The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-11-28
Page ndnHax :c1,+ 70
Bnetd Women Il dHah
ASKING MARY

, vhx he was the kind of fool that
! brings a stranger IN his home 10 win
| the love he himself had not kno" n
g wanted He, could not blame his
friend, but he hated him with a
mighty cordiality. How could he
meet him ut breakfast How could
he meet anything, when Mary was all
that he could ever desire, and that
made anything worth working for
and having Why, coufound il. every
thought and ambition he had were
( hers, He lay down, and went over
aud over his misery
In the gray OF the morning he fen
into n dose and awoke from il with a
sudden start. EIs sat straight up with
the impulse of Il thought that had
reached HIM out OF the nowhere. In
moment he Was up and on his way
IL thes telephone, Parsons would be
furious. but what of it? What did he
care it. lie got the number III the
dim dawn. got the Parsons residence
and Parsons ST., Nroth al being
reused from his seandest sleep. And
presently he got also the samnolent
Parsons Jr
say. parsons-abeut what YOU said
last night about Allen, you know
Which Mary was il - His heart hung
ON the answer Aliens MARY might
Ia HE other Marv-Mary Newton. But
Parsons was irate.
You prccious idiot, Did you wake
the house to ask lne that What is
ii To You? What yeu "4hi TO know
for Has The hug got ynn too lfuh"'
look here. Parsons. don't foal--if you
knew my reason"
"oh, we'll, confound you its Mary
Newton. I'm going back te bed lie
slammed ZIP the receiver.
Willis sank down on the steps With
his face in his hands. He had Il chance
yei--a chauce 60 make good with Mary
a great love for his partner swept
over him-~good old Ben. He could
have Mary Newton all he wanted to-
lie went back to bed.
He closed his eves and tried to think
that Mary loved him as he did her
He tried to recall signs. some proof
that she did. Nothing came Boiled
down and viewed. with legal impair
TALLY. facts showed that she had been
"A fine friend--and nothing more. He
realized that he knAH nothing what
ever about her heart She was sweet
but as ilnpartially as q rose. and TO
all the world. lie now lived only to
ind out.
Then he slept. sand woke slamefully
late and hungry. and found Ben wait
ing i'll tho dining room, also hungry
and unashamed. They avoided men,
ton Of the evening befere-~both were
self conscious. They spoke loftiiv of
Law, and each wondered how he would
he rid of the other after breakfast.
The latter was not ditfieult=-they melt
ed away in different directions neither
toward the office. The law was TO
have a letting alone.
Willis found Maryland most of her
family-on the porch enjoying the
freshness of the morning She greeted
him with a gay comradesllip that made
his heart sink. Was this the way to
Ast,t.ti have. made
her hesitate. blush perhaps when lie
asked her to walk downtown with
him, He wanted to be rid of the fatn-
y and they didn't even know ii elus-
tering about him Mary got her bat.
said she had 10 shop anyhow, and they
started off
The morning NaE perfect, the walk
lovely Mary didni talk much. but she
never did. But now she somehow kept
him silent. Then a new fear assaiied
him. Suppose a word should deny him
love. and lose him friendship? Ask
in Mary became no simple matter