Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-05-17

N~SPSAotS SuouSu u dSk ltlie oiupoohf
the shoe clerk, about the girl with the
voice. Simpson was an unromantic
soul he looked puzzled.
"The only new girl I've seen around
here Is that little dressmaker who sits
at the next table. And I shouldn't call
her a girl exactly, either; she'll never
see thirty-fye again In this life."
"Aw, that isn't the one" Matthew
said In deep disgust. 1.-The girl l mean
Is young and has curly-a sort of nice
voice. I've heard her talking over the
phone"
Simpson shook his head.
Il 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
h understand his interest In this
girl? He couldn't tell her that he had
fallen in love with a 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
1917 ny Az lhCtC nCAC ~
signs of the girl, although her voice.
continued to be distinctly audible.
sometimes singing, and sometimes
merely using the phone, or talking to
Mrs. Jones. Fortunate Mrs. Jonesl
One night after Matthew had almost
given up hope, he happened to glance
at the next table in the dining
and nnfj0Q a rfrI Che u,oc rofhos a
n~ice-looking girl with straight dark hair
drawn close about her ears. She wore
a plain white blouse, and her Shout
ders dropped a little, as If she were
very tired. Matthew noticed her be.
cause she was evidently young, not tho
girl, OF course, but a girl, and appar-
emily a nice one. More thar that, she
looked vaguely familiar, he was sure
that he had seen her somewhere be-
fore. He looked and looked, piecing
together vague memories. He had seen
her In Dawesville In school, very like
ly. Perhaps she was one of the MUIR
ray girls; they had hair like that.
BY the time dinner was over Matthew
had decided very definitely that this
was Alice Murray, a nice little thing
to whom he had never paid much at
tention back In Dawesville-she was
younger than he.
He went I'VE and spoke to her when
he was through with his meal.
Pardon me, isn't this Miss MUIR
ray?" he said.
The girl looked up with a startled
little smile.
"Why-yes. Matthew Edwardsi I
should never have known you, you've
grown to look so New Yorkish. Do
you live here?"
Yves" Matthew managed to say.
He was staring at Miss Murray with
an expression of outraged amazement.
For out of her little red mouth had
proceeded the golden voice, the voice
that belonged to the girl.
Goodness, Matthew" she was saw
ing. Don't look at me like thati What
is queer about me? l haven't been in
the city long enough to acquire an air,
l know, but I didn't think"
II didn't mean to stare" he apollo
gized. ITS awfully nice to see some
body from home. What are you doing
here, and why haven't 1 seen you be-
fore?"
Newspaper work. I've been busy at
night, mostly, so I've eaten NY meals
at the most unearthly 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 it. Alice
Murray, In ONE fashion, had appro-
priated the voice that belonged to the.
golden girl. The curly hair. the dim
pies, the long-lashed blue eyes, where
were they?
During the days that followed Mat
thew saw a good deal of the Murray
girl. He took her to the theater: thew
went skating together; they did all the
jolly things that the young people at
home were doing. And Matthew loved
her voice. After all 1t 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.
it 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 dlmples
If she has a laugh like q 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 it. he was In love with the
little Murray girl.
He told her so one day in spring
when they sat in 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.
"Do you know" Matthew said at
length, 'that I first fell In love with