The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1919-01-09

Squatter population on their private
planet. The world was too much with
them. The little car was transparent.
Even at night etiquette required them
to light it up within.
Wimburn did not return to New
York so soon as he expected. 1t
seemed impossible to uproot 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 moon had risen
in a sky still rosy with the afterslow
of sunset. The air was
with pleading.
Suddenly Wimburn cried aloud, to
his w surprise and hers, Daphne!
Miss Kip! l can't stand everything,
you know! Pm only human, after ALL"
"What's the matter?" she asked in
prosaic phrase but with a poetic tlut-
ter Of breath.
Il love you, dn it!-pardon me,
but I'm Internally in love with you.
I'm tormcnted. l 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
l can think of now is that I'd rather
resign and starve to death than go
back and leave you here"
"HonestlyY she barely breathed.
"Desperately!" he moaned. whats
to become of me?"
"You'd better so back. I suppose.
You'll Don get over it and find ONE
body else to love-"
"There's nobody else in the world
worth loving. I'd die if l gave you up !
I'd simply die"
He went on with aching anxiety
"Could you care for me just Il little?
If you could love me or just promise to
try to, l could face my exile for a
while. Do you think you could love
me ever?"
She dropped her chin on her breast
and sighed.
II guess l 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 a gutter into a vacant lot
scooped up Il "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 embrace.
Soon she was assailed with fears fol
the credibility of this wonder work
and when he said:
"When shall we our en-
~gagelnent?" she protested:
"Oh, not till we are sure"
"Im SUR now"
"But we must be terribly sure. It's
such a dangerous thing, getting mar
5 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"
l I'm not afraid of you, but for you
} I'd hate to disappoint you, and / don't
really amount to much. I can't dc
anything except CAD around; and you'G
: tire of me-"
mot in this world-nor in the next
cts darling of you to say it, ant
you think you mean it-nOw. But
, II know it, Daphne, honey. now and
forever. l 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" 1t was exceedingly sat
isfying to surrender her soul into his
! keeping. She had reached harbor al
ready after so brief and placid a voy
age.
He ended a long, cozy silence with
the surprising remark, II suppose
ought to ask your parents consent?'
The daughter, of the twentieth cen.
fury laughed: Parents consent! You
do read n lot of ancient literature
don't you?"
"Still I imagine we'd better break II
to 'em."
, "You leave it to me to break it to
'em. They'll be glad enough to get me
!, Off their hands,"
!, "Ill 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. Hel
father and her mother 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.
After dinner the parents retired tt
the living room to read and sew anC
humble over their mutual grievances
t while Daphne and Wimburn sat anC
- a. .--.. .-t:.t L. $50 ..-.l s-A,