia
rose with an air Of relief. Peggy and
hurried over home. stopping when We
were safely out of earshot to laugh. The
romances OF the middle-aged may be to
them as tender and sweet as those of
youth. but they are apt to possess good
deal of humor for onlookers. Only youth
can be sentimental without being mirth
provoking We loved Aunt Olivia and
were glad in her new, notwithstanding
happiness, but We felt amused over it
man Nicholson was too mach for us
every time We thought of IT.
Father pooh-poohed incredulously at
first. and when we had convinced him,
gufrawed with laughter. Aunt Olivia
need not have dreaded any more opposi
ton from her cruel family.
FoI11
though horribly poor" said father. Il
hear he has done very well out west. and
IL he and Olivia still have notion of each
other they are welcome to marry so far
as 1 am concerned. Tell Olivia she
mustn't take a spasm If he tracks some
mud into her house once in while
We soon discovered that to Aunt Olivia
Mr. Norman Nicholson represented
merely abstract proposition-the man who
was to confer on her the long-withheld
dignity Of matronhood. Her romance be-
gan and ended there, although she was
quite unconscious Of this herself and be-
lieved that she was deeply in love with
him.
The day on which Mr.. Norman Nichol-
son was expected Peggy and / went over
We had planned to remain away. think
ing that the lovers would prefer their
first meeting TO be unwitnessed. but Aunt
Olivia insisted on our being present. She
was plainly nervous-the abstract was be-
coming concrete. Her little house was in
spotless, speckless order from top 10
bottom. Aunt Olivia had herself scrubbed
the garnet floor and swept the cellar
steps that very morning with as much
painstaking care as If she expected that
Mr. Norman Nicholson would hasten to
inspect each at once and she must stand
or fall by his opinion of them.
We could see the garden path and gate
through the hall window, and therefore
supposed we would have full warning of
the approach of Mr. Norman Nicholson
1t was no wonder. therefore. that we posi-
lively jumped two steps to the floor when
a thunderous knock crashed against the
front door and re-echoed through the
house Had Mr.. Norman Nicholson
dropped from the skies?
We afterward discovered that he had
come across lots and around the house
from the back. but just then his sudden
advent was almost uncanny.
Good afternoon he said in a reso-
nant voice that seemed to take possession