The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-04-29
The GraCeleSSneSS
Of Oracle.

morrow, at p. III. Ill III awful
trouble. Be sure to turn up, there's
a good boy. Yours as ever, Oracle.
P. 81 know you have sworn never
to come down to the Warren again,
so 1 must come to you"
Mr.. Montague Phipps-Fulton gazed
down in moody silence at the broad,
untidy scrawl which seemed to give
eloquent evidence of the writer's agi-
tation. What DEVILS mischief had
she been up to now? Of course, it
was just like her-well, her impu-
dence-to call upon him for help at
a moments notice just as if nothing
had happened. She had apparently
clean forgotten her disgraceful treat
iment of him all the summer down at
her aunt's place, the cat-and-mouse
game she had played with him until
in the end
All, we'll, that was all done with.
He supposed he would have to meet
her tomorrow. He would help her
out of her scrape, but-he frowned
thunderously-it would be on the
distinct understanding that she was
never to trouble him again.
He did not know how it happened
that he was at the rendezvous quite
ten minutes before, the appointed
time. Probably his watch had been
wrong. Well, it would give him time
to practice the icy attitude suitable
to the occasion. He knew that his
stoicism would be put to rather con-
siderable strain.
Even so he positively gasped when
he suddenly found a bewitching little
face under a delightful little toque
looking up at him.
"Oh, you dear boy" she dubbed,
'T"-
Excuse me-" he said stiffly. "we
cant very we'll talk here. Let's go
around to the Carlton for tea"
Certainly, but you might as we'll
have given me time to say how d'you
do to you," she replied with rather
poor attempt at looking pathetic.
mo necessity-but I'm quite we'll
all the same, thank YOU"
They walked the little distance in
silence, Fulton studiously ignoring
the fact that his companion was look
ing up at him sideways.
"Well, now, what is it," he asked
as they sat ensconced in a cosey cor
ner.
"Monty-oh, 1 forgot. I suppose
I may still call you Monty?"
He made a gesture of indifference.
ooh, thank you so much. All,
here's the tea. And what lovely
meringues. You will be glad to hear
that my troubles have not affected my
appetite"
LET me help you," he said
grufiy.
"Oh, you dear mer-I mean, you
dear Monty. I'm sure you'll be kind
and helpful to me in the terrible
"But I haven't a chance of being
kind and helpful to you if you don't
tell me what it is"
She slipped daintily at her cup and
then turned her blue eyes on him
momentously.
Monty, I'm going away from Aunt
Adelaide"
Indeed! What for?"
''For the simple reason that she
won't have me with her any more.
She's rude enough to say that I've
become to much of a handful for
her."
Fulton heroically resisted the op-
portunity of getting in dig.
"That's rather sudden, isn't it?"
''No," she said. attacking meringue
No. 2, 'it's been coming on for some
time"
well, what does she expect you to
do?"
"She wants me to get married.
Isn't it horrid?"
HIM" said Mr.. Fulton enigmati-
cally.
"And what makes the idea more
absurd is that she's so particular
about whom I'm to marry. You see.
one of these days l shall get all her
money-she's got fearful lot, you
know-and she says she's afraid of
my falling into the hands of one of
those unprincipled fortune hunters"
well. you know plenty of nice
fellows" he said gloomily. There's
young Wilding, for instance"
Gust been ordered out to India,
worse luck"
There's Lord Canthorpe."
mo, thanks; idiots are not in my
line. Besides, what's the good of
your making suggestions when Aunt
Adelaide has decided all the time
on the man she wants me to marry?
And, what's worse, If 1 don't have
him she's determined not to leave
me penny"
well, who is it," he asked. sud-
den sinking at his heart.
Monty, it's you'll"
,"Me?"
Eyes; don't upset the teapot. And.
OF course, you're utterly impossible"
"Oh, yes; utterly impossible" he
echoed grimly.
I'VE almost agreed to that last
time, didn't WEI"
mot almost, but quite"
well, there you are. That's the
case in 81 nutshell. And that nut
shell is Jolly tight squeeze for me.
Monty, get me out of it, please"
Certainly. What am l to do pre-
cisely?"
81 want YOU to go down ana 500