Charlevoix county herald., 1918-03-15

ono was ~ ouciency expert, ana
found that was not the only one with
power to raise the bloom of sorrow
from her. She smiled at the captains
sallies and applauded his stories, and
was shortly eating away, glum and
1aundiced, which brough. me disa-
greeably 70 her attention and, of
course. into the conversation. She
was not callously trying to make me
sulk; she was just young and natur-
ally happy. and she wanted every one
around her happy. ~.
She was trying as hard az she knew
how to forget her sorrows, and she
was letting anyone who would help
her. could understand that had no
reason to feel hurt or annoyed at her,
but In my mind was the comparison
OF our ages and the gray wisps In my
hair. and could not be quite reason.
able. Youth for youth does not ap-
peal to uncynical forty.
But fortunately the captain had du.
ties other than attending to youth.
full beauty. and after dinner Miss
Reade and ] found ourselves again
alone In steamer-chairs.
"Now," she said decisively, II In.
tend to tell you some things, and you
will have to remember all the while
what YOU have promised me. Every
single question you ask will mean one
confidence cut OF. Because 1t Is dark
and you may not see my face. / ain
going to take risks and talk, but re-
member. am going to talk very, very
carefully. and very. very slowly. All
during dinner was thinking just how
much of me I might tell you without
betraying another"
"All during dinnerl" gasped.
"Was that q question:" she asked
sternly.
mo. mol An exclamation lof stu.
pendous, awed surprise. All during
dinner!"
why repeat IT. You think I can't
think when that captain-man is telling
bis stories? ! can and did. Now lis
ten and do not interrupt. I am going
on this steamer as far as Mazatlan,
five more days at least. There my
mother meets me. and we go home,
which Is near Durango. When she
knows how kind you have been to ne
che will ask you to visit u.s."
"Yesf" cried eagerly.
because you are on business trip
you will decline"
II will not!"
because you are on q business
trip" she repeated firmly, you will
decline. Otherwise cannot tell her
that you have been kind to me, and
then we shall not see each other the
two days the Wilton stays at Mazat-
Ian"
But why may not I-no. mol It
isn't question:"
because you would learn all the
things am not telling you now" she
answered. IF you wished, you might
tell my mother that some day by and
BY you would accept her invitation"
II shall do that. May I ask when
Is some day by and by?"
when this 10 all forgotten-all
gone in the past. A year. perhaps
two"
why talk of eternityf" said sad.
y.
1.-TWO years is nothing, nothing!"
"But am forty, and add two and
the answer Is hopelessness. You plus
two are"
"Twenty-one. Therei was going
70 tell you that, 90 you would know
that am not % youthful a. you have
thought ! am past nineteen, and
there II no excuse for your assump.
ton Of age superiority. have noticed
. growing tendency In you to differ.
entiate between US on the false con.
Sspticn Of serious disparity In our
yea-s."
II never used any such words In
conversation in my nfe!" I gasped.
"You probably couldn't" she return
Cd. II was taught more difficult words
than that In q convent at Klosterne
burg, where I was educated"
"That IL not In MexicoT
In Europe, where lived until q
year ago. Now, think / have told
you all the uneventful things of my
eventless life that I may. I wish It
was more interesting"
1T Is every bit interesting" I pro-
tested. May I summarize? You
might have forgotten something, and
may not question. First, you are
nineteen"
Nineteen plus"
Nineteen plus, English and Span.
ish, living near Durango with your
mother"
Father died q year ago." she said
simply.
wonderfully educated In long
words at Klosterneburg Convent, and
-unmarried?"
"Of course. didn't tell you unnec-
essary things"
"And you can giggle-you told me
that"
quite unnecessarily. You heard
me giggle, but should be gentlemanly
and forget It."
II am not forgetting anything" ]
said emphatically, just as Captain
Blake found US and volunteered to