Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-05
AND THE HOMEENEW SUMMER Sp>>5 JNS
The Daily Storu


"1've got to go to Mrs. Writings din
ner,' answered
| Fitz nodded and threw himself heavil!
} into q chair.
Il wouldn't go. you know after Mrs
Writings niece refused me, so she ha,
70 rustic UP you"
y glared at him, then jerked open tn,
top drawer
Seems to me, in the interest Of hu
manity, you might have stayed of youi
old proposal TIL after the dinner. I've
g got TO take Miss Whiting in. What shall
say TO her? I'm no society man"
You might talk about me It's darned
strange she refuses me-" Fltz responded
modestly. "Of course I'm fat, but what
OF that2 Look at my money!
turned from my hair brushing and
regarded Fitz with surprise
Shes different from other girls" he
went on mournfully. you never know
what she Is going to do or say next She
said II she ever found the man she
wanted to marry and he didn't ask her
she would propose to him. You say a
word for me, old man, and maybe she
viii change her mind about IT,"
'All right" l said, and started for the
Internal dinner. II 1 had been left In
peace l could have translated a few moro
pages Of that Latin work was on.
Why l should have Chguratlvely OF
course) fallen on my face and worship
! cd Claudia Whiting the moment [ saw
/ her | don't know That any man could
] help adoring her after he came to know
| her Is incredible, but 1 think / began be-
| fore ever she said a word to me. 1t
| couldn't he because her eyes were the
| bluest | ever saw, or her hair crlnkled
sunshine-l suppose a poet would describe
1t better-or her lips red as the roses she
wore in her belt. one day since that
dinner she told ME something about aiIin-
tiles. 1t may be that mysterious word
holds the reason
Next day | went to call on her, and
to make my peace with Fitz. who had
interviewed me that morning. She was
In the garden, and / stated the object
OF my call at once
IF you knew him better you would |
appreciate him more / said, and |
launched forth at some length into his |
tened, and when l had finished she leaned |
toward me, smiling roguishly.
And didn't you care about coming to
see me? If It had not been for Mr.. Fitz-
gerald, you would have come anyway,
wouldn't you?"
straight into my heart and discovered
my perfiGy! l almost let go of my secret
| almost answered, Il came because I |
love you" And this on the second
meeting.
Then because I must talk. and there
were some things | must not say, | be-
gan talking Of myself-my college life,
my failing health, forcing me to live for
years In the pine forests; then when my
health was restored how the woods still
held me with their solltudes so that l |
was unhappy and III at ease in society
Il have quite pretentious cabin there"
said. I'm 1t are my books and my vio-
al 80 -. I
trout waiting for me to catch them for
my breakfast. Nothing IS wanting there
TO make me entirely comfortable"
I was born and bred in the woods"
exclaimed Claudia. THE stars look closer
and bigger than they do in the cities Of
the lowlands Up there in the mountains
arc ferny hooks and manZanita; there ts
watercress which makes me hungry this
minute. oh, l know about the woods'
Her blue eyes were shining like the stars
IF which she spoke.
Then she asked me about my bool,s
Ind told her of my published ones and
hose In contempation-dry old tones
Why should I have supposed that they
would interest young creature like her?
But | rambled on, lost in her sweet
ompanionship till the sun suddenly
ropped out OF sight, and l saw her
hlver In the breeze that stirred the pop
ars. Then | remembered FitZ !,
DO give him another chance" 1 said
erfunctorily, as / rose to go. She looked [
I me seriously, but made no answer. c
she was such bewlldering little crea- 4
ure, was Claudia. At the first meeting =
he was so sweetly serlous-she had told L
no since that she was frightened to death Il
me because ! knew so much. Fancy II! W
ne day she told me- though she was
ubbling over with laughter, and 1 sus-
ect size was poking fun at me in her 81
fepressible way Then there was the j
forming when we walked together to h,
nurch and she talked so quietly of holy In
ling7, and there was that last after er
oon In the garden before FItz came re
pine io
That day It was the hardest of all to cr
'rget myself and remember Fitz. Some N
mes when the tenderness of my heart b1
ould creep into my words, little spots IN
color would come and go in her glrlish Al
ce. l scarcely saw her eyes that day, re
o white lids dropped so inslstently over IL
eir blue beauty. At last / pulled nv or
II together With the thought that he
uld do so much more for her than |, vl
EN- if she could bring herself to think Of
me at all. end made my last earnest di
tech for him. Je
She frowned little. Then she smiled III
ID looked thoughtful
i think l shall have to teach you ro
read poetry" she said. Ia
WIN you?" I asked eagerly. Wi
Begin on The Courtship of Miles nc
andish,' then" she answered, and ran Z
lghing, up the walk. I'm,
i did the best / could for you, FItz." str
told him when he returned that eye del
lg, And l rehearsed the last speech tht
full. Iov
What did she say?" he demanded gr,
Why-she didn't say anything to that. by
e told me-or hinted-that my educa- sit
n was deficient. because l had IittIe prt
owledge of poetry. and she told me I
begln on The Courtship of Miles
ltz looked at me mournfully. That's O.
hnish' then, Have you read it?' hu
| was just beginning" sch s@sh
y walked heavily from the room and
-ook up my new Longfellow. &
hort OF stature he was, but strongly, Tes
built and athletic; kos
own as a nut was his face but Nc -
russell beard was already -
.ked with patches OF snow ="
'retty good description OF myself. BA
,usht' not exactly patches, but there K
re certainty threads OF gray l read Jul
i untl me speech was finished tho .
'lsueal words Of Miles Standish then
,oweu my head IN shame and anger p
nau laihed steadily OF myself ana Wr
work, but she had led me IN ST.
no rlght to call me down so NJ Il
rrow would go back 10 nv o.tS., But
forget, but yet 1 knew / sbouId az WOO
ys remember was sun broodl,a.. biii bbiii'
en- Fitz came back noii
don't blame you, old man 4" n. Wa
an Probably youu make ber ne ee'
r; but Lordl Ioo< a. -, .taP- .