The Press., 1911-01-18

| A~~ASA lerton, with genuine anger. "I don' think you have done the girl any good"
 "And there is just the slightest pos sibility," said M. Vavin, with great suavity, ''that the suggestion has donG the girl a great deal of harm. Is i not sop
 Meanwhile Holcomb and Dora had turned into the road and had disap peared over the hill.
 'sYou have promised" she said tC him, mot to give me any advice as tt what shall do."
 "Yes," he replied, "and in that prom ise was an implied promise that would not discuss the matter witt you"
 .'But I wish you would," she said q ask you to. I need some comfort; need some help"
 "Dora," he said-she turned and looked full in his eyes, for the appella tion came as a novelty from him-''l am going to keep my promise and lei you make your decision as regards this particular experience absolutely of your own accord, at least uninfu' enced by me-"
 "And yet you believe that l should go on with it, do you notY' 1 "Dora'-the fact or previous l1ngua exercise gave the young mans voice an authority and softness as he pro nounced the name this time e-"Dora you mustn't try to lead me to break l h~Y AHNn Cho It is a particularly sacred promise be- cause it concerns you. But what we can talk about, if you will permit me, is something that also concerns you and me-"
 They were both too sincere, too hon. | est and endowed with too keen a sense of perspective not to realize that they were fairly well prepared for the subject which Holcomb was about to introduce.
 "You don't mind-my-calling- -DoraY' he said hesitatingly, though with a smile.
 q should probably have registered my objection before this if I thought the matter had warranted any partic. ular reproof."
 ''You know" he said as they walked slowly along, his eyes on the ground and his mind working strenuously, while she watched his face, healthy, vigorous embarrassment giving it bit of color, her own flushed with excite ment and pleasurable anticipation.
 You know some one has said that a romance consists of love affair be- 1 tween two people who are positively 1 III mated"
 "That's pretty severe,'' said the girl, i isn't 1t, and rather cynicalY'
 "It's the cynical things" replied Hol- comb, "that sharpen a mans sense of truth. They are the whetstone of proportion. am going very carefully about what have to say to you be- 1 cause it means so much to me and because of a little fear that I may have made a mistake, and perhaps another fear that you may think am taking an unfair advantage of cur friendship"
 He was talking very earnestly now, and he could not repress the emotion that swelled his heart and threatened to make his voice unsteady T would rather go on in silence, thinking that Sou loved me little and knowing it I loved you a great deal, than to learn now that your friendship for me was purely, solely a matter of business"
 '"That isn't so," said the girl soft ly, "even if friendship could be a mat .er of business" As she spoke her eyes shone with depth of feeling, and she smiled happily.
 He laughed gayly at the reproof, she joining him.
 Thanks very much for the correc- ton" he said, land also," and he took her hand as they walked along, flor the sentiment that preceded it.
 Dora, whether you go on the stage or not in this play of mine is a mat ter that you must decide, but let me help you decide a more important en- gagement"-now came the great mo- ment for both of them-"an engage ment for all time"
 They had come to a turn of the road, beyond which the town opened up ather suddenly. She turned her head lowly away kfrom him. He stopped and took her. other hand and drew her toward him.
 'Is it yes?' he asked
 Now she turned her face upward toward his and said with all the ten derness of a true woman: willard shall say Willard?-I am more than sure that love you. Some of the happiest moments that I have had have been with you" Tears welled into her eyes. 'I would like to feel thoroughly free to say yes. But eUery- thing tRat I feel like doing ot my oa0n aotlI has the QuGIity Of Gn impending d0om."
 That is the fault, Dora, if you will pardon my saying so, of your Aunt Cornelia and her sponge cake"
 'I feel that you are right" she said, hitting some great sin in either speak ing disrespectfully or thinking ad- versely of my aunt To me she repre- sents fate and the moralities'-
 "And the dreadful puritanical con- science! Let us forget about Aunt Cornelia. Let us just remember that there are only you and I-you and I with our love and life and health and our romance''-
 'What did your cynic say about romance?" she asked.
 "I quoted that because of the com. polling power of exception. We are the exception. I quoted 1t because wanted to be sure that we weren't i'll mated"
 Do you want me. to say yes now. Willard?'
 q want you to do what you think is right. But, Dora, in the thought that you will say yes my heart is