Arizona republican., 1910-06-26

Then an awful certainty gzagged through the crystal of her happiness, shattering it to a million fragments
 "A little dark thing" he went on "she was staying with you What is the matter?"
 Olive staring, stricken
 "Will yol tell me what my name is." she asked stupidly.
 He laughed. Helen Hastings, of course"
 She pulled herself together The new laugh that he had helped her to find in herself rippled out bravey Now I've got it." she said in triumph From the first l wondered how you happened to remember me so well when you 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 youp and I became stenographer"
 You're not Helen Hastings?" he said stupidly.
 She nodded her head in assent
 The air full of things that neither could say that they choked breathing them in
 He laughed at last and with fair degree of natural ness Of course, I see it all now You've grown to look surprisingly like your They told me that l1elen was COlng settlement work"
 "Is Helen in town" Olive asked duly. q did n2t know it. but it's strange as we have not core sponded for long time"
 They tried to talk down the constrant in the atmcsi phere, but it made long paues between their remarks It intensified the ticking of the clock that as if to save the situation, seemed to be going at double speed
 Olive lost all her sparkle she kept thinking that she had spent with wde-fung, 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 dulled the last remnant of her vivacity.
 When he left, it with a formal handshake and a still more formal word of farewell
 He again, after long interval once m,-e But his calls silent joyless on her part-a little too vivacious his. Then for long time she did net see him.
 The Sunday after his last call Merriam appeared, back from successful trip. He came into the room Ike sea-breeze. stinging her into rccrudcscence of her lost hlarity with an mpetuous onslaught of narrative
 He insisted taking her away for the day. When
 
 confidence
 She had little chance lose it again. for in the next month he was constantly with her. Evenings he took her out to dinner, to the theatre. for long walks in the park When he was not with her. the vision of his tall figure and his resh-colored gray eyed face remained It gradually to oust more splendid presence from her thoughts Perhaps the fact that she Crane 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. for his eyes had effect upon her than pair of pebbles. It she who did the talking he the listening Before he went he startled her by an offer of marriage. In the moment in which she hunted for words in which to refuse it. she wondered if Helen also had rejected him. He refused accept her mo" and left almost elated She felt she might be in possession of data that would 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 the corn-popper the flames, announced that the firm lad decided sending him GodheIds the next week Then he abruptly asked her to marry him.
 She accepted.
 But there some things want to tell you" she said eying him curiousy "In the first place didn't get you quite honestly. There was another and I thought he cared for me-and, so the strength of his admiration"
 GO on" he said promptly.
 "We1, feel it on my conscience to tc you that you're getting an article that isn't much demand In all my experience never had but one proposal and
 What do the dandar-log of this town know about real woman?" he nterpolated contemptuously "Go on
 And I've never been kissed in my life"
 The corn-popper fell to ruin among the flames You're going to be kissed now" he said.