Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-19
THE GIRL WHO
ALMOST MISSED
BY Mary Douglass.
GETTING 1T OVER.
{ HAPPIER VIII.

The kitchen clock gave eleven stridcnt
clangs MS we stood there Still no Peggy.
"llI call UP the manager, | SAID,
'whcre is the rehearsal going to be-
AT the Hotel Bclfort," mother muir
INJURED.
There 5 really nothing TO worry about, :
| tried to explain To mother, as central
was getting the number
but she promised she would ho home
early!'
doesn't answer central SAID.
"Ring them again, commanded.
At last got the manager of the tclc-
phone. The rehearsal was over two
hours ago. he explained in a weary voice
Il shall GO out to look for her myself,
mother cried.
It'll be perfectly useless, ! said.
lets wait until twelve; then if She
doesn't return. we'll call up the police.
Mother walked the little apartment
rcstlcsSly, every few minutes pecring
from the window into the dark street.
Il can't stand this I'm going out,
she said Mt last.
At that moment there was ring at the
bell Mother rushed INTO the hall and
pccred over the bannlstcrs. Peggy!
she called.
''Ycs. answered Peggy's trilling voice.
How could you, Peggy | crlcd
angrilv. "AIothcr has been simply Wild
You promised you'd be back Mt nine
o'clock
PROMISES arc made to be broken, said
Peggy, carccssly unplnning bunch o.
roses Mt her belt.
Where did you get those ! pointed
an accusing finger 1T the flowers.
You have no right to speak 10 me so
Il,
As she brushed past me into the hall,
/ smcllcd the strong odor OF wine on her
breath
OF that | said nothing to mother.
Where she had been, and with whom, was
as great mystery as ever.
You are too harsh with the child,
mother said to me, You must remember
she IS onlv eighteen: and YOU are eight
wears older Your tcmpcramCntS are very
different. 1ou should bc more gentle with
hcr
II think we've always been too gentle
to her and let her have her own way too
much, ! answered
The little incident worried me for
several DAYS. wondered about these ncw
friends of PcCgys ! suggested that she
bring them home and lei is meet them but
Peggy onlv laughed and sad, - on arc q
hae1 number, llazcl'
| wished thore was some way in which
| could g,ln my little sisters confidence
Btt She lived life apart from icr family,
these days, whuh We only glimpsCd rarely.
The next afternoon wien | came home
from school, found a tiny white note
lxine on my bureau II was from Mrs
kimhall JAIME mother. She asked If
would not come t. sec her soon
fin, he'd from the duty. Vet. had
not promised Jamie that ! would run in
to scc his mother frequently" Now that
knew tie only liked me as a pal, the
thought of seeing his mother became .
heavy burden Il would only orcn the
wound that | was trying 80 hard q heal
But | must get Il over The longer |
waited. the more painful it would he 70
70 to see her
arranged my hair very carefully.
pinned on my hat, and took out palr ot
fresh gloves from my bureau drawer
Mother was not home, So slipped ont I'm
questioned.
As | pressed Mrs Kimhalls bcll,
prayed childishIy that she would not bc
home.
But the door opened mechanically
and Henry stood there, giving that At
mosphcre of staid dignity that ! always
associated with the kimhall home
was glad that | was not shown into