Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-11
One Woman S
Story
By Virginia T. Van De Water.

a case like this it was the girl, not
/ the man, who should first mention the
matter.
He had presented to Mr.. Danforth
I the letter Of introduction from his
I firm-nOt only with the hope Of Sc
curing an order but, it must be con-
1 fessed, with an equally keen hope Of
again meeting his acquaintance of
] the subway train. How this was 10
/ be accomplished he did not know. lie
I could hardly ask a man many years
older than he to allow him 10 know
4 him in social way, and unless he
/ did meet Mr., Danforth socially, how
/ should he have an opportunity Of any
/ closer intercourse with Mr.. Danforth's
| daughter?
He decided to leave this on the
| knees OF the gods and 10 give his
/ whole thought to the business upon
/ which his employers had sent him to
New York. Therefore, putting Mary
| from his mind for the time, he talked
| business so well that the girls IA
Their was impressed by his earnestness
and his direct manner and, after
! promising to give him an order,
/ turned the conversation to the young
mans home affairs He soon learned
| that he was from Texas, that this
was his first visit to New York, and
| that he had no friends in the great
| city
See here Mr.. Craig" suddenly
/ suggested the hosptable New York
| er, "if YOU have no engagement for
! this evening, suppose you come up
and dine with my wife and daughter.
| / know they would be glad TO know
you"
Mr.. Danforth was surprised at the
1 CLEAN of pleasure that illumined the
/ good looking face of the young man
before him but he liked him the bet
/ ter for his evident appreciation Of
| the compliment implied in the invi-
tatiOn from a man old enough to be
/ his father.
"Thank you. sir" was the delight
/ ed rejoinder. 81 will be mighty glad
/ TO comet"
Craig remembered with a sensation
/ of relief that he had brought dress
suit to New York with him, having
/ been advised to do this by the senior
member OF his firm. You never know
what you will run up against in New
/ York" his employer had said land II
some big business bug should ask you
To dine you would want to look your
/ best"
While Mr. Danforth was not what
the Westcrner considered "a big bust
ness bug" the young man certainly
/ did want to look his best-fOT rea-
sons Of his own. These thoughts ran
/ through his brain while his prospeC-
| tive host was saying;
Come back here a little after
| o'clock and we will go uptown togeth-
er / shall be detained here later than
usual this afternoon, as | have some
/ important letters to get off. But you
/ he back by $50"
Indeed l will sir" the happy Tex
an assured him
Thus II came about that Gordon
! Craig and Mary Dauforth met Cor
/ the second time The girl had be-
slowed more care than usual on her
/ toilet this evening donning her pref
/ Hest little dinner gown. a simple pale
/ blue affair that showed her fair neck
and shoulders and intensified the blue
! Of her eyes and the auburn tints IN
! her hair. Her suppressed eXcitemen.
! brought n vivid color to her cheeks.
! Gordon Craig had thought her pref
! " girl when he met her on the train,
but he had had only time to take in
! the general effect of her appearance
She had been tired and wan then, and
! her hat had cast a shadow over the
upper part of her face He was, there
| fore, unprepared for the very attraC-
tive vision that met his gaze when,
! responding to her fathers call Of
Mary. child, where are you? / have
a guest here I want you TO meet she
came into the drawing room. II r
eyes looked straight into those OF the
tall Texan, and a deeper flush came 80
her cheeks. As her father said, MARY,
this Is Mr. Craig, of Texas" she hell
out her hand with a frank smile.
Mr.. Craig" she said, softly, Il am
happy TO meet you
There was no suggestion I'm her
voice and manner Of any former en-
counter with the stranger, and he
thrilled with admiration Of her poiSe
and possession, He had heard
that New York women were mis-
tresses of all situations. and ne could
believe this as he looked 1t the young
girl,
1T is nice of YOU" she was saying,
Ito come and dine with us tonight
when there are SO many interesting
things in New York for visitors to
see"
"On the contrary" he said, as he
bent over her hand. 1T is Mr. Dam
forth who is kind to give me the OPP
Iportunity Of meeting the members IF
his family in his delightful home. -
/ He turned with bright smile TO Mrs.
Danforth. with whom he had been
chatting before Mary's entrance
You don't know" he said, what Y
means to a fellow far away from
home and friends to receive such a
cordial welcome as this from people
he had not even met "a hours ago .
Then, as his eyes met Marys, she
. saw in them twinkle of amusement
and remembered that "a hours ago he
had already met one member Of the
family, and that member was her
self Somehow, this knowledge pos
sessed only by these two, made "a kind
Of bond between them, and she felt
that Craig and she We're almost
friends already. She had many friends
among Young men-iu fact. was raJh-
er popular with the youths in her set
for she was pretty and yivaCiouS
But she had the reputation OF being
rather cold and distant, Boys bored
her ut times. and, when they became
sentimental they almost disguised
her. a fact that other girls, more r0-
mantle and impressionable than she,
could not understand. But she was
aware now that she found this West
erner distinctly interesting. He was
entirely unlike the young men who
talked trivialties with her-thinkins
that was the sort Of thing that a girl
Iliked-and much more interesting
than the old men. who. she felt re-
garded her as an uninterestIng young
thing.
what pretty manners he has" she