The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-06-07

he permitted himself to gaze at them
rather intently.
Then the strains Of Violet's music
came to him and gradually the table
before him seemed &. fpSe away, and
the roses and the red ribbun. He
stopped eating and the walls ct the
house faded away and realm Of ro-
nance, turrets and castles and en-
chanted forests seemed to take their
place. And with it all he felt con-
scious of the love that seemed to per-
wade the little Hopkins home, the love
OF the daughter that made her help
when she would far rather have left
home to seek her living In more con-
genial mode; the love Of the wife and
mother that kept her smilingly toiling
In the kitchen for the sake of the two
whom she loved, and the love OF the
father that was patent in every glance
and word, and that made him some
how worth while. in spite of his SEN
tentiousness and tiresome POPULARITY.
Then the music stopped and the girl
who had rendered 1t slipped from the
stool back into the kitchen. Bradstreet
rose from the table and passed through
the living room.
$50 you were saying you wanted
more than a pretty face" the old man
took up his testing. "Well. seems as
IL you were likely to get 1t. I hope
you'll remember old friends and have
us all invited to the wedding. OF
course, you know it is being talked
about all around that you and Edna
Dorkins is to be married"
II am sorry" said Matthew, IF the
fact that have been an occasional
visitor at the Dorkins' has been so mis-
interpreted"
An hour later, the kitchen work all
out Of the way, and Mr.. Hopkins
soothed to slumber in his arm chair
by his daughters music, Matthew
Bradstreet returned. Violet answered
his knock at the door.
Il want to talk to you," he told her.
1T is so hard to find you when I am
here that I came back"
Violet cast a glance at her sleeping
father. and then. taking a wrap from
the hatrack, tiptoed back to the door.
"It's warm outside tonight. Let's talk
in the garden" Violet somehow felt
that Mr.. Bradstreet could only wish
to talk about making arrangements to
admit new boarder or to change the
arrangements for his own meals.
"Violet," he said when they had
walked the length Of the lilac hedge.
"Violet, I have decided that you are
the girl want to marry. I've been
waiting to tell you for long time, but
it has been hard"
Violet uttered gasp Of surprise,
and held herself rigid. Yes, she really
did love Matthew Bradstreet, and she
had dreamed Of this moment as the su-
preme impossibility. How could he,
who had seen her at her worst; who
had seen her there in the dingy little
dining room, waiting on the boarders,
and must have seen her embarrass-
ment hundred times, how could he,
who might, every one said, have made
Edna DOrkins his wife, how could he
possibly have made this decision? The
image of those stiff lace curtains and
the artificial roses on the mantleplece
came before her, and she could hear
her father asking him why he did not
marry. 1t was these things that she
felt would be the barrier to prevent
any possible reciprocation Of her love.
I'm the first place love you Violet"
he said simply; land then. you are
beautiful"
But" said Violet, "you said that so
much more than prettiness was neces-
sary-"
II know" said Bradstreet. cts this
way: What made me sure wanted to
marry you-after knew loved you
was because knew you would under
stand things at home. / never could
marry girl who would despise or mis-
understand things at home. You see,
though I've succeeded pretty well. my
own father and mother have always
lived simply, and our home is SO much
more nike your home than the D0rkins
home that-well, when found that
you were the girl wanted to marry
was more glad than can tell that you
had been used to simple living. IL
knew you'd understand"
And as Violet let Bradstreet draw
her into his arms the vision Of the
stiff, ribbon-tied curtains and the dingy
little house faded In the unspoken Ger.
tainty Of perfect understanding.