Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-12-23
COED C0URTSHiP. By SYLVIA TURNER.
Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa-

per SyndicateO | The principal reason why the fam ily decided that Hilda should go to f Sagamorc college was because it was | coed. Aunt Jane held that in d strict 1 ly female seminary a girls mind was apt to be so filed with her studies and ! feminine pursuits that she was unftted 1 for her life role of wifehood. The
 doctor took an entirely different view i of the situation. as he told Hilda the ,
 night before she left
 Dear girl you've lead lonely, mo-
 notonous sort of life at this old place,
 with just Jean and myself. You need companionshp of boys and girls your
 own age. Long ago your mother,
 bless her. was a student at Sasamore l You are to have the same room she
 had, and her seat in the dining hall. |
 Have good time and don't have too
 many love affairs. By the wny. you 1 may find stepmothcr here when you
 come back, one whom I know you will
 love-
 "YOu mean Mrs. Everdon, dad?" she
 asked a little break in her tone.
 .I mean Paula Everdon," he re-
 sponded, quietly.
 When she had been at Sagamore
 just two weeks, far too busy to dwell
 upon her own personal troubles. she
 was one day on a tall mountain spur
 overlooking the Hudson for miles.
 storm had been brewing and she had
 been trying to make the college
 grounds before it broke. But in her
 hurry, she stumbled on the rocks, lost her footing and fell. She tried to rise,
 but could not, and suddenly there came drenching downpour of rain, with
 crash of thunder.
 She wore short military cape, and threw this around her like a poncho,
 trying to shelter herself from the
 downpour. All at once she felt her. self lifted bodily in strong arms and l carried on run to the shelter of an l old deserted shack used by workmen who had been blasting.
 It was dark inside the hut, so dark that she could hardly discern the face :, of her rescuer. The terrific noise out = side barred any attempt at conversa-
 tion, but he had removed her cape and
 was busy trying to light a fire on the
 old stone hearth. When the blaze
 flared up she caught glimpse of his e face. It was strong young one. He t turned and smiled at her, feeling her n scrutiny.
 r "We're apt to be here for some time. y You'd better make yourself ccmforta-. $ ble. I hope you're not far from your hOme?'
 d "Just Sagamore,' replied Hilda, hold
 ing out her hands tq, the fire. nm
 afraid I can't help myself very much.
 My shoulder and ankle both seemed } to catch it when fell. Perhaps when you go, you might leave word at the college, so they'd send for me. I'd be } awfully obliged"
 A q think can manage to get you over, myself" he said; "at least as } far as the gates; then can run down k after you ill the dean's car.' It did not seem that they were to- } gether long before the storm cleared, k yet three hours had passed when Hilda finally reached her own room. 'Isn't he a perfect darling" said A Anne Rathburn, her roommate, when Hilda was snug on the big couch, ? drinking tea. 'I haven't seen him at A any of the classes. He must be a k senior"
 It surely gave her prestige among , the other freshmen, this being cared } for in cavalier fashion by senior. His name was Ralph, she found out 7 from some of the other boys, Ralph Kingslake. After she grew to know k him better, he told her something of 7 his own life. Hilda had been fear > fully curious over the visits of a k very handsome woman in black who came and left the college grounds in } large touring car every Sunday. k "Oh, that's the mater" Ralph told 7 her. "She's fearfully good to me , She's just my stepmother, but we've A been regular pals ever since my ia 1 ther died. She put me through col lege, and we rather keep an eye or , each other. You see, by the terms o1 k my fathers will, if she marries before I'm twenty-five, she loses all but hel dover right in the estate. But theI A again, if I marry before I've estab lished myself under twenty-five, IT
 lose whole lot and she wins.'' A Hilda looked at him appreciatively |. 'I should think it would be splen , did to go deliberately against such { ' will," she said.
 < The months passed, and June loomet ' ahead. Hilda viewed it's coming anx ' iOusly. Her fathers wedding was se < for the latter part of June. v Somehow she felt that she could no > go home and find a stranger in he \ mothers place. Ralph told her hi plans one night when they were walk