Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1919-01-29
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
THE DETTF9 NAN
BY nARy PARsona.

Ntiti hliON Whit III lut WIZ III W
please help mel"
What's the trouble, now, child is
/ 1t Sam or Charley?"
| 'Neither-l mean both. ] don't
| know which I'm in love with. ] think
| it's Sam till Charley comes to see me,
| and then he is so good looking
| just like a collar ad-and ne looks
| at me so deeply-you know how
| mean-that think I'm oil wrong again
and 1t must be he. He's ever so much
more popular with the girls, too. Now,
Sam never says any of the nice little
things Charley does, and he's ever so
! blunt sometimes, but somehow don't
| know. I'm not sure. but think Sam
! is the better man. You're Older and
wiser than l am. Barbara tell me why
| you admire Sam more. I've always
| thought you did whenever talk about
them. but you've never said anything.
| Please tell me-"
The older girl got up and walked
| over to the window. For moment
she did not say anything. Then she
sank into seat with a little sigh.
Polly, child there isn't anything in
the world know against Charley--it
wouldn't be fair to say there was. for
| he may care for you even more than
! ! think he does-but I'm going to tell
| you little story, if you have time to
! listen"
"Of course, Babs" assured Polly. set
Ting her attractive little person into
| perfect nest of cushions
Once upon time" began Barbara,
there was a girl--not a beautiful girl
just bright. frank. cheerful girl,
with a sense OF humor and lots of
friends. She liked men sincerely, but
she was neither very susceptible nor
very foolish, and she had seen some
thing of life.
There was one man she had known
for long time and she always adj
mired and liked him tremendously.
$50 they went out together, danced
together and talked together, and he
was very nice to her. She found that
she could talk to him as she had never
been able to talk to anyone before, and
he always seemed to understand, She
began to value his friendship, above
all her other friends, and to depend on
his help and advice in many little
things. He liked to help her. and as
the months passed they grew to We bet
ter and better friends, with a clearer
understanding of each other than they
had ever had.
Then, she went away for a long
visit. And he almost made her believe
that he would really miss her badly
and she was very glad.
"And she wrote to him naturally, as
a child would write to a very favorite
| uncle or dear kind friend who was
| older and wiser than she. long, newSy
! letters about all the daily happenings
| and she dearly loved to write to him.
"FIe wrote to her twice; then there
| was long lapse. Then. a third letter
came which might have been written
to an utter stranger with perfect safe
| ty--air and weather being the main
| topics. This was after she had i'm.
| pulsively written to him for help and
| sympathy over what seemed to her a
| very great trouble. and he had failed
her~-dSmally failed her. She wrote
to him once more. but she never sent
| the letter. She could not thrust her
! friendship upon him if he did not want
| II.
And though she was bound TO meet
| him and did not wish to obviously
avoid him, She did not need to- for he
| showed no desire for any sort of
| meeting and fitted about among the
girls as he had probably always done
And she tried always to be fair to him
and not to judge him-she liked to re-
| member him rather as a friend who
| had died than one who had ceased to
| value her friendship-she simply could
| not understand. That's all I know
about Charley and it's two years ago
| he's probably forgotten all about 1t
| long ago.
That's all, Polly dear. 1t isn't much
| Of story, but I thought I'd tell 1t to
you. Somehow, from my own stand
| ards, it doesn't seem to me as if q man
who would hurt anyone so cruelty, so
blindly and with such utter indiffer.
ence could measure up TO quite the
| same standard as man like Sam, who
is fair and square in everything he
| does.
| Polly sat still for long time after
Barbara stopped talking.
THANK you for telling me the story"
she said at last.
A maid came to the door with a tele-
| gram. Polly glanced at the address
seized it and tore it open hastily. In
moment the paper dropped to the
floor.
| "It's from SAM" she gulped. "and
he's going to the front, and he wants
me to tell him before he goes-they
won't let him off to come himself-oh
dear, it's terrible"