The Washington bee., 1911-07-15


standing that this was very different |
from the social life he had been en-
Joying he would have liked the |
change, especially for the company OF |
this pretty girl, had not Mieklejohn
spoiled it all by going away, taking
her heart with him. With the girls
TOmlinsOn had met he was surfeited
Here was a girl SO preOccupied with
another that she couldn't even be COM
paniOnable. This is a specimen of the
way she talked about Mieklejohn:
''DO you sing? No! Mr.. Mieklejohn
has such lovely tenor voice. When
he sings he thrills me. He used to sing
parts from Faust and l almost
wished 1 had been Marguerite. Mr..
MieklejOhn is very versatile. He is the
best whist player, the best billiard
player, the best horseback rider, the
best swimmer
did you tumble out Of the boat
when he was here that he might swim
ashore with you?'
'How ridiculOusl" She pouted. Tom
hnsOn asked her to go on with the cat
alOgue of Mieklej0hn's accomplish
ments, but she turned away from him
as from one who had slapped the face
Of her idol and. pulling on the port
rudder rope, headed tie boat for the
bungalow.
After dinner Alice sat at the table in
the living room with her mother, her
brother and TOmlinSon-that is to say,
she was going to sit there, but the
guest spoiled it all and drove her away
by asking if Mr.. MieklejOhn read poet
ry to her by the dim light of the kero-
sene lamp. AT this reference to the
dear departed MiekIejOhn Mrs. Stetson
cast frightened glance at her daugh-
ter. Roy was reading a book on the
game Of football and was oblivious to
the shock to his sisters senSibilities.
Alice arose and, with her eyes bent to
the floor, left the room. TOmlinsOn
could have bitten OFF his tongue, for a
long evening was before him with no
other companions than an elderly lady
and a boy, the room in which they
were being lighted by a dim lamp.
Mrs. StetsOn retired at and Roy half
an hour later. TOmlinsOn vowed that
if the period of this secluSion ever ex-
pired-it seemed to him that it never
wOuld-he would not get into such a
trap again. Besides, he was much
piqued after having been sought by
finer girls to be completely ignored,
considered a parsonage of no impOr-
tance whatever compared with the i'm
maculate MieklejOhn. a desire came
to him to supplant Mr. MieklejOhn and
when he had done SO leave Lake Was
SapOgie with his nose in the air.
The next morning Mrs. StetsOn, evi-
IDENTITY still concerned about her daugh-
ter's sorrow, suggested another boat
ride, Alice didn't seem to care what
she did so long as Mr.. MieklejOhn was
absent. She yielded possibly to heI
mothers wish. The boat was taken
out, and the guest of the house, with
the listless girl, again left the bunga
low.
TOmlins0n bore the references tt
Mieklejohn, gritting his teeth, bu
making no reply. His object wa'
rather to draw Alice's attention away
from this remarkable man to Othel
subjects from which he might the
more easily direct it to himself. HC
exerted whatever lady killing faculties
he possessed for an hour, at the end o.
which time his companion seemed
really to have plucked up some inter
est in her surroundings. Then for al
hour she failed to mention the lost one
TomlinsOn was encouraged.
Two weeks passed, each day being ;
gradual drawing away Of Alice Stet
son from a man who was absent to ;
man who was present. All the deli
cious little hooks which bordered Ol
the lake were visited again and again
and at last TomlinsOn chuckled t
himself:
snow bring on your MieklejOhn."
One bright morning they were drift
ing idly through some rushes. There
nothing like some rushes, some smootl
water. a little brush and a few over
hanging trees, with a man and gin
in a boat, to make picture of yOun
love. TomlinsOn was making an effor
to complete the shattering Of the Sa
cred image-MieklejOh He oversize
the mark and made use Of the wOr
Glove" Had Miss StetsOn been sittin
at the other end of the boat from hin
possibly what happened might no
have happened, at least not then. Blu
they were sitting side by side. Alice
! head fell on Tomlinson's shoulder
What could he do? He completed tn
transition. The burden was remove
from the shoulders of the dear dt
parted and placed upon those Of tn
newcomer.
This is letter written by Alice Ste
son to her bosom friend Molly BaW
announcing her engagement:
you see, dearest, mamma kne7
from Mrs. TOmlinsOn that Ned was bt
set by a lot Of society girls OF tha
class which is trying to live in swell
dom without having the means to d
so. Mrs. TOmlinson was afraid som
Of them would get him and, KNOWN
what plain, modest, unassuming gil