The Detroit times., 1917-11-30

II tcopyrigaI lsls. ~ W Wefnefl
A, her right hand. upon the
/ shabby uu.c desk, lay note which
briefly said
"Aiy Dear katrus Wlu YOU go
witch me 20 the concert tomorrow
night2 Yours. JIN
AT her lef. han+ lay ve.s slmi
I ia~ note. making tAe same request
I 10 was signed Gage Gordon kat
rlna had sat down 20 answer them
I both and 10 accept one Bgr which
one7 she could not decide
Her smiling glance shifted from
! one 20 the other Her mental bal
auce adjusted itself nicely 60 the
respective persoualues of hc Two
young men There was Jimmy
( Whipple. tall. gray eyed SILENT
4 hard working she had known him
/ only year. since, indeed, be came
20 the little town as construction
engineer Bur that year had taught
her 20 Ike him much, She always
I felt $50 safe aud comfortable with
Jimmy. aith0 he never said much
or showed her any extravagant az.
teuu0n And there was Gage, whom
she had known ali her life and
whom she had had q girlish fancy
she wished 10 marry Now that she
could marry him she WAS not sure
that she wished 90. Perhaps IL was
on account Of Jimmy II jimmy
and Gage had been one she would
not have besitated an instant Gage
was more attractive than Jimmy.
quite handsome in his dark eager,
impulsiye way He had money to
spcnd for bis father was wealthy
Yet. poor as she was. she could not
let this fact influence her. in her
estimation love WAS not a commod
ity 20 be bought or sold. lt was NOT
for Cages wealth thar she cared for
him. u was for something he
meant 60 her which nobody else
moa1t-romance. perhaps -she could
not name e. She only knew that
be was one thing 70 her and Jimmy
another Yet she could not decide
between them
The door opened and her mother
entered Mrs Cross was @ slim,
ivory tinted gray haired woman
whom are YOU writing ro~ she
demanded
I'm not writing 90 any one yet.
lm merely considering Katrina
answered 'Iye two invi'atons--
ono from Gage and one from Jim
and 7 can't make up my mind
which 70 accept
Airs. Cross fused with Katrina 8
hair and looked over her shoulder.
Accept Cages by an means. She
said. Hell send you, roses and
take you In his car a girl has 20
think az those things or H. she
doesn't. her mother must for her
Well then, I'll accept Cages.
Katrina nused With sigh she
drew sheet % paper toward her.
she was thinking Mother wishes
me TO marry Gage. She likes him
very much and then-hls money
she's always been so poor, dear
soul" She sighed again as she
wrote
Dear Jim I'm very sorry that !
cannot 60 with you 20 the concert.
I'VE promised 70 go with Gage,
Some other time III be most happy
Very sincerely,
KATRINA CROSS"
"One vii be glad and the 6ther
sad" she said wistfully 20 her
mother II don't know which I'd
rather have either way
silly" cried Mrs Cross You're
going 10 take CAGE the minute he
asks you This other man doesn't
count in the least Don't tell me
that you like poverty so well thai
you're willing 20 tie yourself up 20
a FOR The rest OF your life ] didn't
and married your father FOR love
Katrina did not reply She went
ont and posted her notes. Then she
went upstairs and took some need
ful stitches In her one evening
dress II was pale blue She
hoped trht Gage would send her red
roses 20 wear with H. She loved
red roses
Sitting there che thought over
her life and puzzled about her fu-
ture She was made 70 carry, and
her mother had trained her 10 that
end. Mrs. Cross was an Oid-fash-
ioned woman who did not believe
no girls leaving their homes and
rubbing shoulders with the world
She had kept Katrina beside her
Altho they were go poor that every
party dress had meant actual sac.
riace Katrina had gone into society
A girl without society privileges
was hopelessly handicapped from
tho beginning, Mrs Cross argued.
Katrina must have a husband and
sho must get him IN the orthodox
way. which is 80 say, in the way
Mrs. Cross had got her husband
and all her friends had got theirs
SO Katrina danced and smiled and
bloomed little pink rose that she
was. She refused the man she was
rv- III