Catoctin clarion., 1918-04-25
voice. i've heard her talking over lns

u guess you were hearing things"
ne said. II haven't seen any girl
around this place. Ask Mrs. Jones'"
But Matthew shrank from asking
Mrs. Jones. the landlady. How should
she understand his interest in this
girl? He couldn't tell her that he hnd
fallen In love with voice. She would
think him daft. The boy grew almost
thin from his obsession, he was unable
to eat any meal without keeping one
eye on the doorway. However, two
weeks went by and there were no
signs of the girl, although her voice.
continued to be distinctly audible.
merely using the phone, or talking to
Mrs. Jones. Fortunate Mrs. Jones!
One night after Matthew had almost
given up hope, he happened to glance
at the next table in the dining room
and notice girl. She was rather
nicc-looking girl with straight dark hnir
drawn close about her ears She wore
a plain white blouse, and her shOu-
deIs dropped Il little, rs II she were
very tired. Matthew noticed her be.
cause she was evidently young, not the
girl, Of course, but a girl, and appar-
emily nice one. More than that. she
looked vaguely familiar, he was sure
that he had seen her somewhere be
fore. He looked and looked, piecing
together vngue memories. He had seen
DnNpnSH.illn In a.
ly. Perhaps she was one Of the MUIR
ray girls; they had hair like that.
BY the time dinner was ever Matthew
had decided very definitely that this
was Alice Murray, nice little thing
to whom he had never paid much at
tention back In Dawesville-she was
younger thun he.
He went over and spoke to her when
he was through with his meal.
pardon me. isn't this Miss Muir
rayY' he snid,
The girl looked up with a startled
little smile.
"Why-yes Matthew Edwards!
should never have known you, you've
grown to look so New Yorklsh. Do
you live here?"
"f-y-es," Matthew managed to say.
He was staring at Miss Murray with
m expression OF outraged amazement.
For out of her little red mouth had
proceeded the golden voice. the voice
that belonged to the girl.
"Goodn ,ss, Matthew" she was say.
i,u NJ
is queer about me? haven't been In
the city long enough to acquire an air.
know. hut I didn't think"
81 didn't mean to stare" he apollo.
gzed. "Its awfully nice to see some.
body from home. What are you doing
here, and why haven't seen you be-
foref"
"Newspnper work. I've been busy Mt
night. mostly, so I've eaten my meals
at the most unearhly hours. But now
I'm free again. only six hours In the
middle Of the day to work. It's good to
see you, Matthew"
There was no doubt about II. Alice
Murray, in some fashion. had appro-
prlated the voice that belonged 10 the
golden girl. The curly hair, the DIM
pies, the long flashed blue eyes, where
were they?
During the days that followed Mat
thew saw good deal Of the Murray
girl. He took her to the theater; they
went skating together; they did all the
jolly things that the young people at
home were doing. And Matthew loved
her voice. After all II was her voice.
He tried to be faithful to the vision Of
the other girl, the girl who had never
been, but somehow, slowly and surely
II had faded from his memory. Straight
hair Is pretty If It Is very black and
frames an oval face set with bright
eyes. And a girl does not need dimples
II she has laugh like chime of
bells-that Is Matthew's expression-
and the very sweetest nature In the
world. Before the winter was over
Matthew knew that there was no
doubt about 1t. he was in love with the
little Murray girl.
He told her so one day in spring
Wnen lney sal III the park together
He told her. and she told him some
thing too; something that made them
both very happy, so that they sat hold.
Ing hands and watching other couples
who passed with smiling eyes that pre-
tended not to notice the clasped hands.
"po you know" Matthew said at
length that | first fell In love with
your voice, before | even knew II was
your?
Did you? How frnny!"
"Yes, and | tried to imagine what
you would he like. And do you know,
it's funny, but Imagined girl Just
about like you, she even looked like
you"
"How very strange!" she repeated.
at was" he agreed.
And the strangest thing of all was
that Matthew really believed 1t. He
had forgotten the curly hair and dim
pies. He really thought that he had
imagined Alice as she was dark hair
Notwithstanding. And perhaps he had,
for after all beauty is only skin deep.