Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-05-28

| ne announced with finality. This was
intended to bowl her over completely.
She looked at him for an instant.
and then shook her head. I'D like to
be able to wish you good luck"
He stared. You don't mean to say
she'd be fool enough" he began In
credulously, but caught himself up in
time "Of course, I'd have to take my
chances" he concluded, with more hui
mility than she had ever seen him dis
play. DO you know OF any one else?"
NO." she said seriously. she doesn't
confide in me to that extent. / fear.
I've never asked"
DO you think there was any ono
back there In England" He put 1t
in the past tense, 40 to speak, as II
there could be no question about the
present.
'Oh. dare say"
| He was regaining his complacency.
That's neither here nor there" he
declared. The thing want you to do,
Sara, is to rush this confounded por-
| trait. l don't like the idea, not little
bit"
II don't blame you for being afraid
| Of the attractive Mr.. Booth" she said,
with significant lifting Of her eye
brows
I'm going to have it over with be-
| fore / go UP to town, my dear girl" he
announced, In matter-of-fact way.
I've given the whole situation a
deuce of lot of thought. and I've
made up my mind to do it. I'm not
the sort, you know, to delay matters
once my minds made up. BY Jove,
Sara. you ought to be pleased. I'm
not such rotten catch, II do say 1t
who shouldn't"
She was perfectly still for a long
time, so still that she did not appear
to be breathing Her eyes grew dark
er, more mysterious. II he had taken
the pains to notice, he would have seen
that her fingers were rigid.
Il am pleased" she said, very gently.
She could have shrieked the words.
How she hated all these SNUG Wran-
| dalls!
Il came to the decision yesterday"
chair with his finger tips, as If timing
his words with care and precision.
Spoke to dad about 1t at lunch.
was coming out on the five o'clock, as
I'd planned, but he seemed to think
I'd better talk it over with the mater
| first. Not that she would be likely to
kick up a row, you know, but-well.
4 who I
Decent thing to do, you know. She
never quite got over the way you and
Chal stole march on her. God knows
I'm not like Chal."
Her eyes narrowed again. No. she
said, you are not like your brother"
"Chal was all right, mind you, in
what he did, he added hastily, noting
the look. Il would do the same. pom
my soul l would, If there were any
senseless objections raised in my
case. But, of couse, it was right for
me to talk it over with her, just the
same. So | stayed in and gave them
all the chance to say what they
thought of me-and, incidentally, of
Hetty. Quite the decent thing, don't
you think? A fellows mother is his
mother, after all. See what mean?"
She is quite satisfied, then, that
you are not throwing yourself away on
Miss Castleton," said Sara, with a
deep breath, which he mistook for a
sigh.
"Oh, trust mother to nose into
things She knows Miss Castleton's
pedigree from the ground up. There's
Debrett, you see. What's more. you
can't fool her in a pinch. She knows
blood when she sees it. Father hasn't
| the same sense Of proportion. however.
He says you never can tell"
Sara was startled What do you
mean?"
"Oh, it's nothing to speak Of; only q
way he has of grinding mother once
in a while. He uses you as an exam
pie to prove that you never can tell,
and mother has to admit that he's
right. You have upset every one OF
her pet theories. She sees 1t now, but
-whew! She couldn't see 1t In the
old days, could she?"
II fear not" said she in a low voice
Her eyes smouldered. 1T is quite nat
ural that she should not want you to
make the mistake your brother made
"Oh. please don't put it that way,
Sara. You make me feel like con.
founded prig, because that's what II
comes to, with them, don't you know.
And yet my attitude has always been
clear to them where you're concerned
I was strong for you from the begin
ming. All that silly rot about"
| Please, pleased" she burst out,
quivering all over
Il beg your pardon" he stammered,
"You--you know how mean 1t, dear
girl"
Please leave. me out OF 1t, Leslie,
she said. collecting herself After mo.
ment she went on calmly: And so you
are going to marry my poor little Het-
ty, and they are all pleased with the
arrangement"
4 IL she'll have me" he said with a
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