Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-24
THE GIRL WHO
ALMOST MISSED
BY Mary Douglass.
THE OLD FASHION OR THE NEW
Chapter XXXvIII.

Chapter XXXvIII.
The next few weeks stole along on soft
footsteps, ono day very like another
and | awokc.
| My affair with Mr.. Tremalno had been
n comedy, not tragedy. When ] tirst
came to the realization, ! do. not know /;
| but slowly, gradually, | understood that
/ had taken an idle Irritation Tor the serious
| love of man.
| Never, | vowed, should | be such a
| fool againi As if one lesson were not
! enough for me-Jamic had only liked me
| for a friend, a chum; and then this man
| had played away his idle moments with me
and /, simple, dreaming, too romantic,
| had taken the half tones and the deep
! looks to mean more than they did.
The whole thing was game, and had
| not been prepared for the next move.
should not play that game again, prom
ised myself No man would ever make
me think he was In love with memo,
not unless he set small gold circle on my
finger.
you'll never get married., how. |
remembered Mothers words and the day
she said them She would have spared me
all this suffering with her gentle wisdom
But it is only by laundering that we learn,
and | fancicd | should not stumble next
time.
Yet here was Charlotte Newton, who has
had far more experience of men and mar
rage. throwing herself into this nursing
work So that she could be near Mr. Ire
maine in England
Now that Mr.. TremaIne was gone,
could see him in perspective as small
man with red hair, and red-brown eyes
| did not for a moment fancy myself III
love with him; vet knew If he were near,
he could exert that old, inexplicable power
over me that | always felt IN his presence
Mrs. Newton wanted book from n
certain b0okshoS in Washington Square,
and ! promised myself that | could stop
in and see Peggy for few minutes on the
way back
Peggy did not answer my knock; but
the door opened to my push and saw her
room with all the confusion Of clothes and
faded flowers and boxes and notes that
seemed Ia be part Of her
II looked so hopeless but Thought
would 90 in and see if | couldn't bring
some order out Of All the Wild confusion.
| untanglcd a pair OF slippers from m
evening dress and hung the latter IN her
crowded closet | gathered up papers
and empty flower boXcs and hlts 81 torn
| notes and / cigarette stump that lay under
| the EN'd NttlptAtttt NfAt t'N AAA' =
bureau cover and wiped up bits Of powder
and ali the dsarray that looked like the
accumulation Of weeks.
Under her pmcushlon laN . letter whose
! beginning IN hod black letters caught
my eve Darling RahN il SAID |
folded Il ~ without reading it, Tut |
could not forget that big heavy writing
that had known once Jack Madden s.
"a, down on the crowded chair with
M head sunk on my hand, and the letter
InconsA,lSy leid tight
"NcH \ hat are YOU doing here Peggy
fourishcd into the room, then, with u
darting glance she saw the letter in my
hand She stood quite still then cried
80 YOU camc 10 snoop:
Peggy darling, vo,i know ! didn't, I
/ cried, II found this letter under YOUR
cushion and only SAW the heading.
| haven rcad II
II wish YOU would leave my letters
alone" Peggy cried
looked II her nov with little shock OF
surprise The smooth contour of her
checks was smcarcd with carrninc and
Ter hazel eyes were ringed with hlack
"Nhv. you've forgotten tn take off
your makc-lIp' cxclaimed
Peggy : shamed eyes fell before mine.
You re II o.d-iashioned, Hazel" she
exclaimed
"You're too pretty 70 do that, Pccg7-, >
] pleaded, II makes you look hard and