Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-09-08

Then awful certainty zigzagged through the crs,, -
her happiness. shattcrng it to million faryments
"a little dark thing" he went on she was stavin,
with you. What is the natter"
Olive staring, stricken
will YOU tell me what my name is,, sb. ss,...
stupidity
He laughed Helen Hastings, Of course"
She pulled herself together The new laugh tina, b,
had helped her to find in herself rippled out brave
Now I've got it, she said in triumph From tho
first wondered how you happened to remember ~,
so well when YOU saw SO few times And YOU made
mistake I'm not Helen Hastings I'm the little dark
cousin that you speak Of My father died soon after
| met youu and became stenographer"
You're not Helen Hastings2" he said stupidity.
She nodded her head in assent
The air was 50 full Of things that neither could saw
that they choled breathing them in
He laughed at last and with fair degree Of natural.
ness "Of course it all now You've grown ia
look surprisingly like your cousin. They told me that
Helen was doing Settlement work"
"1s Helen in town." Olive asked duly 'I did not
know it, but it's not strange, as we have not CORE
sponded for long time"
They tried to talk down the constraint in the anos-
pherc, but made long pauses between their remarks
It intensified the ticking Of the clock that as TO save
the situation, seemed to be going at double spec,
Olive lost all her sparkle; She kept thinking that she
had spent with widc-aung generous hands gold that
was not hers. Remarks that she heard whispered Of
him kept coming into her head Lawrence Crane will
marry anybody but rich girl was one Of them
They duled the last remnant OF her viyacitv.
When he left it with formal handshake and
still more formal word Of farewell.
He came again, after long interval once more But
his calls were silent, joyles her par-a little too
vivacious his, Then for long time she did no.
see him.
The Sunday after his last call Merriam appeared.
back from successful trip. He came into the room
like scabreezc, singing her into rccrudecence Of
her lost hlarity with an npetuous onslaught OF
narrative.
He insisted taking her away for the day When
he left her. she had rcganed all her lately lost SELF
confidence
She had little chance to lose it again. for in the next
month he constantly with her Evenings
he took her dinner to the theatre or
for long walks in the park When he was not with her
the vision Of his tall figure and his freshcoored gray
eyed face remained 1t gradually GUST more
splendid presence from her thoughts Perhaps the fact
that She Crane at the theatre once or twice with
her cousin Helen helped this process
One Sunday two months later, she was surprised
by visit from Crane She was at her very best with
him that day ior his eyes had more effect upon her
than pair Of pebbles. It she who did the talking
he the listening. Before he went he startled her by
offer OF marriage. In the moment in which she
hunted FIR words in which TO refuse it, she wondered
if Helen also had rel octed him. He refused to accept
her mo and left almost eiated. She felt now she
might be in possession OF data that would assure him
of what her words evidently could not
As matter Of fact she had the evidence that very
night, for Merriam, sitting the rug and holding tho
corn-popper the flames. announced that the firm:
had decided sending him Goldeds the next week.
Then he abruptly asked her to marry him.
She accepted
But there are some things 7 want TO tell you shd
said, eyng him curously in the first place I didn't
get you quite honestly There another man once
and l thought he cared for mc--and. so, on tls
strength OF his adniraon-"
go on" re said promptly,
well feel my conscience to tell you thai
you're getting article that isn't much in demand ID
all my experience never had but proposal and-'
What do the dandar-log Of this town know about
real woman" he interpolaed contempuousy. go on
"And I've never been kissed in my life
The corr-popper fell to ruin among the flannel
you're going to be kissed now" he said
I'm glad / waited she admitted after interval