The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-04-05

cordng to my youthful code of
ethics | might accept the present I.
from anyone with whom | VAS per
mittcd to drive All growu.up PEG.
pie were rolling in wealth Candy
had hitherto been a rare treat to
me. because my parents were too
wise to ALLOW me To indulge, and
didn't know one kind from an
other As We drove away again !
felt a strong impulse To share my
sweets with the two women, but.
with that dinidenrc incident G. child
hood. could not gather up the
courage to make the Offer. Perhaps
grown people did not care 50
much for candy | had been led
To infer 50 by observation. Then
the man said to them Won't yu
have some Caramels?' | remember
his very words | knew that cara.
mels were some kind of candy. and
all NY pride rose mp within me. But
they're mino' | called out shrilly.
agonilcd because the man had fore
stalled me. | solcmnly swear that
absolutely all I intended to convey
was that | wished TO have the cred.
il of making the offer. All of my
infautilc Rcucr sity hospitality, aud
chiya,ry was aroused, and the cry
was quite involuntary and sincere.
was all that kindlincss and court
lines, could have demanded. They
looked az me IN a disgusted fashion,
and the Wan produced still another
sort ot candy in box. aud silently
passed IL 10 the women What 4
selfish little pig they must have
thought me- lc refused to eat any
caramoi-. and they TN ught was
sulky Then full realization of the
ritter impossibillty of ever explaining,
the complete irretrieyability of my
mistake swept over me, and lift
ed up my voice and walled. I was
the victim of a hopeless and inap
pcaseahlc grief There is nothing
ia life so bitter as the agony of a
misunderstood child"
Chester felt 10 lslr- after complct-
ing this recital 1t seemed some
how SO futile. so Inadequate to eN-
/ plain the amount of emotion he had
rut into IT, lie turned 10 Edith. and
/ her eyes were iull of tears.
Poor boy" she said. 'po-r, poor
| little boy I hope that some day
YOU viii tind ont who they We're
and tell them
Chcstor's heart gave an cXultant
thrCb. and it was only by a su-
; premc effort that he resisted the
impulse to gather her into his arms.
Was there ever such charm, such
insight. such sympathy?
She told him quaint little stories
f her school days and her distort
ed child's notion of how things real.
Is were in the great round world
that dropped off on AL sides AT the
always seemed 10 he near the mid
die SO that she couldn't possibly
fall of. Chester -ncentrated ON
these tales with the same fcryOr
of attention that he would have
put into trying to deciph"r the true
inner meaning of complicated rail
road report. Sometimes he laughed
and more often h" didn't. but Edith
seemed to be satisfied either way
for there was no mistakng the in
tcnsity f his interest
It was while they were sitting or
} some bench together that they talked
, OF their childhood when they brisk
ly paced the alleys they would come
, down almost. but not quite. to tn,
present. for the very near prcsen
could not be mentioned Chester re
allied that he cOu'd net speak o
today or yesterday without speakinl
out his heart. and this he did no
dare TO do
II came home one night" he said
tired out and harassed by "A bus
nervous day. As | swung OF the ca
three or four rosycheeked. bright
eyed little girls jumped in front q
il. The big evcrwatchful crossing pc
=. liccman reached out and caught on
OF them by the arm and drew he
, TO place of safety. She looked u
", and smiled happily at aim as sh
-. hurried away, and the huge ma
., boamed back in reply | glowed wit
= reflected good feeling. The it'll
girl was sweet. and fresh and PRETTY
and nice, and grateful aud the hi
policeman had done his duty an
had been amply rewarded. ! smile
ali the way home because Of ia
general good fellowship and graciou