The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-09-01

Ethel laughed nt her tragic tnhhhet'
Have Ia pastT she inquired
lightly.
But the romantic Georgy was not
to be diverted from her mood.
"That's just the question: she com
mented "You know | shouldn't mind
It IN the least II you had. ] believe
IN people living their own lives, In
their own way" Georgy prlded her
self that she was advanced" She
considered the ordinary insular attl-
tude toward what Is termed morality
to be stodgy and Victorian. Indeed
she quite fancled the more free-and-
easy continental view OF life.
what on earth are you talking
about?' Ethel demanded. II the truth
were known, she felt the least bit un-
comfortable beneath the frank stare
OF her young friend.
you remember n month ago, when
you said you went to BrightonT
Gcorgy continued relentlessly.
when / said went TO Brighton
When | went TO Brighton" Miss WI
loughby corrected her coldly.
But the chill OF her remark was lost
upon her patient cross-examiner.
Georgy was too intent upon uncover
Ing the romance that she thought she
had stumbled upon to be cn easily
discouraged.
well. today at lunch Hugh Middle
ton said you couldn't have been in
Brighton that week" She paused
to watch the effect Of her bombshell.
"Dld he? Really?" Miss Wlllough-
by replied with well-feigned indiffer-
ence. But beneath her cold calm her
heart was beating furiously. She felt
for all the world like some wild thing,
trapped, at bay. And she turned away
to hide the alarm that she feared must
reveal itself in her face.
Yes He was in Paris, and"
PARISH Ethel echoed with a faint
start.
Youth is ever cruel; and Georgy
had no thought Of sparlng her cOmpan-
ion. Her sole idea was that If Ethel
were hiding some secret liaison she
wanted to share the romance with her.
"Yesw she went on relentlessly.
"And he saw you there twice that
week, and both times with Henry
Streetman."
But that's impossible" Ethel pro
tested.
But Mr.. Middleton seeped very
positive" the younger girl said some
what doubtfully.
ITS too absurdw Ethel cried. fore
ing a laugh. II was at Brighton, as |
can very easily prove"
"Well-thats settled" GeOrgy ex-
claimed. with an air OF relief in spite
of her hopes. Her feelings had, as q
matter Of fact, been somewhat COM
plex. "Of course I'd only admire you
for being brave enough to defy the
conventions. But father wouldn't"
"But | haven't defed conventions -
Ethel insisted, placing both her hands
over Georgy's as If to emphasize the
truth of her statement.
"Oh, don't care if you have" Sir
Georges daughter told her callously.
But you ought to care" Ethel pro
| tested. "And as your governess I can
not condone such an attitude on your
part. Really, Georgy, stupid as con-
| ventions may appear sometimes, new
ertheless there is a bitter penalty ex-
acted from people who break them"
Miss Wagstaff rose abruptly, as II
impatient with the views of her COVER
ness; and, crossing the room, she seat,
ed herself nonchalantly upon the arm
of a chair that was drawn up at one
side of the tea table.
"Oh, poohv' she exclaimed. "All
that narrow-m -mindedness is oldfash-
! ioned."
The older girl regarded her reprov-
ingly.
what silly book have you been
reading? she inquired After her ad-
vent into the Wagstaff home 1t had not
taken her long to discover that
Georgys literary tastes had developed
along lines that would scarcely have
met with Sir Georges approval
Miss Georgy did not even deign
to reply to Ethel's question. They had
had numerous discussions--more or
less heated-upon the subject of her
reading, which Georgy regarded as
both foOtless and absurd. She had
openly rebelled at reading the books
that Ethel recommended to her. Jane
n1 NTvC Goci-nI1 In,
opinion. hopelessly behind the times
"I'm glad you haven't had an affair
with Henry Streetman," the younger
! girl remarked. 81 don't like him
Don't you?" said Ether, relieved
that Georgy was at last convinced that
her suspicious were grOundless.
mo. Every time he comes into the
room my back sort Of goes up, just
like Rowdy when he sees cat" Row
dy was Georgy's Scotch terrier, whose
antipathy to cats was proverblal.
"NIr Streetman has been very kind
to me-" her governess observed
"Oh, don't defend himr' GeOrgy
cried lmpatiently, Il know inside that
you agree with me-"
Miss Wilougnby did not care to
continue the discussion. And with an
air of dismissing both Mr. Streetman
and her relations with him from her
own mind as well as Georgy's, she
rose from the wide seat, and as she
glanced at her watch exclaimed with
surprise:
"Heavensl It's after FIVE. must
fuss up a bit for the party"
But Georgy would not be put off
so easily.
"Well forewarned is forearmed,' ?
- n,;d outontioucIu II uyos oIao =