The Washington herald., 1913-07-27

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not burning.
Wasting my life" he inuttered,
wasting my ifel By jove, that little
girls got me going! Pm going to wake
up and do something, tooP
| He did. He fumbled around until he
! found a match.
| The most beautiful girl perhaps in
all Americal Could the sentimental
Mr.. Curran sleep after that? His hair
was thin and he had swung the circle
and come back to the prosy old town,
but no matter! He took . photograph
out of his desk dozen times to study
it. Some careless miracle of an OBJ
4 scure country studio had caught an
arch stateliness, a breathing grace, a
. spiritual purity that made the town
gasp when it saw the thing-gasp, and
then declare it could not possibly be
the bootlegger's girl. Mr.. Curran
| CROPPED for the enhancement; yes, it
was she-and he had seen her face
so in the moonlight.
THE dear kid" he murmured, and
kissed the picture and laid it away.
Aurelie went about the next morn
ing in dream. She helped Mrs. Lind
strom with the breakfast dishes and
then carried the baby out on the sum
shine of the porch to play with him.
Neighbor women came and went. Al
| ready they were discussing her, she
knew. The household had been in a
hubbub, she the calmest of them all
Old Michigan's astounded questions,
Johns suspicious fanaticism, the wife's
silly comments, the boys puzzled awe.
Aurelie a-going to have her picture
in the Baper!
Well, it was like Aurelie. To Knute
and Peter she was ever the princess
off on amazing adventures, fairy
who played with them and yet was not
of them. From the porch she watched
them milking a lean-hipped heifer
| which they had aroused, standing with
their bare feet in the steam of her bed
to avoid the frosty grass. Knute shiv-
cred in his cotton shirt; above the
singsong of the milking his chattering
voice retorted to Peter:
saw Aurelie. she amt a-goin' to get
stuck up! She'll come out and go rab-
bit huntin' with US fellers, even if she
does get her picture in the paperP
Later she went past them in the
yard, dressed in her best gown.
cheap, fantastic circlet of brass in her
hair which Uncle Michigan had given
her years ago. She rarely were hat,
for she had none to her pride. The
boys yelled their friendly derision at
her fnery. From the porch Mrs. Lind
strom whined her fright. She was
clean upset" by Aurelie's. fortune. But
maybe it meant job. Lord knows
We need it. John laid up with his arm
and Albert not workin' steady. Maybe
Aurelie would get job in the News
Office, but Lord knows what would
happen to girl who got her name in
the paper" She sniffled on to the
neighbor woman, and Aurelie marched
on with vast pride. Not all the beauty
of the October sun level from the hills
against the filigree of red and gold
hung against the cliff face could stir
this beaten labor woman OF the cities.
Lord knows Aurelie'll get us all in
the papers. Amt my man had enough
hard luck without this!'
Aurelie went on, a slender scarlet
figure on the leaf-carpeted creek road.
She wilfully passed the bridge to cross
Sinsinawa on the messy stones among
the rushing water. A red squirrel
scolded her from the willows, and she
charged him laughingly, her breath
quick in the keen air. her eyes bright
with delightful freedom.' And while
the squirrel barked his indignation
from a safe tree. she laughed again,
and then suddenly remembered that
she was trying to be miserable. and
yet rebelling against il with all her
pride.
When she came to the neat houses
of High Street the eyes OF early
housewives, airing their rugs. caught
her gypsy figure; they whispered to
the household. and noses fattened
against the panes to watch her pass.
Already, despite Mr.. Curran's effort
to hold the story for the Sunday pa
pers, the town was buzzing with
Aurelie Lindstrom's notoriety. 1t was
aghast, it was incredulous; but when
she passed it ran to see and whispered.
When she neared the Square and
passed a shop where the cheerful an
wis rang, she was conscious that the
work stopped and the smiths came out
of the blue haze in their leather aprons
to stare after her; and when farm
wagon cam: along, heapcd with frosted
corn. the hired man hailed her; and
when she passed the Hub Clothing
Store, dapper clerk called: Hello, |
Aureliep And all the other clerks |
and the proprietor gathered, open
mouthed, to whisper.
She set her shoulders straighter and |
marched on into the News Office. The |
editor arose hastily1and stared at her.
Then he sighed and came to her with |
his hand out. "Aurelie, l see it nowp
WHAT she asked innocently.
THE beauty winner! Oh, we're a !
lot Of chumps around this old town
Here you grew up among US and no.
body ever suspected. You're the most |
beautiful girl ever sawF
She sat down perplexedly. Jim
Minis, the tramp printer, toothless and |
whisky-soaked, grinned at her over his |
case. Alex, the press boy, stopped his
work. Rube Van Hart, the, broken
down BALI player, stuffing old papers
into the stove, lifted his derby awk-
wardly: Morning, Aurelier'
All the world seemed radiant with |
friendliness The editor had her hand /
and refused to drop il. His eyes were
bright with eagerness.
Right here in my old shop he
said. 'is Cinderella 7"
She looked seriously at him. She
had never known anybody like Wiley
7. Curran. He seemed like man who /
had produced a miracle when he mere
ly meant to knock out his pipe. There
it was, the sparks few, and the fairy