The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1920-08-27
THE PURSUIT
OF FRECkLES
By JANE OSBORN

looking, round-faced young man that
spoke to you when you got off the
carr" asked Laura, with all the conde-
scension of an older sister who had
overheard so frequently the remark
that she was the beauty of the family,
and that Peggy was just nice lit
tie girl that she was beginning to be-
lieve 1t.
Don't call me Freckles! !" snapped
Peggy, as she impetuously pulled off
her jaunty little tam O'shanter that
was part of her skating outfit. Then
she peered into handglass on her
sisters dressing table.
"They really are fading. No one who
hadn't known before l began using
that new cream would know l ever had
any freckles, and it sounds just dread
fully to call a girl of my age-twenty,
almost-by such a perfectly childish,
silly nickname"
Then another pause, in which she
studied the pleasant, wholesome fea-
lures in the mirror with considerable
scrutiny. Besides, he isn't round
faced. It's quite an oval"
"Who is he? Who introduced you?
Don't be clam"
mo one introduced me. So there "
peggy Young! How dare you speak
to young man you don't know any
thing about?'
II do know lot about him." replied
Peggy, who was really very eager to
tell all she knew about the young man
under discussion. "He Is young news
paper man. often see him. He goes
to work about the time I'm coming
from skating. and-well it was just
case of mutual attraction, suppose.
I'd noticed him for a few days before
he ever seemed to see me. Then one
day he noticed me; he seemed to be
looking through to my very soul; not
at all in an impertinent way, but In
q searching, serious way. Just that
look was as good as an Introduction.
When q man looks at girl that way,
she just knows he's all right. I
looked up and he seemed really en-
barrassed. He hadn't meant to annoy
me, and then, when left the car and
looked back at him to see whether he
was still looking, he raised his hat ever
so slightly After that we just natu-
rally spoke to each other. And he
told me that the reason why he spoke
raised his hat-that first time was
because he thought other people had
seen him looking at me and he wanted
1t to seem that he really knew me.
Wasn't that thoughtful of him?"
II am really shocked!" commented
Laura, whose expression, on the con-
trary, showed intense interest. 81 sup
pose I ought to speak to father"
II didn't tell him about the way you
got acquainted with Stanton Jones,
just because you had chairs besides
each other coming home from col
lege"
"That was quite different. With
Stanton it was case Of love at first
sight; and when a man loves at first
sight, you don't think he is going to
wait for an opportunity to have an in
troductiOn!"
Maybe 1t was. If you could have
seen the way he looked at me Inever
had anyone look at me that way be-
fore. OF course, he hasn't told me he
loves me yet, though he has said he
was very, very fond Of me-"
swell, think there was something
very funny about It." said Laura.
"You mean that when q man wants
to meet you the first time he sees you,
1t Is perfectly natural, because you
are beautiful; but that when man
feels that way about me, there must
be something queer-he must have
been crazy or drunk or something"
II didn't say that, Peggy" assured
Laura. but If you must know it, you
aren't just that type. Some people just
aren't, you know, Freckles, and you're
one Of them"
Don't call me Freckles," protested
Peggy. II can stand having you say
all those other mean things, but won't
be called Freckles. am sure Mr.. Bur-
CESS doesn't think l am freckled. I'm
just going to ask him, so there; and If
he says I'm freckled, noticeably, then
you can go on, and If he says he'd
hardly notice them, then you Just
mustn't call me Freckles."
Two days later an opportunity ar
rived for Thomas Burgess to settle the
dispute between Laura and Peggy. 1t
had been decided that Peggy ought tc
introduce the new admirer of her
to Laura-propriety really demanded
It, Laura said. And It should be done
correctly I'm the afternoon, with Laura
pouring tea behind softly lighted tea
table and Peggy looking sweet and
frilly In the afternoon frock and light
slippers, just as IL they always looked
that way and drank tea every after
noon. And II was easier for Mr.. Bur
CESS to acquiesce I'm the tea-party idea
than for most Of Laura's suitors, be-
cause he worked at nights and was
therefore as free at teatime as the
most leisured Of Beau Brummels.
o