The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1914-04-03

definition of good breeding was ones
ability to carry himself in all situa-
tions-one's self-control in the face of
trial.
"I'll explain" he said, at length,
"and while do SO please accept the
luncheon have ordered. 1t has been
ordered down to the coffee"
The girl looked her establishment.
"You-expected some one, of course"
Billy shook his head. NO" he con-.
fessed.
The girls eyes were two question
marks. The, waiter removed the plates
and set down cups Of some sort Of
PURGE with dabs OF whipped cream on
top.
But something supernatural must
have told me l wanted to lisger over
long luncheon" he said. Tor I've in
cluded every course they have in this
unostentatious- place. No" he inter
rupted what he knew were her
thoughts-"I-In not lunatic. I'm as
sane as you are. But have one &C.
centricity and you have come right
down into my life In the midst of it.
don't blame you for thinking I've
escaped from Matteawan. But-per-
haps it'll be case Of the worst foot
forward for me In our acquaintance
and not at all case Of saving the
faults to infiict on the ripper friend
ship"
Pm interested-if only from prac.
teal standpoint" the girl laughed
You're good enough to put in story
and it's by storytelling that am able
to eat at all-not, oh, believe me" she
protested, mot this elaborate, sort of
luncheon. You were about to remark
that l must be a great story-teller,
were you not?"
Billy now began to feel the real
reason for his adoption of this mode
of eccentricity. He was a great be-
lever in the saying about destiny
and of how 1t shapes our ends and all
that sort Of thing.
Thereupon, he told her the whole
story-except the one last intuition he
had received; he felt that 1t would be
rather premature to tell the girl now
that she was his fate-his finish-his
Just his.
"Of course, 1t is interesting to be
mysterious" the girl was saying when
the waiter had at last poured coffee
into tiny cups for them, offered Billy
matches and betaken himself to a
distant corner of the now nearly de.
serted room; but how many men
or women, either, for that matter
realizing that they had no God-given
talents to make them so, would have
gone to such effort to make them
selves so?"
mot many, perhaps" Billy ad-
mitted,
Even there lies your individuality"
the girl said, forgetting that she was
talking as to an old friend.
Billy bowed modestly. Even there
lay the kindly path that led me to-
to this table," Billy fastened to say.
He had intended to make it more per
sonal, but thought better of 1t. Il will
walk out with you-for appearances.
may II" he asked, as he summoned
the waiter.
"Oh, yes, by all means" the girl
laughed "As well be killed for a sheep
as lamb" she added, merrily.
Lambs, you know, are free to gam
boil and frolic where they choose"
Billy said, profoundly. when lamb
becomes a sheep it cannot gambol and
frolic freely, Its days are not so care
Free 1t has taken on responsibilities
of life. Do--do you get me? Do you
Still want to accept your fate as indl.
Gated in that thoughtless remark-as
well for sheep as lamb?'"
The girl looked squarely at him as
he held her coat, taking 1t from the
waiter, who would have done 1t. Il
am not quite sure at present what
want to do. lid like to get away
and view the situation from a stand
point not warranted to have been born
of false understanding. l want to
think"
Think! It's inevitable, so l dare to
let you go-and think" Billy had the
temerity to say. "a knot that's been
as long untangling as this knot Of my
fate has been is"
The girl raised protesting hand.
Never mind-tell me more tomorrow.
lunch here every day."
And on the morrow Billy lunched at
the Coffee Cup Inn with the girl who
had happened into his life-to stay.
Copyright, 1914, by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.)
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