The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-08-05
BY JOHN OSBORNE FIELD.
Copyright 1911, by the Associated
Literary Press,)

have good time" said pert little
| Molly Dobson, Haunting her recently
acquired diamond solitaire ring In the
sunshine And l hope" she leased,
that you'll come home engaged, too.
| to some nice city man. Write and
| tell US all ABOUT it."
! Molly laughed. as II the Idea of
Eltza's becoming engaged were a huge
/ joke. Elizas uncle, john Kob1HEoI1.
petted her shoulder with enbarrass-
ment and her Aunt Emma Robinson
| tried to smile naturally. The station
| master whjstled With forced cheer
| fulness.
! THAT Molly Dobson's an awful mean
| girl" he said to himself.
! A moment later Eliza jumped aboard
| the train that was to take her 10 the
city. and before long the little group
4 OF friends on tie station was just blur
/ in the distance
/ Eliza was twenty eight and she had
determined to 60 to the city FOR a few
1 months OF excitement. The comfortable
/ routine of her life at Dayv!lle. where
| she had lived with her aunt and un~
t Gle from babyhood, had begun 10 pail.
/ Her days We're never empty. There
/ were active hours spent out of doors
planting and pruning flowers and
vegetables and tending her chickens
and ducks; and other active hours
/ spent in the pleasant sunny kitchen
/ over savory preserve kettles or the
weeks fragrant baking. There We're
| long placid evenings on the vine-cos-
! cred piazza under the stars or beside
7 the glowing stting-roorn stove. with
the doing Uncle John and chattertns
Aunt Emma and purring Tabby Tor
I COMPANIONS. There ~eEe occasional
4 picnics and carryall drives
7 and once IN Il while u 9aunt With on.
Of the young men OF the village Bat
| Eliza knew that the years TO come
would be Identical with the years that
had passed. and she grew dlseonteniea.
II WAS this perfectly comfortable
state OF affairs but wholly uncomfort~
able state OF mind that had induced
] Eliza TO set forth on the hrsI real al
venture of her life, She made her
voice an excuse II WAS a sweet, light
Voice that led all the others In the
village choir, and although Eliza knew
that 1t was not worth cultivation, ii
served as an excuse She wrote for
II room in an inexpensive but comfort
able boarding house in the clts and
with her savings In her pocket, started
forth TO see the worll.
But until Molly pobson's taunting
words were spoken Eliza had not
really considered matrimouy as a
possible elimination OF her city visit.
Moliy's words. however. put an idea
into her head Why not pretend.
after a few weeks away from heme,
that she was engaged It would be
fun to write the letters describing
the lucky man, the things they did
i together and their plans for the
future. Then later, Eliza thought,
elxe could write to say that the
engagement was broken. and could
return home heart-free.
And if she thought / really had
! been engaged, thought Eliza. Il
) shouldn't care how much that silly
little Molly did tease me, And it
won't exactly be a lie. III pick out
some nice man at the boarding house.
}. and pretend hets1 tire stfiys.'' =
With this justification for her pro-
posed action. and with the excite
: ment of her plan flushing her tanned
cheeks and Frightening her soft brown
eyes, Eliza walked into Mrs. Ben
son Browns rather shabby boarding
house that same evening for dinner
She looked furtively from one end
OF the lone crowded table 10 the
other to find the chosen man Three
or four middle aged women who
looked az II they had spent most Of
their time gossiping over fancywork.
their equally monotonus-looking hus-
bands the timid pale young daugh-
ter or one OF the women, who giggied
and blushed whenever anyone spoke
to her. dapper young man who
cracked Jokes for the benefit of the
whole table. lame old man, near
sighted old lady that reminded Eliza
OF Mrs, Saunders and buxom Mrs
Benson Brown--these filled the table.
After Eliza had been introduced
to everybody present she sank back
into her chair with a feeling of dis
appointment.
why. he isn't here" she thought
II couldn't even pretend he was that
silly young man that makes jokes;
besides he land the pale little girl
seem quite taken with each other.
OH"
Eliza started, Opposite her was
a. vacant chair. A serious looking,
tall young man, with keen gray eyes
was just taking his place there. and
Mrs. Benson Brown was saying:
"Oh, Miss Morgan. this Is Mr..
Wilbur"
How do you do Miss Morgan"
said the man., his face lighting with
a smile OF friendliness Sorry I'm
late. Mrs. Brown
Eliza breathed more easily, and tho
next day she mentioned "a very
| pleasant young man-about thirty
five ] should say--whose name IL
Wilbur" in her letter to her aunt
and few days later she wrote to
Molly Dobson OF walk In the park
she had had with Mr.. Wilbur. the
Il incest man you ever saw
The weeks passed quickly with
Eliza. Each letter she wrote home
| contained some reference to Mr.. Will
bur. Once he had brought her a
| book--she had given him the money
for 1t and had asked him to get 1t.
but she did not mention these facts;
again he had brought flowers. and
she shuddered when she wrote this
| down. for It was true. There we're
brief references to real conversations
btween the two, and long accounts
of imaginary talks and excursions to-
Eether. Finally, at the end OF three
months Eliza's friends in Dayville
received word that she and Mr.. Will
bur were engaged.
There are still three months to
break 1t in" thought Eliza.
III 1t was three or -four days after
Eliza had announced her engage
ment. She had come down stairs