Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-02-12

whist I'VE needed all along was an
Notwithstanding to spur me on
something to inspire me. What I've
needed was
He could not complete the sentence.
1T was as if his tongue had found an
iinsurmountable obstruction in the
groove of language which it had begun
to follow and had to leap out to a side
groove. An expression of disgust
grew on his face. He hesitated,, flushed.
then reached his hand into his pocket
had labored with such assiduity and
such a tenseIy working, cheek manipu-
lating tongue in the small hours that
morning.
what I've needed was"-he once
more said, in desperate endeavor to
remember what came next, and, find
ing it impossible to continue with his
recitation, looked at her wild eyed, dis
appointed, se1fdfsgust writ plain upon
helpless and disorganized fashion to
his sides.
Can you beat that?" he demanded
of the fascinated girl. 81 knew that
thing by heart when I left the hotel"
Almost angrily he thrust the paper in
to her receptive hands.
ct took me hours to write that!" he
earnestly declared. Hours full of mos
quito-bites! / got up early, too, and
learned the thing by heart. But I
might have known that I'd forget it! I
nev could remember anything"
She took the paper, glanced at It
with highly kindled interest and was
on the point of reading it when there
came an interruption. 1t was Sammy.
There ever is a Sammy ready to step
In and spoil big moments In our lives.
"Are-you-too- busy for COM
pany?" he asked deliberately and IT.
~reverently. The imp, though fat, was
quite cognizant of the fact that he had
come at the wrong moment, and his
heart was filed with joy because he
felt SO certain of it.
WHO is it, Sammy?"
"Ma-and-Clara."
Josie sighed, then looked at Broad.
way with an inquiry upon her face. He
nodded. She thrust the paper he had
given her into the top drawer Of her
desk. "All right, Sammy; tell them
to come in"
With a gravity like that of the
sphinx, but with a CLINT of malice sat
isfed in his small eyes, the fat boy
ambled heavily to the door. With a
voice as disproportionate to his years
as were his calves, he cried invitation
to his mother and his sister. II was az
if they waited on the other side of a
wide stream and he was battling a
bowling tempest with his tones. His
"Au right, nom, come on In" rasped
Broadway's nerves; the fact that he
had failed in the delivery of the brief
eloquence which had been fruit of mid
night and past-midnight oil at the un-
ispeakable Grand, a certain feeling
(such as all of us have had) that he
was doing worthily while getting less
than proper credit for 1t. made him
hate Sammy at that moment.
He wondered if he might not throttle
him in some deserted spot before the
day vas over, looked him over careful
,ly, observed the size of his columnar
neck, and ~hopelessly abandoned
thought of it. His hands would never
reach around it! The visitors ap-
peared.
While attention was distracted from
her, in answer to an irresistible i'm
pulse, Josie took from the desk draw
ier b paper Broadway had intrusted
to her, and thrust it into a sacred, Sc
eret place within her s~hirtwaist.
: Mrs. Spotswood, filled with the fne
excitement of the matron who is Ger.
tain that romance is working in her
neighborhood, was devoured by that
modification Of the spirit of the chase
which sends the ladies, rich or poor,
good or bad, upon the scent Of such
elusive news with all the zest of sports
men after squirrels OF elephants. She
was inclined toward worry in regard
TO Jonesville's fate and also inclined
to confidence in it because she had
known Broadway since he was a little
boy (ah, what errors have good women
made because they have known some
one since he was a little boy!) and
knew that while he might be wild he
was not wicked, for his baby curls had
been so sweet; pleased beyond ex.
preston by the deep impression which
her W delicious Clara had made up
on Broadway's afiuent, well-mannered.
plainly competent friend-animated by,
these various emotions and not less
than twenty others which I have not
mentioned. Mrs. Spotswood wore a
huttering smile as she accepted her
MISUNDERSTANDING sons infant fog-whis.
tie invitation.
Good morning, Josie"
Josie smiled at her, although she
had regretted her arrival almost as
much as Broadway had. She had SO
wished to read the words upon the ho-
tel letter paper which her new en-
pioyer had spent half the night. in
writing.
MRS. SpotsWood's smile expanded till
1t fairlV baam0d ~ %c~