Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-04-14

state OF perpleXlty. III Her soJouIii
there should be Il part of Il romance
she would love to go; if she were SIM
ply to 90 us tie daughter of the hosts
former intimate frienu it would be dis
tasteful to her. Would Edwin be at
home during the period of her visit,
and If SO would he treat her with the
same constrained Formally as during
his call upon her, which he had made
simply ut his mothers request to In
nuire about her old friend!
Miss Cunningham deferred replying
to tie invitation as long as h could
do so without appearing unmindful of
II. then wrote that it would give her
great pleasure to accept it. introducing
into her acceptance several Ifs" which
were really intended to give her an
opportunity for backing out in case
she found it difficult to bring herself
to the scratch when the time came for
the visit.
That time arrived in the autumn. 1t
was October when she reached Mrs.
Forbes home and was received by that
lady. Edwin did not appear to wei
come the guest. His mother said moth
ing about him till dinner was served,
then said she regretted that her son
was not at home. He had gone hunt
ing, but she hoped that he would re-
turn before Emma's departure.
If anything were needed to indicate
that a possible romance Miss Cunning
ham had been building up in her heart
was of air castle material it was this
announcement. She asked how long
the young man intended to be absent
in order that she might tell his mother
that she must go home the day before
his return. Mrs. Forbes expressed a
polite regret at this and turned the n
versation to another subject.
The day set for Mr.. Forbes return
was q Saturday. and Emma had an
nounced her intention to go home on
Friday. Wednesday brought the nim-
rod. His mother expressed surprise at
his cutting short his stay, and when
she asked for the cause he told her
that he had not found game worthy
of his attention. ,
The young huntsman. fresh from
the woods and out of door living, lock-
ed rugged and handsome, and his very
Indifference made him all the more at
tractiye to her. Nothing was salt
about Emma's return on the coming
Friday. but Oh Thursday Mrs. Forbes
begged her 10 remain longer, since she
wished to invite a few friends to meet
her and had not offered her this attel-
ton before on account of the absence
of her son. Emma consented to defer
her departure.
Shortly before the arrival of the
guests Edwin Forbes came downstairs
in evening dress, meeting Emma in
the lower hall, also in appropriate CO.'S
tune. Neither could conceal an ex-
preston of admiration for the other.
We condemn, among other extrava-
gances, expensive costumes; but, after
all, a fondness for fine clothes is q
natural proclivity to be found in both
sexes.
Anyway, this first sight of each 9TH
err under admirable conditions broke
Inv w CiiCli. LII Ill
during the evening divided his atten-
lions among his guests, but whenever
he came In contact with Miss Cunning
ham there was a recurrence of that
look he had given her when he met
her on coming downstairs. Then when
the other guests had gone they must
needs talk over the gathering, and Mrs.
Forbes went upstairs.
Nothing more was said about Miss
Cunningham's departure for several
days. Then when she spoke of going
Mrs. Forbes suggested that she finish
out III week, to which she consented.
Edwin Forbes was usually at home in
the evening and devoted himself to his
mothers guest. Emma 1T times fell
back into the belief that this devotion
was only in Difference to his mother
as a hostess. but in the main she had
every reason to believe that it pleased
him to please his mother.
When Miss Cunningham returned to
her lonely home it seemed to her that
she could not remain there. What the
effect of her presence at the Forbes
residence was may be judged from the
fact that Edwin endured her absence
for three days, then tss6 a train for
the place where she lived.
AS may be expected, the couple be-
came engaged. Edwin proposed one
evening while they were sitting by the
freight in Miss Cunningham's cozy
living room. Miss Cunningham had
for some time been expecting the de-
nouement and anticipated great delight
in the realization of the plan that had
been conceived by two mother cronies
twenty years before. Her anxiety for
the engagement was because she wish
ed to show her lover how he had fall
en- into a plan which seemed to have
been forgotten by his mother, for
Emma felt assured that if Mrs. Forbes
remembered the contract she had made
she had never mentioned it to her son.
A. INV 1afo bA hoJ not ,6a-ra ---