Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-09
CYNTHIA WONDERS AFTER ALI, Up
GERALD SENT THE ROSES
TO HER
CHAPTER NNyIS'

4DHc - TOO sdcred thing to DO
taken UP lightly and handled heed
:cSsiy,"
The sentence rang in Cynthia Longs
ears az she walked homcward through,
tn" gathering dusk OF the March dav.
EDWARD Van Saun had spoken tu-
words III sucn q manner that the girl
telt as y there was a grave s;rnin-
canoe back OF them. To her rccep-
nv" mind ley seemed 10 be directed
Al her.
What her aunt had said n little over
an hour ago rcoccurrcd TO her now.
She hao voiced tho opinion that Cvn-
'NIa oic not appreciate what she had
meant in the lonely life Of Gerald
stewart Surely there could be nu
'rCih a that statement,
The puzzled girl tried to think gu.
Ihc situation clearly and sanciy.
Gerald Stewart had always been kind
TO her. but he had shown her no par
ticu!ar attention. Cntil last night
there had seemed TO be no par,icular
attraction between them. To be sure.
NJ mad assisted her into the house on
INC night OF the automobile accident.
Just Is Milton had carried her from rho
ca5 TO the LivinGstoncs' car.
she had let Gerald help her, for sne
had fancicd that Dora looked uncom-
portable when Milton offered his SER
wees Il SO, then Dora was jealous.
hut there vas no cause for her TO be
jealous. surely Gerald had not felt
Jealousy, too!
Mrs. Livingstone had suggested ina,
.,.i'on ought not TO caus. his friend
unhappincss by his attentions to Cvn-
una. That phase of the subject had
never occurred to Cynthia before.
feEhaps II was all a hEmcnt of her
aunts imagination. Yet even Mrs.
LIVINGSTONE would hardly make such a
charge as that unless 1t had some foun-
dauon II vas all very perplcxlng.
\ Sudden Thought.
thought struck her with such sud-
denness that she stopped short in the
middle of tho sidewalk until a passcr-
by. looking at her curiously. brourh,
hcr back 10 realization OF her sur
foundinEs. and she hurried on the
astounding idea still possessing her
Could it be possible that those roses
she had received on the night OF her
accident had been sent TO her by -?
she had taken il for granted that
Milton had sent ,hem-althoush n. had
never acknowledged doing so. She had
not thanked him for them. so he had
no reason TO disclaim any RESPONSE
hllity for the gift. lie had asked her
" she was sorry that the flowers had
been sent to hcr--but he might have
asked this on his friends account. be-
cause he wished TO rcassure Gerald
on that score. And she had admitted
that she had not been sorry.
What fool she had been. She had
played with fire and let herself i'm
aEine that her cousins betrothcd was
Interested III her to such an extent that
ne had sent her big box Of roses
and had cared more for her than an.
peared on the surface
Now She understood Milton b,d
fri Il r.
She and Dora were like sisters. II
was not strange that Dora's bc,rothcd
had wished 10 be OH brothcriy terms
with Dora's most intimate friend.
cs: she had been fool. Her only
consolation lay in the fact that nobody
nut herself knew it, Even Milton did
not suspect that she had suffered COM
that she had had hcart-searchinrs vi,,,
regard to him.
Well, She had learned her lesson.
she. had hurt nobody but herself.
:. another sentence of Edward Van
Sauns came to her. 1T is no small
ohcnse to wound or MAIN love.
iernaps Gerald Stewart loved her.
icrhaps that was why he had sent her
the flowers. why he had spoken To hcr
so gently last evening. Mrs. Living.
stone might be right after all. II 81
cynthia certainly had not repellcd his
attentions
Pcrplcxing Situation.
Brooding too long on one subject
VIII give lonely woman 4 distorted
view OF the realities of life. So, bv tho
.imc cynthia Long reached her unc,c's
mouse she had almost convinced herself
! nat Gerald Stewart was in love with
hcr, ana that she had been so much an
sorhcd in the thought or another
"omans future husband that she had
hcen blinded 10 her own position: thai
Dora had been made jealous Of nor
and that Gerald was unhappy on her
account.
Given all these conditions, there wac
nut one thing for her TO do. and shc
decided to do 1t at once. This was 10
repair, as far as she was able any
mischief she had wrought and 10 do
vote her thoughts hereafter to tho
happiness of others, even il she had to
sacrifice her own desires and lonrines
Edward Van Saun's words were already
bearing fruit, OF which he SUSPECTED
nothing. Thu lonely and supcrsensi,iye
girl climbed the steps of her uncle's
home with a look of firm determine
ton about her lips. Dora spicd her
from the window and ran out to omen
the front door before Cynthia could
ring.
Gym" she exclaimed bnr roco