The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-01-16

L ~ III VO0 ~ OASPA4N
Even at night etiquette required them
to light it up within.
Wimburn did not return to New
York so soon as he expected. II
seemed impossible to uploot himself
from that pleasant soil. One after
noon when he had already overstayed
his furlough Daphne and he were rid
ing in the little car through the outer
suburb known as Shaker Heights-a
section rapidly evolving from a sleepy
religious community to a swarm of city
residences.
The late afternoon moo had risen
in a sky still rosy with the afterglow
Of sunset. The air was murmurous
with pleading.
Suddenly Wimburn cried aloud, to
his own surprise and hers, Daphne!
Miss Kip! I can't stand everything,
you know! I'm only human, after all"
"What's the matter?" she asked in
prosaic phrase but with a poetic flut-
ter of breath.
Il love you, d---n it!-pardon me,
but I'm Internally in love with you.
I'm tormented. I came here on bust
ness, and instead of my finishing it
you've finished me. I'm two days over
due in New York and I've had to lie
to the Office to explain why. And all
I can think of now is that I'd rather
resign and starve to death than 60
back and leave you here"
"Honestly?" she barely breathed.
Desperately" he moaned. whats
to become of meY"
you'd better go back, I suppose.
You'll soon get over it and find some
body else to love-"
There's nobody else in the world
worth loving. I'd die if I gave you up !
I'd simply die" .
He went on with aching anxiety:
"Could you care for me just a little?
If you could love me Or just promise to
try to, I could face my exile for a
while. Do you think you could love
me ever?" &c..
She dropped her chin on her breast
and sighed.
II guess I do now" .+
The miraculous felicity of this situa-
ton overwhelmed them both. He clipt
her in his arms and she flung hers
about him, forgetting entirely the
steering wheel. The neglected little
car promptly scattered Off the road,
crossed q gutter into q vacant lot,
scooped up a "For Sale" sign, and was
about to tip over into an excavation
when Daphne looked up long enough
to shut off the power. Then in a blind
rapture she returned to where she be-
lOnged-his embraces
Soon she was assailed with fears for
the credibility, of this wonder work,
and when he said:
"When shall we announce our sen-
gagement?" she protested:
"Oh, not till we are sure"
"Tm ure now"
"But we must be terribly sure. It's
such a dangerous thing, getting mar
ried. So many people who think they
love each other find out their mistake
too late. You don't know me very
we'll" ,
"You mean you don't know me very
WELL"
"I'm not afraid of you, but for you.
I'd hate to disappoint you, and I don't
really amount to much. I can't do
anything except CAD around; and you'd
tire Of me-"
mot in this world-nor in the next"
cts darling Of you to say it, and
you think you mean it-now. But"
Il know it, Daphne, honey, now and
forever. / don't want anybody but
you. Life won't be life without you.
You've promised to be my wife. !
hold you to your promise"
"All right" It was exceedingly sat
fsfying to surrender her soul into his
keeping. She had reached harbor al
ready after SO brief and placid a voy-
age.
He ended q long, coy silence with
the surprising remark, II suppose ]
ought to ask your parents consenta''
The daughter of the twentieth CEN
fury laughed: Parents consent! You
do read q lot of ancient literature.
don't your"
Stll l imagine We' better DreaK II
to 'em."
you leave it to me to break 1t to
'em. They'll be glad enough to get me
Off their hands,"
"I'l never believe that
When they reached her home It was
late and his hotel was SO far that,
since he would be spending his last
evening with her, anyway. she asked
him to stay to dinner.
She broke that news to her parents,
and it caused them acute distress. Her
father and her smother were deep IN
the battle that always broke out be.
tween them when the monthly bills ar
rived. Daphne was so used to this
that she hardly noticed It'll
After dinner the parents retired to
the living roor to read and sew and
humble over their mutual grievances
while Daphne and Winhurn sat and
the piazza which the moon turned into
q blue p0rtico Of mystic spell.
II NMfh fEAF4 6AaA9sZ AFH EM4