The Pascagoula chronicle., 1918-10-19

you're not offended. are your h.
asked.
81 should be"-she entered the
gate and turned to him for a feetlng
instant-"but I'm not' And with a
little laugh she ran up the steps.
The very next Sunday morning quite
early Catherine crossed the street to
the park opposite the house. The aris-
tocracy of the square only use the park
during the early hours, before the rab-
BILE Of the city fills the benches, so
she sat herself down In the early morn
Ing sunlight and wondered about Jim
Brand, who at that very moment came
strolling toward her.
Il hoped I'd find you--aren't you GO
ing to ask me to sit DOWN." Then he
sat down anyway. II was quite start
ling and very exciting. He questioned
her and teased her, treated her just
as If she weren't Van Wye and sa-
cred-just as If she were a girl whom
| he liked
Lets walk" he finally said, rising
and catching her by the hands to draw
her to her feet. He was like that
just sudden and abruptly insistent-it
took GATHERINGS breath completely
away. And the color came into her
cheeks and lips and animation to her
eyes. She fairly sparkled in response
to his vital presence, and she complete
~ forgot herself and her aunts and ira
ditiOn.
SO it went. She met him many
times, Apparently by accident, but
really by arrangement, although Cath
crime herself never fully realized this.
And suddenly her aunts noticed a
change in her She grew rounder,
color became pronounced, her lips were
red always and her eyes danced on the
slightest preteXt. The auntS were per
picked until one evening Catherine was
late to dinner. She had been out all |
afternoon in the car. Jim Brand had |
given John 81, and they had left John |
TO his own devices while jim took the |
wheel. with Catherine in the seat be-
side him. Together all afternoon they |
had breezed along through the coun-
try recklessly happy. Hence Gather
ines latenesS to dinner.
AT the Van Wye table that night
there was less conversation than usual.
The aunts were uneasy. GATHERINGS
father had been a little wild in his
youth, and the aunts wondered vague
~ until Catherine arose from the table
with n little smile.
aunt Belinda, We're you ever
grabbed suddenly by n nice young man
and Rugged close up TO his heart and
kissed ever so many times right on the
mouth before you realized what was
whatever put such notions into
your head Catherine Van Wye? Ger
tainly not" said Aunt Belinda So
verely
"Then feel very sorry for you.
Aunt Belinda" said Catherine, de-
''for you have missed some
hing"
Catherine :" chorused the Mortified
aunts In despair bur their terrible.
Niece had danced toward the telephone
And an hour later Jim Brand was
playing ragtlme on GATHERINGS piano
while that young woman stood behind
him and patted the syncopated time
On his broad shoulders, occasionally
Gaming down to rub her smooth cheek
against his, while In the room above
hose maiden ladies. her aunts. COM
nuned in solemn conference
"And he's just common country
10Y who happens TO go to college"
'aid Aunt Melvina.
81 don't see what we can do about
t." said Aunt Belinda heplessly;
she's twenty-one and has the Van
wye willfulness ~
And every now and then Catherine ,
Van Wye Unexpectedly launches her
!gile young body like a catapult upon
Ter surprised husband and hugs his
read savagely to her breast. murmur
ng: "And they would have cheated !
ne out of this! Cheated me out Of I
life. and love- and you-yOu common
person ~
But Jim Brand only grins and gives
lis ardent wife proper kissing, which
-ulgar practice, I regret to say, seems
o agree with the last Of the patriciar
Yam Wyes.