The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-04-22

breakfast table. Judging from her
doleful face, however, she was not
enjoying the novelty as much as 1
was.
"Of course It's too bad that Aunt
Jane has a headache" l said, tenta-
lively.
I'm glad of it," answered Nancy
in all seriousness. / tried to be
shocked at this apparent lack of feel
ing for the elderly relative whom 1
had placed at the head of my estab-
lishment at the time Nancy came to
make 1t her home. But nothing
Nancy says or does is really shock
ing.
Not that l wish Aunt Jane to be
in pain, you know" explained Nancy.
but I'm glad that for once she's out
of the way. want to be confidential
to you. I shouldn't want any one
to hear what l am going to say but
just you."
1t Is astonishing how the heart of
middle-aged man, which he has long
regarded as well-behaved but pro-
sale organ, can, upon occasion, rise
up and stir about and lodge itself in
his throat. Nancy was my ward.
Five months before this time I had
never seen her. Her father had died
some three years before that and had
left her In my care. For a time she
had remained by her own choice in
the place where she had been brought
up. Then, feeling that a young girl
should have the advantages of a city
social life, had sent for her to come
to me, and had established Aunt Jane
in the house to take care of her.
Nancy was mere child, yet never,
since l first looked into her small
face, had l been able to feel in the
least degree paternal about her. And
lately had had to keep warning my.
self to stand carefully on 10y side of
the line which the twenty years differ
ence in our ages made between us. 1
endeayored to be very prosaic indeed
this morning, as l said:
Certainly, Nancy, confide in me-"
I'm in a horrible scrape," said
Nancy sorrowfully, land you must
help me out of it, because it's half
your fault. If you had just continued
to keep an eye on me down in Win
field and let me go on being quiet
and not going about much, and hav-
ing only one really new dress a sea-
son, this would never have happened.
But you brought me here and gave
me all these beautiful things and
these glorious times and made me feel
as if l was in an atmosphere OF ro-
nance and unreality."
II thought you liked it," / said.
Il love it, but the romantic atmos-
phere is bad for me. The other night
Harold Spotswood proposed to me-
Again there was ridiculous activ-
ity under my vest. 1.-THE cad" NUT
tered.
81 like it," said Nancy. "No one
ever proposed to me before. / ac-
cepted him."
/ believe I groaned.
There's something worse than
that, went on Nancy in a depressed
voice. might before last Alec White
came here and he proposed"
"Well?"
II know you'll think I am a little
idiot. I'm sure don't know how 1t
happened; it's that air Of romance
again. accepted him, too"
We sat staring at each other. Then
Nancy wept. 1t was some time before
she raised her eyes again to mine.
You must help me-" she pleaded.
Il only want YOU to do half. I'll set
tie one IL you II settle the other. and.
added Nancy with a magnanimous
sob, "you can have your choice about
which one you'll settle"
"Then YOU don't care for either?"
sits all the atmosphere. said
Nancy positively. Il can't bear
them"
l chose Spotswood. I spent an
hour that afternoon in his Office down
town, telling him that Nancy wished
to break the engagement He was
naughty and paid me neither respect
nor attention. told him how plain
ly she had said that she couldn't care
for him. He said she would have to
tell him that herself.
Now it may have been that his
manner made me lose my temper. or
IL may have been that wanted so
much to say the words and have
them true that lost my head. In
cline to the latter belief. At any rate
l stood up with my hat In my hand.
preparatory to leaving. and delivered
myself of the following preposterous
statement:
Mr.. Spotswood. see you won't
be convinced until you hear the abb
solute truth. Nancy and l have found
that we love each other. and COR that
reason she wished me to break this
previous tie which she unwiseiy made
before she knew the state Of her own
heart"
His jaw dropped and he stared In
open wonder. | got away, somehow.
miserable an guilty. II had never
occurred to Q until then that had
any real hopes that some time Nancy
might care TO-. me, but | must have
had them. because that look OF his
seemed all at once to show me how
impossible 1t was that any young
creature could regard me other than
as q retired old looker-on. and those
hopes of mine died, one by one, in
my breast and left me more miserable
fhor hoI haau Ia, xs.y 1tfa