Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-08-03
'All but Mr.. barclay p
Celestia nodded.


ture before him. He is the idol OF his
fathers heart. and one of the best
loved young men in New York. His
friends very naturally-please don t
misunderstood me it's nothing
against you-but we've all heard Of
the melodramatic Octagon fire rescue,
and we all know how susceptible he is
to romance and beauty and-you are
beautiful. DO you mind II say that.
You are perfectly beautiful"
But ! belong TO a different station
IN life than this mutual friend OF ours
who is so susceptible to romance and
beauty, and you have come to beg
of for him with arguments about blast
ed prospects and ruined careers and
social ostracism?"
Though Celestia spoke with great
gentleness Miss Blackstone was for
moment greatly taken aback. But
recovering she laughed good-naturedly
and said:
You are not only beautiful but cley
er You read me like a book. And
this being so, you must see just az
clearly as that it wouldn't do"
But suppose"
Think Of his future, my dear girl
Let him Oft"
Suppose he doesn't want to be let
on?"
"of course he won't want to be let
off-tiil afterward."
Why couldn't / make him a good
wife?"
You are too sensible to ask ques-
tions like that You couldn't expect
his friends to"
Receive me? Perhaps not. And
yet ! speak a number of languages;
/ have your word for it that ! have
good looks At table my chief weapon
Is a fork. am young and healthy,
and haven't been long enough in this
world to have a past. Am so utterly
different then from other people in so
ciety? Is it against me that ] work
hard and feel that / have a mission in
life?"
Perhaps"
IF I am to let him off you must
give me better line Of reasoning than
maybes and perhapses. What if my
whole happiness was bound up in him;
his IN me? If told you that we were
already married."
Good Godl" exclaimed Mary.
Don't worry" said Celestia, Eve
are not. But l am certainly not going
to give him up on the grounds that
am not his social equal"
Your motives viii aways be under
suspicion. Don't you know that you
are a penniless girl and that he will
be worth millions?"
He never told me that, said Ce-
lestia, but so much the better. Hon
esty is the most useful thing in the
world, and next comes money"
But to marry for money!" Miss
Blackstone expressed contempt in
every line Of her firmly-cut mouth.
Celestia said nothing and looked
amusedly inscrutible
IF he does marry you,' said Miss
blackstone, suddenly losing control
Of her temper at the look on Celestia's
face, people will say it was because
he had to. Two can't camp in the
North Woods without chaperon and
escape malicious talk"
1T would seem So" said Celestia
slowly. And she started 70 turn very
pink and ended by turning white. And
there began to burn suddenly in her
breast feeling Of which until that
moment she had known nothing. Sweet
she was, gracious and good She
thought she had been sent by heaven
to help everybody in the world. Never
theless those sharp burning pangs
which she was enduring were jealousy.
you love him yourself" she said
quickly, "and so think viii marry
him after ALL
One can't argue except with an
equal" said Miss Blackstone, and
turned upon her heel
As she left the house. Tommy Bar
clay was on the point Of entering it..
She was so angry that she cut him
dead.
He smiled, but not altogether with
amusement, for nobody really likes to
be cut by anybody. and went in to Ce-
lestia
He expected to find her as usual,
friendly, cool, well poised and aloof.
She was none Of these things Tears
were just going to overflow her eyes
and run down her face, and as for be-
ing aloof, she no sooner saw Tommy
than she ran to him, as a child runs
to its nurse, and flung her arms
about his neck and told him that she
loved him and would marry him
right away" she said.
Poor Tommy He held her close and
caressed her, and there was big
lump In his throat and never word
that he could say until at last the
meaning of his silence was clear to
Celestia and she tore herself loose
from him.
Now it's you" she cried. who won't
marry me-
"oh, Celestial" cried Tommy, How
can i? | haven't a penny in the
worldl"