The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-11-22
THE DAILY
sHORTSTORY
4 "A Dimpled Milkmaid
BY MARTHA MecULLocH-WIL-
LlAMs.

only Wainright-" pausIng sIgnif-
cantly. Lorraine smiled eltinly.
cIasDed her hands behind her and
murmured apparently to the
breeze:
at is nice to be found pleasing
/ by a presou who knows" Then sit
ting up, head thrust forward: Tell
me, Dicky' does the exalted n
really think anything about me?
The frozen truth-there's a good
fellow"
Young Maben smiled craftily.
"Fratd you couldn't bear It," no
said. loking past Lorraine TO her re-
Election in tho mirror.
"Oh." IT won't quite turn my
head" she laughed back at him. yet
with a deep note under 1t that hurt
Maben to hear. But TO be madly
Jealous at two-and-twenty Is to be
also entirely ruthless. lie says
you are a,type-the dimplcd dairy
maid-mighty fetching here on the
farm-but civilization would spoil
you utterly" Maben answered
slowly.
would it, I wonder?" Lorraine
answered calmly. with a meditative
smile, but something at the bottom
OF her eyes was disturbing to her
sometimes, sweetheart. They had
grown up together into an ~Illusory
love-and grown out of 1t. they
khougnt. by help OF school and col
lego. But since loves pO~ssessiVe
case is nearly an immortclle, VAIN
rights advent had made Maben fu-
All the Tor so that he him
eself was responsible for it-Wain-
right, a fellow of Maben's college,
specializing in sociology. had taken
a fancy to the lad from the wheat
country, had helped him In many
ways-in return for all Of which
Maben had almost bullied him into
coming TO EarabIe for the holidays.
The farm name had pleased him
nightly when he sensed Its deriva-
ton. It was the old form Of arableI
and doubles meant adapted to ear
ed crops. Place names. you see, all
hold glints of sociology Thus
wainwright to himself. The basic
truth was-wearied OF sonhistica-
ton, he felt a longing for life next
to the ground.
He said openly he collected sum
mer girls" thereby assuring his
harmlessness. 1t was true he had
classified Lorraine, with nc thought
! OF slight or slur. Mabeu knew as
much-knew that his quotation, ac-
tually irritable, was spiritually
false. But in a losing battle one
takes any weapon handy.
Lorraine in front OF the tall mir
ror scanned herself narrowly, turn
ing and bending to sc herself at all
angles. A new and specially wicked
dimple played ride and seek in her
left cheek. Maben, watching it.
yenrned to kiss it away. but felt
somehow as though he had forfeit.
ed all right even to think Of such a
thing. Presently he said awkward
ly. I'm glad you don't mind,
'Ratne. The old boy meant no harm,
but most girls wouldn't understand
-"
"God Almighty made EN- to
to match the men," Lorraine cried
with a twinkle. But me! I'm the
best little understander going. If
you doubt 1t, just you watch me-"
"1'm sure you've said things of
him. Maben began defensively.
She nodded, interrupting again.
mot a patch OF the things l shall
say to him. Beloved, listen, it will
be worth while"
Going to ask him IL a dimpled
dairy-maid wears her finger in her
mouth Maben bantered.
."Why didn't you let me think OF
sthat?" Lorraine sighed: 'You know
original sin gets there first always
80"
"Shut up! There he comes" Ma
ben admonished Over his shoulder,
us he rushed to meet a tall, thin
person with a scholarly drop of
eyes and shoulders, who came up
the path between brillionat flower
borders. Lorraine flung after him
an ~inscrutable Smile-then vanish
ed, not to appear until very late af-
ternoon.
Maben stared at her. She was
transfgIred. Not a curl, hardly a
wave broke the sweep Of her red.
nolden crown. She had bRnished
every dimple. gentled her dancing
feet to a softer rhythm. All in
white, clinging and vnporous, she
8G9u16Q To IOuL rather LHdu WAN
acros grass already cold from dew
lifting her head deerlike from her
low garden seat, she smiled up at
wainwright, q smile of primal allure
ment, saying softly: Now is the
time for wonder stories. You must
tell me one-the one I most care to
hear"
"What is it?"
"You promise to tell it," anxious
"If / know It," he said i~ndulgent-
II, in his Sest older brother voice.
Lorraine smiled again. IF not
you-woh does?" she murmured.
1T is tho story of yourself-tell it
from the very beginning"
wainwright gasped. Half a min
ute before he would have sworn to
himself and walked off. Now in
stead, no flung himself on the turf,
set his chin in his palms-and
made the beginning OF the end.
It was a prOfuond social observer
who said: "There are no such
troublesome ghosts at maturity as
the uncommitted sins OF our
youth" wainwright proved the say
ing. His youth had been hard and