Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-26
THE GIRL WHO
ALMOST MISSED
By Mary Douglass.
'HONEYSUCKLE COTTAGE"
Ghapfpr Nj

| Chapter XL.
| ] did not know quite where to turn
| what to do. Yet il is often IN n Crisis like
| that that the tiniest light breaks through
and shows the way.
| Charlotte Newton would be gone
| in two wecks-th beginning of March;
and all my time and energy was spent IN
| planning for her getting her things
packed, and seeing that the endless de-
tails would hc attended to,
What I'm going TO do anou, my mail,
and things generally Mt this end. don't
see, " she, said watching me as wrapped
some Of her smaller pictures and laid
them in the big packing box at my feet.
~ wish You would attend To it for me.
I'd give you twenty dollars a month to
help me out
"Iiving's rather hard on twenty
dollars month";" | said gently
put down my hammer and sat on the
Jagged wooden edge of the box eff | only
had home some place To 60 where |
could have Peggy when she IS finished
with this cngagemcntl shouldn't mind
bit
Then the idea broke over me with a
sudden. clear light; 81 have n homcl III
live there for the summer and raise n
war garden and have Peggy with me.
Mrs Newton looked up IN bored
amusement She had no time nor thought
for anything but her own concerns. The
habit was too old with her 10 be suddenly
changed the habit Of being interested
only in herself
| went on with the hacking and the
thoughts scurried through my mind
One buoyant hope leapcd on another
like bubbles on n cham | ncle Thco' s
shack should be my home, of course
In sudden, | pictured il q scrahmling
green house, of only one story. covered
with trailing honeysuckle and climbing
roses. had never seen IT, nor heard him
speak of it except IN the letter he had
written me. Bur The picture | bad wax AS
vivid as the clear black and white OF a pcn
portrait
opened the door, and looked into
the dream house. come true There
would be old furniture Of course, that he
had picked up comfortable chairs and an
open fireplace where | could burn pine
cones, the chilly March days The dining
room would look out on a pasture or
perhaps there would be apple treesl
could sec tho blue and white plates, and
the white curtains blowing in the March
breeze
Then my gardcni | should wear over
alls and plough and plant and ra,Fe n
kitchen garden might even can and
make little extra money Indeed the
shack might become Il real home for
Peggy and me. where she could run mp
over week crds IL the winter"
The dream had grown out Of bounds.
But | was decided | had only 10 ask
Peggy il she approved.
Surprisingly. | found her at home.
She looked tired and jaded, rs though
she had been keeping late hours and
burning her candle too low
Peggy, ] cried. with the plan fresh
and vivid in nv heart. We're going TO
have a home this summer, together, and
YOU shan't need TO worry about another
engagement until fall. You know Uncle
Theo's shack K" pictured II 10 her in all
its charm, and all the bright colors my
Imagination could lend to it. You Il enjoy
gardening too, and -
Not for me, said Peggy langIid
ly, Il don't want to get all sunburncd
and freckled, and pick green worms
of carrotst My dream fell about me
in splintered bits
''0h. don't worry, old dear, I'll come;
not that ! love the rural life so, but ! do
need rest, awfully, and | shan mind
lving IN hammock and having someone
bring me a cold lemonade
But, Peggy" | cried in dislnay,
It's going to bc awfully hard TO get along;
there isn't going to be any someone.
except me, to do the cooking and farming,
and II only have twenty dollars month
to get along on 1t will bc the simple life
You were always rather good at
that sort of thing, Hazel | may not
he Of much Use on your old farm, bur /.
| shall be an attractive ornament to have
around Have a candy?" she reached +
for box on her bureau and, IN dong 50,
knocked off a pair of gloves and her pin .
cushion Something underneath rolled .
of on the floor and pun to me across the
rarpet-a small glittering pin.
picked 1t up careleSsly, then, with ,
more interest, | asked: Isn't it lovely |
Where did YOU get lt?'
A setting of delicate fligree surrounded |
2 sapphire of deep, finting blue | looked !.
closer at the lovely thing |
oh, give it 10 me, Peggy stretched |
1ut quick hand aIt isn't anything. !
just picked 1t up" /
Her hand closed over it. covering /
t from sight; and a strange, sudden |
lush sprang to her checks and died away !
5 quickly as it had come. How is Mrs !,
Newton?" She asked so eagerly that | !
Knew it was merely to change the subject
/ left with that faint, troubled feel
ng that / always had after | had been
With Peggy-as though she were hiding
from me- Yet / felt, at last,
could do something definite, / should
lave her with me, there IN the quiet
perhaps the trees and the grow
ng things would give her some Of theiI
wisdom
With hope high in my heart | went
,ack to Mrs Newtons packing.
TomoTow-Home!