The Washington herald., 1912-07-07

",
If 1t would save my children"
Drake made no reply. 1t was not a
matter that admitted of any argument
or called for any comment. Here was
the most wonderful, the most be-
widering woman he had ever met
the weakest and the strongest. the
most helpless and the most self-reliant.
But only little later they discov-
cred that "her children" were to be
hers no longer-for a time, at least.
The school was to be abandoned. 1t
was merely a summer makeshift of a
kindergarten nature, and there was no
real need of it. The town would wait
now for the regular fall term to begin.
The town, OF course, was most CRATE
iul to Miss Radford and most appre-
ciative OF her heroism, but the town,
apparently, did not feel called upon to
reduce the expression of its apprecia-
ton to any material form.
Drake saw Miss Radford's lip culver
when the decision was announced. 1t
meant much to her. She received a
mere pittance for her summer work,
but that pittance was sadly necessary.
They walked back to the boarding
house in silence, passed it by tacit
agreement, and wandered along into
the country, each absorbed in thought.
Her problem had been serious enough
before, and now it was worse. She
was naturally thinking of that, and he
was also thinking of it-not only of
it, but of her. She commanded his
admiration and his sympathy. He ad-
mired both her physical and her moral
courage, and when he recalled her
reference to her" children in explana-
ton of her amazing GOODNESS and
nerve he felt that he had surely found
the real woman beneath the peda-
gogical exterior. Her irritating COM
placence was forgotten. 1t was of the
surface, anyway. Deep down she
was woman-a splendid woman-a
troubled woman. He wanted to help
her, and there was but one way.
Drake had really lost little of his
own complacence, in spite of his ex-
perience with other girls. After each
refusal he wondered what there was
about him that made him ineligible
matrimonially. but his confidence re-
turned, in some measure, after brief
association with the next girl he met.
She, he felt deep down in his heart
when he reached the point of think
ing seriously of the matter at all,
would not be so foolish as the others
Perhaps, too, there was an underlying
and unexpressed desire to prove this.
Then, being an impressionable young
man, the combination of admiration
and sympathy really affected him
deeply in this particular case. So,
there being but one way, he tried it.
1t cannot be said that his proposal
was in line with the ideal of the
schoolgirl heart. Indeed, it was rather
prosaic and matter-of-fact, with per-
haps just suggestion of condescen-
sion. He did not intend it to be SO.
but it was. He was offering her so
much that woman, especially a
woman in her position, should prize.
She was worthy of it ALL of course,
but he felt although he did not even
mentally reduce it to this definite form,
that he. was bestowing favor.
She. looked up at him in startled
surprise.
"Oh, dear, no, Mr.. Drake she re-
piled. 81 couldn't think of marrying
you"
why not?" he demanded, equally
startled
Think of my children" she re-
turned. 81 feel that l have real mis-
sion in life and that shall accomplish
much in my chosen field. ! have ideas
that have not been fully tested yet.
True the field is small now hut II will