Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1915-03-04

know with such a pleased look on her
face at the lovely surprise she had Civ
EN- me,
"'fou old dear she said as she kiss
eG me. Your father told me about
how YOU felt you had to come here
alone to put the house in order, and |
just ran down to keep you company.
Wen have a real good visit and be to-
gether every minute. just the way we
used to in school,
Now. Aunt Mary. what could I do?
or curse she stayed. and we were
never out of each others sight and
went back to New York on the same
train. That evening wanted to cry, l
felt so discouraged. but l couldn't ever
do that for fear Of soaring Maggie.
Then the old life began.
II got perfectly distracted, with Os-
car waiting and with me more confus-
ed every time l looked at him. At last.
Il evening, l thought l saw the way
out Of it all. Sallie Prentiss came over
to ask father if l couldn't join a party
Of girls who had graduated from u
school and We're going abroad with one
Of the teachers. l jumped at the
chance! I'd always been crazy to go
abroad. but I didn't think Of that at
all. 1t only seemed to me a way Of
getting away from New York and all
the hundred million people who want
ed me to talk with them, so I leased
father till he said I could go.
Aunt Mary"-she paused with a sol.
emn forefinger upraised-''if you ever
want to be by yourself don't go to Eu-
rope with a party of girls. Why, New
York was a desert of solitude com
pared with that party! They're all a
little bit older than l and had been
abroad before, and they promised one.
a%nother-I overheard them and felt like
jumping oyerboard-that they wouldn't
let dear little Puss get lonely and home
sick.
well of course l didn't draw a
breath during the voyage that wasn't
shared by the others. and when we
landed in France it was just as bad.
Miss Hopper wouldn't let n of us so
much as stick u nose out alone, be-
cause it wasn't proper, and n of the
girls always roomed with me. The only
time when | wasn't supposed to be
ready to talk and be sociable was when
| was writing letters. | tried to use
that as a pretext and would sit and just
make my pen go without writing any
tIs~- D,,L viz -~<s,fo ~ ~, 1,o ~, ~
| in thinking about Oscar and whether ]
!! was in love with him or not while |
had to keep my pen juggling up and
down? l soon gave that up!
FINALLY l gave up trying and put it
off until | sailed for the trip home. |
knew the girls were going to stay over
till a later boat, and l knew you liked
| to be still and quiet, and thought I'd
have long days of leisure all to myself.
| When I said goodby to the girls in
Liverpool they asked me to say hon
| estly if I'd been lonely or homesick,
and you should have heard me! l just
shouted, Well. should say not" They
looked so pleased-dense things!
The passenger list scared me a little
SO many names or it of people who
live right near us and know me so
well-but | thought maybe they'd be
sick or something. | never dreamed
folks could be so hatefully we'll. They
knew me right away, and they've been
laying themselves out to give me a
good time. a good time" She repeat
ed the words with a bitterly ironic ac-
cent. They've just tagged me around
every waking minute. | declare, I've
been ready to jump over the rail. There
isn't anywhere you can go to get away
from people on a ship. The Mason girls
insisted the first night out that l should
w my things into their big stateroom
on the promenade deck and take the
berth Ella was to have, only she decid-
ed to wait over. l begged on my Bonded
knees to be let off. but Mrs. Mason
thought it was because l was afraid of
being in their way, and she wouldn't
listen to Inc. No, indeed. my dear.
she said in that overbearing way she
has when she wants to be kind. Mary
Helston's daughter is like one of my
own. You must come and stay with
US and be like Il member of our am
ily.' Well, | VAST my niece concluded
savagely. This is the first instant I've
not had a Mason of some sort hanging
around me. That eldest Mason boy,
the one that's in Princeton, has beef
trotting after me all the time his sis.
ters left me alone. And then you come
up on ~deck"-she began to laugh wild
ly again-"and ask me if l've beer
lonely. Why. Aunt Mary, here we are
actually coming into New York-we'l
be there in a few hours! | promised
Oscar I'd give him his answer on the
pier, and | don't know any more what
to say this 23d Of September than l die
on the 18th Of May. How can ! thinl
with such an incessant humming anC
buzzing in my ears every minute? Pm
afraid to see Oscar. | don't feel as i
I'd really recognize him when ! Sc,
: him, I'm so rattled."
She paused, and l opened my mouth