Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1914-11-20

dreaFy npinstsrs that mike you want
to cry for their lost youthF'
Faulkner laughed and guided her
into a cross street where her eagerness
would be less conspicuous.
"What an absurd infant you nre. Dor
othyi AS II you did not act as You see
at. whatever your mother or your poor
bullyragged guardian may suggest"
She shook her head %petulantly.
Fancy mother 'suggesting'l She al.
ways acts as II society and propriety
and financial solidity were omnipotent
gods and she their high prlestess! My
religion Is knowing how to love and
how to be happy! And I'm going to
marry Jack. permission or no permis-
sion. money or no money. the very day
I come Of agel Then wen have my
thousand a year. unyhow-we can't
starve-and Mary Hart will give us
supper Sunday nights. and wen do
without a maid. or even a general
houseworkerT'
Faulkner gave a fatherly grunt-
quite conscious that. unobserved by
the girl. be was flushing holly at the
name Of the lady OF his dreams.
"What would Miss Hart say to such
rebcllious sentiments and such a mad
plan Of campaigu?" he asked, trying to
make his tone severe and meeting with
indifferent success.
"Oh, Mary would scold, Of course
at the things | say, but she will up
prove Of the things l do. She believes
there Is nothing in the world so awful
as doing what mamma would like
marrying for things! She's had plenty
Of chances herself. but she would
ruther stay an old maid forever and
ever!"
II thought" said Faulkner. that I'M
married women nowadays were not
old maids but bachelor girls"
MARY says n bachelor girl has a ca
reer or a fortune and that she. having
neither, Is just plain old maid. But
think that playing big sister to Jack
and making a splendid college bred
man of him so that he Is now a real
lawyer in your office Is career enough
for any woman! She's only eight years
older than Jack. too-and I've told her
that he is just to go on loving her more
and MORE. even after he has mel''
Faulkner chuckled at the youngsters
afr Of matronly comprehension and
generosity; he patted the little hand
lying on his arm.
"ITl do what | can for your Jack.
my dear. And | have been consider.
ing the ACCESSIBILITY Of taking some
young blood into the law frm-possibly
a little arrangement like that might
help resign your mother TO the inevi-
table"
The girl turned her shining eyes upon
him. and they swan suddenly in tears.
Despite the childish face. she suddenly
seemed a woman. passionate. com.
petent. exquisltely full Of promise.
"Guardy, you are a plumb arch
angel! And you will make Mary al
most as happy as you make us. But l
can't wait-I must get on the sub and
rush home"
Faulkner retained her arm for a mo
ment He looked absurdly shy, but
he asked his question as boldly as he
could:
"Child-yOu're young. Il be 30 con.
hdent! How do you know you have
found the real thing? How can you
be so sure. not only Of yourself, but
of Jack?"
She turned an astonished face to his.
then her young vision seemed to pierce
the cause Of his middle aged perplex.
ity; she had heard the tragedy Of his
marriage to IL woman selfish, hard, I'M
trustwOrthy-a woman at the time of
her marriage in love with another man.
II see what you mean, guardy. When
lawyers are always being asked to
unite matrimonial tangles-when peo-
pie are wanting every day to get I'M
married. don't believe | was sure
Of Jack, anyway, until one day more
than two years ago. You know.
guurdy, how men hate to make spec.
tacles Of themselves. l guess all people
as reserved rs Jack and Mary loathe
being made conspicuous. 1t was at the
football game; Jack got hurt; | saw
tlcul CuIEy luR nlu Ou On u h~lTeLClef,
and l was horribly frightened. We
were just engaged-and / made an
idiot OF myself. ran down through
the crowd and insisted upon being al.
lowed to 20 TO him; Of course, all the
boys understood. When he came to
there l a crying like mad. and
there were a lot of the lnen and the
doctor. The Instant he had his eyes
open. Of course. he saw what a holy
show l had made OF myself-and he
not a bit dead! But he just laughed
up at me, kind OF snapped his fingers
at the whole gang. und ignored the
doctor. He said out loud:
I'm all right. darling'-just as II
darling were my Christian name"
Faulkner did not smile. Somehow
he saw. as the girl had recognized at
the time, how very much this little
speech had meant, coming from that
big, unsentimental. virile youth. Jack
Hart
For an instant the girl snuggled a
-. kuw1 u.naa.N Ls.vII.--s. -