The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-07-02

ed. Statira started guilty.. II for
got the tea she exclaimed.
Il guess YOU did" Mrs. Peel looked
grim. You've got some foolish no.
ton that hasn't to do with Amos Mad
ison in Your head; l see that, Statty.
Its no use for YOU to deny it. can
see through YOU Just as easy as if you
We're made of glass"
Statira knew that her mother spoke
truly. She was very uneasy all the
rest OF the day. She had no pleasure
in ner new embroideries and ribbons:
she felt guilty and overcast from the
secret she was harborine. And Yet it
was a delicious secret, and the thought
of those admiring black ewes thrilled
her.
That night she was awakened in
the stiffness and darkness by the
sound of a rich voice singing:
Nita. Juanita.
Ask thy soul if we shall part
ITS he" thought s1atira. and
crumpled upon her pillow. shiverine
with emotion. Suddenly the words
tralled into incoherence and the voice
ceased. The singer evidently had
moved on. The remainder of the
night Statira lay awake thinking owe
all the things she had heard about
lovers serenading their unseen ladies'.
h felt perfectly certain thai the
stranger with the black eyes had been
there in the street before her house.
and that the song had been intended
for her.
Next morning when she opened the
front door she found an oblong box
neatly tied and directed in her name.
S'atira's foolish heart almost stop
ped beating. Her hands trembled so
that she could hardly break the string
and undo h wrapping. But at last
she came 10 the contents of the box
daffodils. a great, sweet. moist, golden
bunch of them. And moi a word to
say whence they had come. Even the
careless scraWl on the paper gave no
clue But Statira knew. He had
placed them there. How delicate. how
adorable in him! She put the daffo-
dis in the best cut glass vase. And
when her mother asked where SHE got
them n answered evasively. When
that afternoon she went for her walk
she Wore one pinned upon the lapel
of her coat. She had a faint hope
that she might somewhere see the
stranger or learn something definite
about him. But she returned from her
walk without having had a glimpse of
him.
Mrs. Peel remarked that Statira did
not eat any dinner. Statira replied
that she had a headache. Afterward,
as they sat together, Mrs. Peel GRO
cneting and Statira pretending to read,
while the daffodils cast a sprightly
golden reflection upon the highly pol
ished surface of the mahogany table,
the doorbell rang. Mrs. Peel herself
Went to answer it and led in Amos
Madison. Amos Madison of all peo-
pie was the n Statira just then
least wished to see. But she manag-
ed to be nice to him.
"1ve been anxious about you h1re
all day." Amos began. Twice / have
actually been on the point of calling
You UP. Then that seemed absurd
and Unnecessary He laughed faint
ly. But when a crazy man is wan
dering at large n never knows. of
course. what ne may do. And Mrs.
Wright says he seemed TO conine his
presentations to this locality"
"A crazy man." cried Mrs. Peel.
Statira turned White as death.
"A tall, black eyed. we'll dressed fell
low, I hear. l didn't see him. Mrs
Wright said he waiked past her house
several times yesterday afternoon. and
last night she heard him singing. a
policeman on the next street arrested
him m today l understand he was