Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-10-09

teli he yh|' hoala 81 he from my
gfaslhlier
1T IS almost beyond understand
ing Chat ho should make You his sole
heaehcaa on coadition you marry
= SRI neither Of You had ever seen.
Non't you 'hink 50, Mr.. Steeds?
Doaf you realize our positionY"
q s' made il plain to Steeds.
Trough some blunder the taxi had
delivered him at the wrong number,
@ mother and daughter expecting
mother caller. This other caller, a
nan with a name very similar TO his
mn. il seemed, was born TO misfor-
sune He was to lose this most
charming of girls.
A feeling of pity for that other
man shot through Steeds; yet it was
pity mixed with a selfish Joy that
she was not going to marry him.
What a comrade she would make
what a wife The knowledge had
come to Steeds when he had first
laid eyes upon her that this was his
mate; this was the one he had known
and loved always.
To sit with her nestled in his arms
in the freight of their home would
be foretaste Of heaven. To see her
leaning over the crib of their child
with the light of a Madonna in her
gray eyes
Why should this maiden with the
air of innocence and of gentle breed
ing stir his lazy heartbeats? He had
seen pretty girls before-ah, many
of theml
He found his voice at last. 81
beg your pardon for permitting this
discussion Of a personal matter, but
at first it puzzled me. And you will
remember | tried to interrupt. / am
not the man You believe / am"
''Not the man !" said mother and
daughter together. And then the
latter added, care you not Reginald
Speed, a civil engineer Of Ans
bury?"
"Speed?" repeated Steeds. "That
explains my blunder in part. l
thought that yourself and the maid
spoke my name. l am Dorr Steeds
of Jacksonville. And 1 am a
writer"
They drew together and pondered
a bit. Then said the girl:
"But how did you find our home
why did you come here?"
81 left my hotel to dine at Perry
BGncrofts-" he noted, but did not
interpret their start of recognition
at the name" (which l understood
to be 100 West fist street.
"And this $50 West T4th," said
the girl.
The maids entry broke an awk-
ward silence. "a telegram, miss.
And the motor is ready"
With a gesture of apology she tore
open the message. A swift glance
at it, and little trill of laughter
escaped her.
''This closes the incident, Mr..
Steeds. Under the circumstances,
YOU must hear it: Don't expect me.
Married today. viii fight viii in
courts. Reginald Speed"
Steeds looked back into her eyes
and echoed her laugh. He bowed
and turned reluctantly to the door.
He was going out of her home, out
of her lfe-forever. The gray eyes
would never light up with love for
him; the dimpled arms would never
be his sanctuary when editors or pub
lie proved unkind. They would never
ramble together through woods and
fields, nor sit before a glowing CRATE
nor bend together over a tiny crib
Fate and the mother interviewed.
"Mr. Steeds," she said kindly. He
wheeled about.
at is a trihe unconventional, |
suppose, since you are a stranger to
rs. But as we are to meet formally
within ten minutes, am going to
lsk YOU to share our car. For, you
see, we are guests at the Bancrofts'
fnner, too~
Steed accepted humbly, thankful
Y. Together they went out into an
enchanted land-the land of his
dreams.