Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-22
THE GIRL WHO
ALMOST MISSED
BY Mary Douglass.
JACK DECIDES

SHSh DSSaDt1tfF
Chapter LXIIl
Peggy stood there at the door. white M
death Her eyes grew dark and opened
wide upon me
'HIIazcll' she cried
TO see her 80, had made me suddenly
feel weak, and chung to the door frame
for support.
Hazel what are you doing hcrcY
Why have YOU followed mc2'
| said nothing but tried 10 still the
hurried beating Of my heart that would
take my breath away.
You have come then you must
hear me out Sit thercl she pointed to
char with an imperative gesture J sank
into IT. still spccchlcss
81 suppose some old fool has told YOU
about me. and you thought you would
come here and rescue mc2 ! don want
rcsctingi have come here ot my own a'-
cord Jack did not have TO urge me tod
YOU long ago that | did not believe IN
marriage and now | am proving IT To you
! want life experience. and am going 10
have II even YOU cant stop me
Come home with me, Peggy, ! said
softly and the words came from my iuh
heart
Il WON'T cried Peggy chlld,shly
Il won't - she stamped her ioot ana
before could say or do anything she had
rushed out oi the room like whriwind
The place was very silent back stood
where had last seen hlm his hands still
thrust ~ the pockets OF hs corduroy coat
his cyca Watching me through half
closed lids Now hc spoke Tor the first time
This Is your doing Hazel
NV ,loingl" | crlcd half starting TO my
Donf try 10 deny Il Have YOU for
gotten southampton and the way You
treated me- | never would have looked IT
Peggy i YOU had moi played fast aed
loose with me
.Oh Jack" sad mscrab, but
only halt h~tcnod to HIM as he went
on For vas searching my mind tosco
how | could appeal to this man
Has: aud loose with m" say. tack
repeated You threw me Over ior tltat
1rcmnlnc fellow Nou can blame me lts
always some woman chat $ II the bottom
oi these thng,f
1t ISN'T trlo. Jack erred with sudden
unqucnchahlo anger, ! didn't throw Nou
over. As ,ou say. for that Nr IrcmaInc
The vav ,ou acted when ~ drove down
a. SouthanWpu
Yes. bv Cad pretend tobc innocent
when YOU n In hole, You believe that
he'd about The engine trouble. you bctlcvc
that wanted NnlI to spend hat night with
me NJ that ruad house that y was al put
M
Tho words rose f. my hrs We'll
WASH IT, hut held HON back and aaid
instead .Enrglvc Hc. i | was not far
Jack threw scoNhng glance IT nc
and began slow pacing oi the great room
[ i aud down hc went, up and down. until
felt should % mad i he did not stop,
il he would NOT speak
Jack sand }ou area man. vou arc
~ much older han pcggv. ynu know
50 much more Of the world can von lst
her 40 tins mad thing that she Il DOING
What do ynu mean hC asked bIuntly
1T gotng 10 rum her life # YOU don I
marry her
'But She doesn't believe IN mnrriarc
Nou heard her say So herself
| put my last hope. my Iast PRAYER into
tho plea. You arc 50 much wiser than
She. can Won moi 30 Tins to save her oh
Jack do II for my sake
Ilc stopped IN ms unhrncd pacing
~ the room and looked IL mo from hc-
meath scowl.ng hrows
! conld not believe hls next words
III marry hcr if she SAYS 80
"Oh lack | hrcathrd h.s name ~
thanktrIlncss
IIc Touched button ngar rhc door
The oh~cqulou~ lap appeared Ass
Miss Richards ~ onmc here
In 4 fcw minutes Peggy tGrst luie /
tho room with flaming ehcck~
y ceo' She asked with her chm tn
tilted now THAT vou hoth i..yt talked
me over tu yunr heart contcnt
Peggy dear | sand -oitl>
She flashed Il glance at me half 81
chagrin. haIf ot anger
What IS il now HIzel2
looked II hor with all the love felt
for tins wilfui little SISTER nf NINE, f4cf
eyes dropped and when she spoke nest
il was III 4 gcnilcr tote Of voice
What do vou want me 10 do
the sentence was unfinished. for sud
den as gust of wind. Peggy was weeping
She flung herself down on thc couch and
buried her face III her two hands | went
10 her and put my aru4 around her rs !
had when She was llttlc grl and had
bumped her head or hroken her doll
Peggy
Peggy lifted her evos and Two huge
tears rolled down hcr smooth chcck.
and tell off to her lap
Peggy Jack gong 10 marry YOU
Then the surprising and change
able Peggy did the last thing ia the world
| would have expected her To do
III have TO change my dress / snail
put on that adorable black ono you gave
me, that makes me look 50 old She was
out Of the room in two flashes and
heard the tap-tap Of her heels across the
floor
II do thank YOU. said to Jack and
held out my hand to him
Tomorrow The Newspaper