The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-05-15
WHOM the GODS SEND
BY SUSAN e. CLAGETT.

will you tell HE why you insisted
upon my coming just now, Betty? |
really couldn't leave with Christmas
work piling up, but your letter made
me think there was dire. necessity. l
expected to find you i'll. Instead, you
look as if you had been glimpSing para
disc" There was touch Of wiStful-
ness in the voice and some exaspera
ton.
THAT is just what has happened,
Pauline. l am glimpsing it every min
ute, every hour of the day. Ny heart
is singing, for | am going to have
home"
"A home? You have one. What on
earth do you mean?"
THAT is true, but | have always
wanted one Of my very own, where my
wishes would come first after those of
the only man.
My dear, Betty, YOU cannot make
, me believe yon have found man in
this Godforsakcn spOtT'
Il did not find him. He came To
be perfectly frank ! think he subcon
sciOusly retained a memory of a girl.
| q mOonlit sea and northern lights. But
| for my happiness. consciously, or other
| wise he came. Romance comes near
! est to being the real thing on board a
slow going steamer than anywhere else
/ in the world. | was not looking for
romance, however. As You know, ]
was sick, unhappy. l had no heart to
| talk, but somehow the tall Scotchman
managed to interest me. lie rested me.
, | enjoyed every moment of that rest
and accepted him as one whom the
| gods had sent for my diversion.
Il have never heard you speak of
him"
Betty laughed. 4 forgot all about
! him. Yet for Il time after my return
| was kccnly alive 10 his personality
We had taken many little trips 10
Sether after we landed and came to
know each other fairly well, but home
duties soon absorbed me and memories
grew faint until at last they disap
peared entirely. Then all at once they
came back to me-
The morning it all came back | hat
/ been so oyerburaeneG with work tina
my soul had risen to revolt at The
thought ] would never be able to &c
away from the household drudgery
, Suddenly my inner consciousness tool
| Il series of SomerSauitS Gfld found my
, self standing upon The deck Of that ok
, steamer as She ploWcd through tn
moonlit sea toward the northern lights
; when l took my mental gymnastic
: | was coming through the orchard am
then and there stopped short at tn
sight of IL once familiar figure. Walk
ing up the driveway toward the hous
was the worry man who had come int
: nay thoughts the minute5bcf0Dca ID Wmi
t woud YOU call that: Tclepathy?"
: 1T would seem 50. l suppose yo
. were glad to see him?'
! Il WINS not" The reply was emphati,
Il WIS provoked He should have Il
g me know he was coming. \ girl ma
!, be fairly free from vanity. but eve
: then She diSlikes to be caught in
n huge kitchen apron with her face re
G and wet from the heat, Before | quit
realized it both my hands were lei
: close in his and he was looking dow
g ut me in way that | found Sigh
~ embarrassing and this was h
!, greeting:
| ~ thought | was never going
have the time To come 10 YOU
1T was an absurd thing for him
say. | had not invited him ia con
: here and consequently was Il little
sea as to his meaning, but before
could ask Sim what he meant, to II
utter hcNilGrrmCnt he told me hc H..
:" come South to marry me lie SCENE
= to have taken it for granted that
would be r.@dy to say yes whcncy,
!, hc bad IN" title to ask the question
Isn't il odd Pauline how evcrythir
worth -,hilc Images upon little wol
of four letters With it the noorc
man and woman are rich. without
;, the richest is the poorest of Gods Gro
tions. That it should come to me son
. day I frankly acknowledge la,
hoped hut that il should come in II
form of an awkward. homcly. dctc
mined man was not 10 my liking, f
: he is homcly.
,c But he was my first lover. I'll
"a fact threw Il glamour over me. Y
there was no loyemaking. at least, II
the kind Of iovemaking | had re-:
: about. And with the glamour | f,
~ Indignation that he should think
would be ready ut his first word T.
Indignation faded into amazcment
o the thing that was happening TO me.
ne felt my world turning upside down
this sudden coming Of love
i; However. later on, when | was :
ting quietly in my room | was tortur
by doubt Could love come all in
moment? | had never before had
lover Was moved by his earneStne