Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-02-12
THEFOUR OFHEARTS
YOUTH AND ROMANCE
BY VIRGINIA VAN DE WATER
L OF YOUTH AND ROMANCE

with this iovial scene. She did not
the sight of it but accentuated her
own loneliness. Here was Dora
petted and loved by an indulgent
father and mother, engaged to be
married., surrounded by admirine
friends, and she, Cynthia Long,
has lost her father and her home
and was now among strangers.
She started nervously as Stewart
turned to her with, You think her
incapable of deep feeling?'
, Who" Cynthia stammered
Dora y oh, mo- never meant to
intimate anything of the kind! |
trouble. / hope and pray she never
may"
Her lips quivered slightly, but
her companion did not know this.
He was still scrutinizing the girl
opposite him. Cynthia dropped her
eyes and began to trace with the
tip of her finger the pattern on
the damask and lace tablecloth.
This man certainly allowed her an
aundance of time in which to fol-
low the course of her own musings.
Dora, turning to reply to some
passing remark of Miltons, met
squarely Gerald Stewards intent
gaze. The words she was about to
speak We're suddenly checked, and
for an instant Milton Van Saun's
betrothed and his friend looked
straight into each others eyes.
The gaze was unintentional. yet
girl and man were aware of slight
thrill, as if an electric current had
passed from one to the other.
What were you going to say?''
Milton asked when Dora did not
speak.
"Oh, nothing" she answered, Eek
cept,' casting about for some re-
mark that would not be too incon-
sequent, that Cynthia's looking
rather pale tonight, isn't she? Or
is it only her black dress that
makes her look so white?"
Il thought" said Van Saun with
an effort to speak with great in
difference. that she was looking
rather better than usual. She is
quite handsome, don't you think? %
In Dilemma.
The man on Dora's other hand
spoke to her before she could re-
ply to Milton's question, and Van
Saun allowed himself to watch the
black robed figure seated across the
table from him. He noticed her
pallor, and that Stewart was not
now even pretending to talk to her.
"Chumpn Milton criticized his
friend mentally. THE idea of miss
ing the chance of getting better ac-
quainted with such a girl as that.
Why, the mans dense-actually
dense!
Cynthia Long was pale, that was
a fact, Milton mused. Yet the pallor
was not the unbecoming. sallow
kind that indicated ill health. Per
haps it was not a pallor, after all,
but only the effect of the filmy
black evening gown she wore.
Above the folds of her dress, her
shoulders and neck rose fair and
cleaning in the candle-light. Her
hair was like FURNISHED bronze. She
was certainly a lovely creature.
And her style was so uncommon
unlike that of any other woman
Van Saun had ever known.
She was the only person in black
at the table, he observed. Yet
she was the youngest-looking per-
son there, with. maybe, the eXcep-
ton of Dora. ~
For whom was she in mourning ?
Oh, yes, he remembered, it was for
her father! Poor girl-what a con-
trast' Dora's lot was to hers! And
how pluckily she was bearing all
this merriment and celebration
when her own heart must be heavy
He suddenly felt like a brute that
he had not made an opportunity to
speak a word of sympathy to her.
Yet, she might resent it If he did.
Girls were such uncertain creatures!
(To be Continucd.)