Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-10-20

wei NJ AUNT tHe klti toHNu hfFHeH
deeply Interested IN the individuality
Of the man vino waited On the table
lie had never presumed by 80 mueh
NJ glance upon The incident In the
dining room. and Stella liked him the
better for II one day she had met
him on one of tho mountain paths.
and she hni stopped and thanked him
prettlly for the service
"rm going 10 let you thank me some
other time" he had said gravely.
Just at that moment Fred had ap-
peared. and he had uttered some shafp
words that dlvulgcd the fact that be
knew who the waiter was.
The next day the waiter disappeared,
and two days afterward Mrs. Living
ston found 1t convenient to move on to
another resort Stella understood and
smiled a bitter little smile.
Now she felt little throb OF erulta.
tion that her instinct had not been
wrong. She had recognized in the
man who had saved her life some
claim to distinction. She admired him
for his pluck and perseverance. She
felt that he was more to be respected
than Fred. who lazily accepted what
the gods (aud hIs industrious father
had provided ana was without ambl.
tion Of any sort. II one excepted his
desire TO wed Stella
Dessert was served. and stella. play.
ING idly with her spoon. looked across
the large room and saw Jim Forrest
looming large IN the distance. bearing
n tray carefully poised on one palm.
Their eyes met across the intervening
space, and Stella smiled Forrest did
not return the greeting
"Who were you smiling at. Stellar"
demanded Fred hastily.
She did not reply
Mrs. Livingston had seen. however.
and SO 1t was the very next day they
gave up the rooms Fred had engaged
and went back to town where there
would be no doubt as TO who would
serve the soup and where there we're
no dangerous candelabra on the table.
September came. and Fred went back
to college, a rejected suitor. Stella
was most unhappy with her aunt, who
could not conceal the bitter disappoint-
ment she suffered in her sons failure
to win Stella.
The girl was very gentle with the
older woman. who chided her with in
gratitude and coldness. At last she
sent Stella away for a long visit to
another relative in the west, while she
turned her thoughts to other matters
and tried TO forget the failure of her
cherished plans.
In March Fred suddenly married
pretty girl-the sister of one of his
classmates-and his college career
came to an abrupt close.
One night at dinner telegram was
brought TO Mrs. Livingston. She read
it and uttered a startled exclamation.
"Why-Stella is marriedw she ex-
claimed .-.,...-,...,,,. 4,
ITO whom?" asked Fred.
"She doesn't say-merely "Will be
with you during our honeymoon. Let
ter explains Who can 1t be? She
hasn't mentioned any one in her let
ters."
Some cowpuncher.' -~Eested Fred
a little drearlly, then WI, 20 anil
nation. II say, mother, you
ber that chap. Jim Forrest. who
ed on table at Bellairy last summer
the one who saved Stella's life2'
"Yes."
"Why. he's turned out to be all sorts
OF a big gun Seems his father made
him work his way through college
told him he didn't care what he did so
long as the labor was houest-aud now
the old mans dead and Forrest Is
worth cool ten million
Mrs. Livingston flushed deeply. 1T
would have made splendid match for
Stella" she said regretfully. But
that's always the way. IL she had
chosen him it would have turned out
ne was n beGgar"
You could trust Stella to pick out
the right party. only, you see, you
scared them both off. mother. don't
believe either one of them thought of
love or anything else. He was merely
polite, and Stella was grateful to him.
If they had been left alone it might
have developed into pretty romance.
eh. Florrie?" He grinned across at his
pretty little wife.
She nodded wisely. Poor old Stel-
la" she said condescendingly.
The le:ter from Stella never came,
but Stella came herself, with her hus-
band In tow none other than big Jim
Forrest himself.
II won her as a poor man." he said
proudly to Fred, first as a waiter.
and afterward I met her on the Rose
Leaf ranch, in Wyoming, of which am
part owner. As a cowpuncher l made
her love me. and l have only told her
today that she won't have to count the
pennies, and, say. she's disappointed.
do believe"
But those who hooked at Stella's hap
py face, with its radiant eyes and ex-
preston of perfect love and trust in
her husband, felt that, whatever disap-
pointment Stella might have as to her
husbands fortune, she was quite salts
fed with him.