River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-10-02

| when | was younger" Kerr repeated.
II think every one will have to like
/ re very much" Gloria complained
with whimsical air of doubt, ito
| come way out to Locust Lawn to see
| me-" She knew well that they would
come, but a town apartment, some
thing modern, doomed large in her
mind. These remarks were only the
pioneer work preliminary to a siege.
I'm afraid Belmont will seem mean
| compared TO the places you have
lived" suggested Mrs. Gilbert. In the
short time she had been with Gloria
she had seen enough to make her GER
tain that there were breakers ahead.
mot at ALL" answered the girl.
Judge Gilbert was talking earnestly
with her father, and this gave her a
chance to confess privately to Mrs.
Gilbert
ut seems good to me because it is
| home, and l can do as l please with
out comment. | mean to live my life
to the full, just as do other girls
whom I visit Except when I've been
with them, it's been chaperon and
school, school and chaperon for so
long that I'm honestly glad to get into
house where no one rushes in every
few minutes to see if I'm reading a
French novel or writing love letters
| to the chauffeur"
Mrs Gilbert laughed heartily at the
martyrdom Gloria had suffered, and
promised that such would not be her
lot in Belmont. When Mr.. Kerr Joined
them she went to summon her other
guests.
Judge Gilbert has been telling me,
Gloria" Kerr began, that things was
quiet here just at this season. Now
| California"
Telling you!" repeated Gloria. Why
did her father need to have any one
tell him anything about Belmont?
Then wasn't she excuse enough for
all the gayety possible?
Amt got nothin against California,
have you?" Kerr asked, ignoring her
exclamation.
Il don't know" She turned away
| from him, conscience-stricken at her
tone of indecision. Il wanted to come
home, yet
Don't you like Locust Lawn, girl?"
Eyes, yes" she answered quickly.
But everything is SO different from
what I imagined it would be- Give
me a little time to think about the
California trip
At that moment Mrs. Gilbert re-
turned with the guests who for some
little time had been entertaining
themselves in the drawing-room. =
Mrs. Hayes and her husband were
first introduced to Gloria. While they
| exchanged few pleasantries, Wright
in charge of Judge Gilbert, was meet
ing David Kerr. 1t was not until Mrs.
Gilbert called him to her to present
him to Miss Kerr that the editor Of
the Belmont News and the daughter
of David Kerr came face to face.
To the surprise of the others pres
ent Gloria gave a little scream of de-
light and came forward with both
hands outstretched to greet the young
man. He no less gcVe evidence of his
pleasure at the meeting His face
lighted up with smile and the way
he grasped both Der hands betokened
his happiness at seeing her again. If
the others could not share their graft
fication, they could at least share
their surprise
Joe Wright, of all persons!' ex
claimed Gloria, shaking his hands
heartily, her face radiant with smiles.
Miss Kerr! You here!" 1t was
all he could say, but he put into it a
wealth of feeling which made it i'm
possible to mistake his meaning. He
forgot David Kerr, he forgot every
one but this girl whom now he met
again after SO long time.
You're the last person I'd expect
to find in Belmont"
But you're not the last person I'd
hope to find here" he replied.
Whereupon they both laughed and
shook hands again.
Mrs. Gilbert was the first of the
others to recover the power of
speech. You know each other!"
Indeed we do replied Gloria I'VE
travelled abroad for time in the same
party. How do you happen to be
here?" asked Wright. Tell me all
about it."
There isn't much to tell. / live
here now
How FUNNY"
I'm not apologizing for it," he
laughed.
81 don't mean it that way. Belmont
is my home, too. I was born here"
Here! In Belmont" He made no
effort to conceal his surprise.
YES" she said proudly; 81 am the
daughter of David Kerr"
Had she struck him a blow full in
the face she could not more have stag
gered him. In the joy of meeting her,
Wright had forgotten everything but
the pleasure of seeing her again and
the memories her presence conjured
I'D of what he called their mad old
glad old Paris days when they had
been SO much together. He had for
| gotten the sordid present with the
fight to make friends for his kind OF
newspaper, the effort to meet the pay
roll, and the continuous struggle
against what he knew to be the evil
| influences of David Kerr. David Kerr
her fatheri With Gloria's explanation
raised by her pride in her father al
tar to Melbourne is nearly nine thou
sand miles. Nor does it suffice to say