Warren sheaf., 1918-01-02

In us. Buds rather nice and I let:
him oh, just a little, but It made me
nervous and excited. But / liked It.
Prudence was away. and / hated to
talk to Lark that night, so / sneaked.
!. IN Fairy's room and asked If q might
sleep with her. She said I could, and
told me to turn on the light, 1t wouldn't
disturb hsr. But / was so hot / didn't
want any light, so undressed as fast
as could and crept In. Somehow,
from the way l snpggled up to Fairy,
she caught on. I was out Of breath,
really / was ashamed Of myself, but
i wasn't just sure then whether I'd
ever let him put his arm around me
again or not. But Fairy turned over,
and began to talk. h y. q. 3
"She said that once, when she was
fifteen, one of the boys at Exminster
kissed her good night. And she didn't
mind it a bit. But father was putting
the horses in the barn, and he came
out just in time to see it; it was a
moonlight night. After the boys had
gone, father hurried and took Fairy
indoors for little talk, just the two
of them: alone. He said that in all the
years he and my mother were married,
every time he, kissed her he remem-
bered that no man but he had ever
touched her lips, and it made him hap
py. He said he was always sort of
thanking God inside, whenever he held
her in his arms. He said nothing else
In the world made q man so proud, and
glad and grateful, as to know his wife
was all his own, and that even her lips
had been reserved for him like a sa.
cred treasure that no one else could
share. He said it would take the
meanest man on earth, and father
thinks there aren't many as mean as
that, to go back on woman like that.
Fairy said she burst out crying be-
cause her husband wouldn't ever be
able to feel that way when he kissed
her. But father said since she was so
young and innocent, and it being the
first time, it wouldn't really count.
Fairy swore off that minute-never
again! OF course, when I knew how
father felt about mother, wanted my
husband to have as much pleasure in
me as father did in her, and Fairy and
I made a solemn resolve that we would
never, even hold hands, and that's
very simple, until we got crazy enough
about man to think we'd like to
marry him If we got chance. And
never have since then, not once"
Carol" he said in low voice, 81
wish I had known it. wouldn' have
kissed you for anything. God knows
I wouldn't. II think am man enough
not to have done it anyhow if had
only thought a minute, but God knows
I wouldn't have done it If had known
about this. You don't know how-con-
temptible-I feel" =.
ooh, that's all right" she said COM
fortingly, her eyes glowing. "That's
all right. We just meant beaux, you
know. We didn't include uncles, and
fathers, and old schoolteachers, and
things like that. You don't count,
That isn't breaking my pledge"
The professor smiled, but he remem-
bered the quivering lips, and the re-
laxing Of the 1.-THE body, and the forced
laughter, and was not deceived.
"You're such a strange girl, Carol.
You're SO honest, usually, SO kind
hearted, so generous. But you always
seem trying to make yourself look bad,
Not hive 11xy hot |cv,3 r
Carol smiled, and her loving fingers ca
ressed her soft cheek. "But you try
to make folks think you are vain and
selfish, when you are not. Why do you
do it? Everyone knows what you
really are. All over Mount Mark they
say you are the best little kid in town"
"They dol" she said Indignantly.
''Well, they'd better not. Here I've
spent years building up my reputation
to suit myself, and then they go and
shatter it like that. They'd better
leave me alone" =
'tBut what's the object?" r.
'Why, now, p'fessor," she said, care
fully choosing her words, 'you know.
it's pretty hard job living up to a
good reputation. Look at Prudence
and Fairy and Lark. Everyone Jus,
naturally expects them to be angeli-
cally and dishearteningly good. And
II they aren't, folks talk. But take me
now. now. No one expects anything Of me,
and II once in while l do happen to
turn out all right by accident, it's q
sort of Joyful surprise to the whole
community. It's lots more fun sur
prising folks by being better than they
expect, than shocking them by turning
out worse than they think you will"
"But it doesn't do you any good, !"
he assured her. "You can't fool them.
Mount Mark knows It's Carol"
you're not goingY she said, as he
released her hand and Strengthened the