Okolona messenger., 1919-11-06

older person would have remained in
such a place. Moreover, these two
young people were strangers to each
other; neither had said anything In
which the other had discovered the
slightest intrinsic interest; there had
not arisen between them the begin
nIngs of cOngeniality, or even Of
frlendllness-bu stairways near ball
rooms have more to answer for than
have moonlit lakes and mountain sun
sets.
Age, confused by its own long ac-
cumuIation of fOIlies, is everlastingly
inQuIrlng, "what does she see in himT
as If young love came about through
thinklng-or through conduct. AT
eighteen one goes to dance, sits with
a stranger on a stairway, feels pc
cullar, thinks nothing, and becomes
incapable of any plan whatever. Miss
Morgan and George stayed where they
were.
They had agreed to this in silence
and without knowing it; certainly
without exchanging glances of intelli-
gence-they had exchanged no glances
at all. Both sat staring vaguely out
into the ballroom, and, for time,
they did not speak. Here and there
were to be seen couples so carried
away that, ceaslng to move at the
decOrous, even glide, considered most
knowing, they pranced and whirled
through the throng, from wall to wall,
gallOping bOunteously in abandon.
George suffered shock of vague sur
prise when he perceived that his aunt,
Fanny Minafer, was the lady-half of
one of those wild couples. She flew
over the floor in the capable arms of
the queer-looking duck; for this pers
son was her partner.
The queer-looking duck had been
real dancer in his day, it appeared;
and evidently his day was not yet
over. In spite of the headlong. gay
rapidity with which he bore Miss
Fanny about the big room he danced
authoritatlvely, avoiding without ef-
fort the lightest collision with other
couples, maintaining sufficient grace
throughout his widest moments, and
all the while laughing and talking
with his partner. What was most re
markable to George, and little irri-
tating, this stranger in the Anderson
mansion had no vestige of the air of
Difference proper to a stranger in such
a place: he seemed thoroughly at
home. He seemed extensively so, in
deed, when, passing the entrance to
the gallery stairway, he disengaged
his hand from Miss Fanny's for an in
stant, and not pausing in the dance,
waved a laughing salntation more
than cordial, then capered lightly out
Of sight
George gazed stonily at this mani
festation. responding neither by word
nor sign. "How's that for bit Of
freshness?" he murmured.
"What was3" Miss Morgan asked.
'That queer-looking duck waving
his hand at me like that Except he's
the Sharon girls uncle 1 don't know
him from Adam"
"You don't need to-" she said. "He
wasn't waving his hand to you: he
meant me-"
"Oh, he did," George was not mol
lifted by the explanation. Everyone
seems to mean you! You certainly do
seem to have been pretty busy this
week you've been herew
She pressed her bouquet to her face
again and laughed into it, not dis
pleased. She made no other COM
ment, and for another period neither
spoke.
"Well," said George finally, II must
say you don't seem to be much of a
prattler. They say it's great way
to get a reputation for being wise
never saying much. Don't you ever
talk at all?"
"When people can understand" she
answered.
He had been looking mOodlly out
at the ballroom, but he turned to her
quickly, at this, saw that her eyes
were sunny and content, over the top
of her bouquet, and he consented to
smile.
"Girls are usually pretty fresh!" he
said. "They ought to go to mans
college about a year: they'd get
taught few things about freshness !
What you got to do after two o'clock
tomorrow afternoonT -
"A wlole.lot of things. Every min
ute filed up"
"All right" said George. "The
SHOWS fine for slelghlng: I'll come for
you in a cutter at ten minutes after
two"
II can't possibly 60"
'If you DON'T" he said, "I'm going
to sit in the cutter in front Of the
gate, wherever you're visiting. all
afternoon, and if you try to go out
with anybody else he's got to whip
me before he gets YOU" And as she
laughed-though she blushed little,
too-he continued. seriously: IF you
think I'm not in earnest you're at lib
erty to make quite big experiment "
She laughed again. II don't think
I've often had so large compliment
as that" she said. especially on such