The Southern herald., 1913-04-18
(OOpYrEht By the BObba- Merrill OO,l

| mOspnere. certainly, because OF II,
Miss Wing had greater power over
her scholars. She was a woman Of
ability and gentle force; by nature a
little aloof, little precise, able to
feel deeply, but not able to express
her sympathies or her pain. Without
her mysterious sorrow, she would
have seemed to young girls a thought
too admirable; they would have been
chilled by her virtues; but as it was,
their perception that she had lived
deeply that she had suffered, that she
had been loved and had loved eternal
ly, opened their hearts. They would
have admired her, now they adored
her. By degrees, and insensibly to
herself, she became the confessor of
her little world. After they left school,
her girls brought her their perplexities
of the heart.
Today, however, Miss Wing sat be-
fore the picture which so many young
eyes had studied with such vague, yet
ardent, sympathy, and pondered over
a confidence that had not come. The
lack Of its coming hurt her; and the
tap on her door was welcome, for she
thought, 1T is she-coming to tell me.
Oh, hope he is the right man"
At her response, the door swung
open with a jerk, and the darkeyed
girl w',o entered was catching her
breo D, although she tried to make the
o. ( intakes noiseless. There was a
Jok Of pale resolution on her features.
Have you come to let me congrat-
ulate you, my dear?" said the princi-
pal, rising. The girl colored scarlet.
I've come because had to, because l
couldn't deceive you," she blurted,
Miss Wing, it isn't so. let Miss
Parker think SO; but I'm not engaged
to him"
"Sit down, dear" said Miss Wing.
The soft cadence Of her voice did not
roughen. She sat down when her guest
sat, and leaned back in her desk chair,
folding her slim, white hands. There
were flashing rings on her hands; and
the girls used to wonder which ring
Max" had given her. They favored
the sapphire, set between two dla-
monds, because Of its beauty ia real
Cashmere, you know"), and because,
whether she wore other rings or not,
this always kept its place.
"Now, tell me-" said Miss Wing.
Il had letter from him this morn.
ing; It was just a note in one Of Helen
Griers"-the girls 1.-THE form was
erect in the chair, every muscle tense;
she looked past Miss Wing to the wall
and spoke in toneless voice; no one
could see that she was driving straight
on to her purpose, over her own writh
ing nerves-"all he said was that he
had been called back to Germany"
rs he German? Miss Parker said
his name was Cutler"
ut is Butler" the girl said, fiinginl
her head back, while spark crept in
to her liquid, troubled, dark eyes, "bu
he is a German. Don't you know tht
| W
he was a real man; and he founded {
! family. He-my-my friend is th'
Count Won Butler" Miss Wings chair
like other desk chairs, was set on ;
pivot; she turned very slightly anC
5 slowly, at the same time resting heI
elbow on the desk. The girl venturet
a timid glance at her, and though
l that she looked sterner, wherefore he
heart sank; but she only continued
: the faster: "He isn't in America jus
to travel; he was sent by his govern
] ment to watch the Cuban war. HeI
very brave; and he isn't bit like
t foreigner and hasn't any nasty super
: cilious notions about women. MI
+ Grier says he has future, And real
r ly, Miss Wing he is just like "A
d kind Of knight"
Where did you meet him?
o "At Helen's last summer. And h
e was going out to Minneapolis to se
d papa, IL think. But he got cabl
e of his uncle's death. And his two lii
a tie cousins died last year; so now h
Il is the head Of the family; and he mus
). go to Germany at once. For his fathe
g is dead, you know. So he wrote (i
d Helen's letter, because he is so-s
a awfully properly asking to let hir
8 come here and take me to drive-i
d the American fashion. know VIII
!, put him up to that scheme; 1t wa
Fl Helen. had to ask Miss Parker, b
e cause you were out; and she said
! he wasn't relation or the man wa
9 going to marry couldn't go. q
p course, IL he were the man you expeC
r to marry, she said. and-ahd IL sale
But he is!' Just like that. can
% fancy how l came to say such
e thing, but when 1t was said l didn
RI know how to explain; and was 6
10 awfully ashamed; and, besides"-sh
/? lifted her eyes in the frank and direc
N gaze that Miss Wing always liked
ID besides, do want to see him"
at And do you expect him to ask 20
re to marry him." said Miss Wing, wit
n a deepening of the color on her cheel
Il which went out suddenly like II
" fame Of lamp In the wind.
e. Florence Raimund blushed agail
ut but this time she laughed: 'I don
III know. He is so awfully proper" sal
p she, "and he hasn't had a chance [