The Elk Mountain pilot., 1911-02-02
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Asking Mary
BY JOANNA SINGLE


He haQ Always known mary. NoV-
erthless. love came not as a growth.
but as . shock. like a sudden blare
Of trumpets. They had played
together in kindergarten. had attend
ed the public school. lived as neigh
bors from childhood. and belonged
to the same set. They were friends.
even chums. When they went to DIFF
ferent colleges they corresponded.
and saw much of each other In vaca-
tions. Willis Freeman never knew
Just when love began its work on
him. But he knew. through another
man, its pain stabbed at his heart.
Ben Allen. his roommate at law
school. came back with him as his
partner in practice. He was
pleasant addition to Willis set.
Another stranger was a friend Of
Mary's-another. Mary. too. whose
father. John Newton, came to the
thriving little city for = few months
business.
The outdoor merry-makings began
almost As soon As everybody was
home from school and college. The
crowd kept well together. and the
pairing on was for convenience and
mostly casual. Everybody was hav-
ing a beautiful summer.
Willis Freeman was not an excep-
ton. His people were OF for the
summer and he and his partner had
the big cool suburban house to them
selves. and the family cook and
housemsid made them most comforta-
BILE. Several good cases had come
to the young arm. Things were
looking up.
Thus summer waxed and wAned.
and finally the friendly little set
found itself In September. and again
in the midst OF preparations for col
lego. Mary. like Willis. had been
graduated In June. and the two were
In the front of seeing others on. A
with cooking and songs around =
great campfire. with q great compla-
cent moon. much banjo picking-and
some sentiment
II was full midnight and on his
way home from escort duty that night
Willis got the shock that showed him
his heart. Young Parsons was with
him and remarked. with q laugh:
Well. this IL the beginning Of the
end! Specialization has crept into
our hitherto safe and sane midst!
Tho fall crop of engagements 10 due"
What do you meant" asked Willis
= bit laxiiy. his mind vaguely full Of
how sweet Mary had been that eve
ming. He had not seen who saw her
home-he had . visiting girl with =
Eiggle-hc was glad Mary never gig
gled.
Mean! mean they ought to DO
careful when they want to be fools.
In plain American. saw your friend
and partner. one Ben Allen. kissing
Mary-she seemed to enjoy II. They
thought they were out Of sight. and
did get blind a. soon A. I could.
Well. MAry's . princess. all right
glad she won't marry out Of tho
crowd and the town. Here's my cor
ner. So long!"
Willis Freeman stopped In the
moonlit street like one shot. He con-
tinued to stare after the articulate
and departing Parsons. Then the
numbness passed and the quick pain
came. He loved Mary. He had
always loved Mary. II had been or
dained from eternity that he could
and should love her. and her only.
Life semed to be snatched from him
in q second
He entered the house. got to his
room and locked the door. He un-
dressed mechanically. wondering Just
why he was the kind Of fool that
brings a stranger to his home to win
the love he himself had not known
he wanted! He could not blame his
friend. but he hated him with a
mighty cordiality. How could he
meet him at 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. confound 1t. every
thought and ambition he had were
hers! He lay down. and went over
and over his misery.
In the gray of the morning, he fell
into a dose and aw02xe from It with a
sudden start. He sat straight up with
the impulse of a thought that had
reached him out of the nowhere. In
a moment he was up and on his way
to the telephone. Parsons would be
furious. but what Of 1t? What did he
care If He got the number In the
dim dawn. got the Parsons residence.
and Parsons. Sr.. wroth at being
reused from his soundest sleep. And
presently he got also the scmnolent
Parsons, Jr.
Say. Parsons-about what you said
last night-about Allen. you know.
Which Mary was it," His heart hung
on the answer. Aliens Mary might
be the other Mary. Mary Newton.
But Parsons was irate.
You precious idiot! Did you wake
the house to ask me that? What is
1t to you? What you want to know
for? Has the bug got you. too!