Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1916-05-19
THE GIRL FROM HOME
Rv JANE OSBORN.

I'D courage to invite her to go with
him to the senior prom. Julia Dean
was a daughter of one of the profess
sors, and, except for being absurdly
young-she still wore her golden curls
down her back and low-heeled Slip
ners at dances-she was Enthusiastically
one Of the most popular girls in town.
Sometimes when the boys called in
the afternoon, clad in their best rai-
ment. she coaxed them into bout OF
baseball practice in the garden and
when they were inclined to grow SEN
timental and compliment her on her
very pretty blue eyes and her equally
pretty golden hair she never seemed
to know just what they were talking
about. Sometimes she even laughed
in their faces. One thing was GER
tain, Julia Dean, although she was
young, was good fellow.
And Dan Brown-well Dan had not
arrived. Perhaps later he became
quite magnetic and no doubt some day
he will do himself and his family
proud. But just at this stage Dams
youthfulness, unlike that of Julia, sim
ply made him exceedingly bashful,
amazingly awkward and as afraid OF
girls as he would have been of an I'M
familiar passage of Greek in an ex-
animation. But with Julia, as with
The passage of Greek, he saw what
was before him and wasted no time.
Julia Dean was having chocolate
with her mother at the town caterer
where, to the accompaniment of phon-
ographic reproductions OF Madam
Butterfly" and the Lucia" sextette,
mingled with the hum OF many high
pitched voices, the leisured folk or
town were prone to congregate ON
pleasant afternoons. Dan Brown was
buying five cents worth of his IA
vorite chocolate creams in the front
part OF the caterer shop, and the sight
of Mrs. Dean and the knowledge that
he had before him the task OF invit-
ing Julia to his senior prom gave him
courage to make his way past tables
of girls whose faces were familiar at
college dances and college games
straight up TO Julia
He had planned his speech and it
was soon delivered. 1t was short and
to the point. And Julia turned him
down. She did it very politely, al
though with an air that left Dan
Brown wondering why in his widest
dreams he had imagined that she
or any other girl for that matter
would have accepted his invitation to
a senior ball.
The truth of the matter was that for
this first senior prom OF Julia's ca
reer-for this was the first winter
that she had been old enough to go
to college parties-she had expected
to go with Clark Butler. For Clark
was, in the parlance OF the other town
girls, "the one man in all the world
as far as Julia went. That is to say,
when there were basket ball games
or college plays Julia went with
Clark. On Sunday afternoons it Was
Clark who dropped in at about five
o'clock and permitted himself always
to be urged to stay to tea with the
family.
So it was simply a matter of course
with Julia that she turned down the
bashful Dan. Then she waited for
the invitation that she was sure would
come from Clark Butler, and for two
weeks she waited in vain. There was
only q week left before the dance and
the strain of the uncertainty was get
ting too much for her frank nature.
Whom are you going to take to the
,enior?" she asked.
Girl from home" was Clark's I'M
satisfactory reply.
Julia's frank eyes opened wider.
She was not at all used to enigmatic
remarks of this sort from Clark, but
she made no further query.
I'm not going" was all she said.
What's the matter with going with
DAM" he asked, avoiding her search
ing glance. You haven't really
turned Dan down, have your"
From the way Clark said this it was
Clear LudL II Was SOulclulu6 ludt AaA
been long on his mind.
"Of course turned Dan down." said
Julia. This time she avoided Clark's
gaze, for she caught the tone OF re-
proof it contained although she did
not know at all why she deserved it.
Perhaps there was a shade of jeal-
ousy in her next remark. Il hope the
girl from home is very pleasant"
Clark seemed to pay no attention
tc Ihis thrust but asked: why did
you refuse DAM"
Julias cheeks, always flushed with
the pink of youth and health. turned
crimson and there was catch in her
voice when she answered:
Because thought / would go with
you. l thought you would ask me and
so / waited. Though ! wouldn't have
accepted Dan Brown anyway"
Apparently this was the answer
Clark had been waiting for.
you oughtn't to say that, Julia.
He Strengthened himself to his fill
height and assumed the full dignity OF