South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-21

Il guess you were hearing
things" ne said ct haven't seen
any girl around this place Ask
Mrs. ZONES"
But Matthew shrank from asking
Mrs. Jones. the landlady. How
should she understand his interest
in this girl? He couldn't tell her
that he had fallen in love with a
voice. She would think him daft.
The boy grew almost thin from his
obsession. he was unable 20 eat any
meal without keeping one eve on
the doorway However. two weeks
went by and there were no signs Of
the girl, although her voice con-
tinued 20 be distinctly audible,
sometimes singing and sometimes
merely using the phone, or talking
10 Mrs. Jones. Fortunate Mrs.
Jones,
one night after Matthew had al
most given up hope, he happened
10 glance at the next table in the
dining room and notice a girl She
was rather a plain girl. with straight
dark hair drawn close about her
ears She wore a plain white blouse.
and her shoulders dropped a little
as if she were very tired. Matthew
noticed her because she was evil
IDENTIFY young, not the girl, Of course,
but girl, and apparently a nice
one More than that she looked
vaguely familiar, he was sure that
he had seen her somewhere before.
He looked and looked, pieCing to-
gether vague memories. lie had
seen her in Dawesville, In school.
very likely. Perhaps she was one
Of the Murray girls; they had hair
like that BY the time dinner was
over Matthew had decided very
definitely that this was Alice Muir
ray, a nice little thing to whom he
+ had never paid much attention back
i'm Dawesville-she was younger
than he
He went over and spoke 20 her
when he was through with his meal.
Pardon me. isn't this Miss Muir
, ray?" ne said.
The girl looked up with "a startled
: little smile.
"Why-yes Matthew Edwards,
should never have known you,
. you've grown TO look 50 New York
ish. Do you live here?'
Yves" Matthew managed to
say. He was staring at Miss Murray
with an expression Of outraged
/ amazement For out Of her little
/, red mouth had proceeded the golden
voice, the voice that belonged to
the girl
Goodness. Matthew" she was
, saying. Don't took at me like
that! What is queer about me?
haven't been in the city long enough
TO acquire an air. / know, but |
didn't think"
81 didn't mean to stare" he apol-
ogized Its awfuily nice 10 see
somebody from home. What are
you doing here. and why haven't
-, seen you before"
Newspaper work. I've been busy
at night mostly, so I've eaten my
! meals at the most unearthly hours.
But now I'm free again, only six
hour i'm the middle of the day to
work ITS good 10 see you. Mat
thew"
There was no doubt about it.
Alice Murray. in some fashion, had
\ appropriated the voice that belonged
TO the golden girl. The curly hair
the dimples, the long-lashed blue
eyes. where were they?
During the days that followed
Matthew saw a good deal Of the
! Murray girl. He took her to the
! theater; they went skating together
\ they did all the jolly things that the
\ young people at home were doing
\ And Matthew loved her voice. After
\ all il was her voice. He tried to be
\ faithful TO the vision of the Other
\ girl, the girl who had never been
\ but somehow, slowly and surely, il
\ had faded from his memory
! Straight hair is pretty if it is very
black and frames an oval face Sc
\ with bright eyes. And a girl does
not need dimples if she has laugh
like the chime of bells-that is Mat
thew's eXpression-and the very
sweetest nature in the world. Be
fore the winter was over Matthew
knew that there was no doubt abOu
it. he was in love with the littl,
Murray girl.
He told her so one day in sprins
when they sat in the park together
He told her. and she told him some
thing, too; something that made
them both very happy. so that the,
sat holding hands and watching
other couples who passed with smil
ing eyes that pretended not 10 no
tica the clasped. hands
\ do YOU know" Matthew saiC
al length that 1 first fell in low,
\ with your voice, before 1 even knew
it was you?"
Did you2 How funny
YES and / tried TO imagine wha
YOU would be like. And do VOL
\ know. it, funny. but I imagined ;
y eirl just about like you, she ever
y looked like YOU"
n How very strange" she repeated
n "It was" he agreed.
n And the strangest thing OF all Wa
n that Matthew really believed IT, II
\ had forgotten the curly hair an,
= dimples. He really thought that h
: had imagined Alice as she was. darl
hair. Notwithstanding And per
\ haps be had. for, after all beauty
| only skin deep.