Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1917-07-03
,Mr.WiIlnaarth
b. PAULINE D. EDWARDS

Az q girl had not many crontes.
did not care for this girl and that girl
each for a brief season. but preferred
one very Intimate friend, such q friend
as I might tell all my joys or sorrows
80 and who would respond In kind. To
ythers was reserved. l would not
think Of making q confidante OF any
but the closest intimate friend. Pos
sfbly this may have resulted In my
having such a friend who superseded
all others In the matter of intimacy.
Alice WetherelI and / were first
sehoolmates, then college chums After
our graduation we were separated for
. year, then we were brought together
again. / found ON our reunion that
Alice was engaged. She received me
with the same old affection, but the
idea at once took possession Of me
that although l WAS her girl chum l
had been reduced from first to Sec
end place I'm her heart.
was not long IN communicating this
idea to Alice. Instead Of denying its
correctness, she seemed thoughtful,
but indisposed to talk about it. When
l asked her II either her lover or 1
must be lost to her which would she
rsAinquish, she admitted that she
would give me up for him.
You shall meet him, Gwen" she
come acquainted with him / am sure
you will admit that were you and to
change places you would give me up
instead OF him In case you must lose
one or the other"
why, Alice" demonstrated, "how
could I do that without being In love
with him2"
Never mind that" was her reply,
and this was all could get out Of her
on the subject.
Alice not only introduced me TO her
fance, Robert Willmarth, but left me
alone with him great deal. The first
time / met him 1t did not seem to me
that there would ever be anything In
common between him and me, He was
q serious man, while 1 preferred one
OF lighter vein. He was steady as the
rock Of Gibraltar. My beau ideal of a
companion was man Of mirth.
The second time I saw Mr.. Willmarth
he appeared very different to me. His
gravity had given place to levity, but a
levity behind which seemed to Turk
something, the exact nature Of which
he did not care to reveal At our first
meeting Alice was present most of the
time. At our second, he called upon
me without her. While IN the first In
stsnco. 1 dreaded to have Alice leave
me alone with him, lest l would not
know how to entertain him; In the sec
ond we we're in complete rapport
( asked. him what had oecasioned
the change In him. He laughingly de-
clared that the presence Of his fiancee
while he was with any other woman
threw him ON his beam ends, as he ex-
pressed it. If any one else had said
this would have taken warning, but
he said 1t loosely, and not as If he
were endeayoring to establish a rela-
ton with me In opposition to Alice.
Nevertheless, noticed that whenever
Alice was present at our meeting he
been when / first met him, and we
were as far distant from each other
as ever. Certainly Alice had been mis-
taken In saying that II knew him
and had to choose between her and
him, would choose him. Not that
there was any repulsion between us; II
was simply that there was nothing to
draw us together.
Alice told me one day that she was
obliged to go, away for awhile and
charged me to take care" as she ex
pressed II, Of her fiance. II rely upon
you," she added, ito see to 1t that nc
designing girl gets him away from
me-"
Now, did not like this bit, for, as
/ have said, Mr.. Willmarth when free
from her presence was very attractive
to me. and did not consider myself 6
very safo person for her to leave hin
with Not that 1 believed myself capa
BILE of taking him away from her, but
i did not relish the temptation. How
ever, l promised her that would d.
my best for her interest, and with tina
she left me, apparently perfectly salts
fed that would keep my word.
When. Alice returned l. dreaded t.
meet her. Mr.. Willmarth had no
scrupled to make love to me, and hat
not the strength to break away from
him. While my conscience stung me
his did not seem to trouble him at all
There was ever present with him tina
devil7may-care bearing. disposition t.
consider the matter as something
amusing, which he had shown from
the first. On the evening before Alice
return | was with him and, noticing
his freedom from consciousness o
guilt, an idea occurred to me.
II. believe" l said to him, That thi
II q conspiracy between you and Alic
to prove what she once said to me-
that II were called upon to choos
between you and her l would choos
you"
He burst into laugh. and was sur
had. guessed right, though he denie'
my hypothesis In toto.