The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-08-23

About. the prospective ruitors-i
found that prospective sutton In a
story a week ago. and just love IL.
IL means you probably viii want TO
marry her. you know. ! use II all
the time now-in my mind-~hen
I'm thinking about thos. gentlemen
that come here tth- unmarried oper,.
forgot and used II out loud one day
to Aunt Hattie. but 1 nhan't again
She said. Mercy and threw up her
hands and looked over TO grandpa
the way she doos when I've said
something she thinks Ia perfectly
awful
Hut was firm and digniflsd-bui
very polite and pleasant--and I said
that didn't see why she should act
| like that. for Of course they were
prospective suitorA the unmarried
ones. anyway. and even some OF the
married ones. maybe, like Mr.. Har'
low. for Of course they could set
divorces. and
-MarirF' interrupted Aunt Hattie
then. before could say another
word. - go on TO explain that Of
course mother couldn't be expected
I TO stay unmarried always. tho was
very sure she wouldn't get married
again until sh-'d waited long enough
, and until 1t was perfectly proper and
gunteei for her 10 take unto herncif
another husband.
Hut Aunt Hattie wouldn't even LIN,
ten. And she threw up her hands
and said "Marier' again with the
emphasis on the Last part OF the
name IN. way simply Ioa;he. And
she told ue never. never To let her
hear me make such a speech a. tina,
again. And / said | would be very
careful not 10. And you may be SURF
I shall. | don't want TO 80 thru a
scene like that again
She told mother abou, n. tho. I
think. Anyhow. they were talking
very busliy together when thty came
into the library after dinner tina,
night. and mother looked sort Of
flushed and plagued. and heard her
say. Perhaps the child does read too
many novels. Hattie"
And Aunt Hattie answered. -of
course she dosn.' Then she said
something else which l didn't catch.
only the words silly and roman.
tlc'' and "pre co shus." q don't
don't know what that last means
but I put IL down the way II sound
ed. and I'm going TO look It up1
Then they turned and saw me. and
they didn't say anything more. But
the next morning the perfectly love
iy story was reading. that Theresa
let me take. called THE Hidden Sc
cret." couldn't find anywhere. And
when asked mother II she'd seen
u. she said she'd given II hack to
Theresa and that I mustn't ask for
II again. That | wasn't old enough
yet TO read such stories.
There IL Is again I'm not old
enough. When win I he allowed to
take my proper place In iife7 Echo
answers when
Well. to resume and go on.
what was talking about? oh. |
know--the prospective suitors. Nun,
Hattie can't hear me when l just
write II. anyway Well. they all
come just as they used to. only there
are more of thcm now--two fat men.
one slim one. and a man with
halo OF hair round a bald spot oh.
| don't mean that any OF them are
really sultors yet Just come to call
and TO tea. and send her flowers
and candy. And mother isn't a mite
nicer to one than she il to any OF
the others. Anybody can see that
And she shows very plainly she's no
notion OF picking anybody out yet
But OF course / can't help being in
terested and watching.
IL won't be Mr.. Harlow. anyway.
I'm pretty sure OF that. even IL he
has started in to get his divorce. tAnd
he has. I heard Aunt Hattie tell
mother SO last week. But mother
doesn't like him. I'm sure she
doesn't lie makes her awfully
nervous. oh. she laughs and talks
with him-seems as II she laughs
even more with him than she does
with anybody else. But she's always
looking around for somebody else to
talk to; and I've seen her get up and
move off just as he was coming
across the room toward her, and I'm
just sure she saw him. There's an
other reason, too. why I think moth.
er isn't going to choose him for her
lover. | heard something she said to
him one day.
She was sitting before the fire In
the library. and he came In. There
we're other people there, quite a lot
of them; but mother WIS all alone
by the fireplace. her eyes looking
fixed and dreamy into tho fire. ]
was In the window-seat around the
corner of the chimney reading; and
could see mother In the mirror
just as plain as could be. She could
have seen me. too. Of course. IL she'd
looked up. But she didn't
never even thought of hearing
anything I hadn't ought. and | was
pjust going TO get down to go and
speak TO mother myself. when MIR.
Harlow crossed the room and sat
down on the sofa beside her.
Dreaming. Madge?" he said. low
and soft. his soulful eyes Just devour-
ing her lovely face II read that too.