Mexico weekly ledger., 1920-12-16
ysE N. ADDISON.


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Mcclure Newspaper 81 ndieatsl
Worth. rushing downstairs In
ito the furiously ringing door.
found her chum and next-door
bor. Alice GIoring. in a wild state
hcitement.
Hes coming!" painted Alice, thrust
Ag a slip of yellow paper into Elinor's
hands.
"Byronf" breathed Elinor. quite
awed.
Byron! Isn't 1t wonderful? Elinor,
you'll just adore him. II l were not
engaged myself Td-he's such a dearl"
Elinor did not doubt 1t. For two
years she had heard praises Of Allce's
wonderful cousin. For two years she
had listened to the recital of his many
~perfections, the tales Of his heroic
deeds; of his kindness, his generosity,
his good looks, until in her youthful
imagination he had become a god.
Even his name appealed to her roman
tic fancy. A man named Byron, she
felt, could never be commonplace.
wen introduce you tomorrow after
church" promised Alice.
And. as her friend had predicted, the
following day being Sunday, Elinor
was introduced after church. Mrs.
GlOring performed the ceremony with
a little flutter of pleasure. She was
fond of Elinor, and matchmaking was
her hobby.
my nephew, Byron, dear Ellnor, just
returned from service. Byron, darling.
Alice's best friend, Miss Worth"
Elinor lifted her eyes. She tried to
say something pleasing and polite, but
her tongue refused to obey her. Some
thing was wrong with the world. The
sunshine became hateful, the songs Of
the birds q hooking chorus. For By
ron, the Byron Of her Imagination, the
poetic creature Of her maiden fan
cies, had taken unto himself wings and
fed and in his place stood an odious,
long-limbed, quite un-Byronic creature
with sandy hair, light blue eyes, a wide
mouth and q n0ndescript nose.
isn't he just too sweet" murmured
Alice in Elinor's ear.
ElinOr flushed, not so much at Alice's
words as at the sudden twinkle in By
ron's eyes.
The days wore on. Ellnor survived
the shock she had received. She met
Byron frequently and even learned to
like him. That gay twinkle in his eyes
seemed TO relieve his ~plalnness. But
she felt that Fate had played a cruel
joke on her, nevertheless. and that she
would not be the same again. The real
Byron could never attain a truly BY
ronic place IN her imagination, But he
had been In service and 1t was her
duty to be kind to him, SO she helped
Alice entertain him. She walked with
him, talked with him, drove with him
and felt herself very magnanimous in
doing 1t.
A few weeks after his arrival a
French army officer came to see Byron.
The girls were curious as to the object
Of his. visit, for Byron foretold nothing.
merely smiling with that exasperatiug
twiIkle In his eyes, And the surprise
Of the ladies was great when the young
Frenchman pinned a medal on Byron's
chest as a mark Of favor from the
French government for unparalleled
bravery and fortitude on the field of
battle and for chivalcy and kindness to
French widows and orphans.
That night, when Byron invited FL
inor out for a walk, she vas strangely
shy. 1t had come over her suddenly
that Byron was a parsonage.
"Elinor," said he, after they had
walked a few minutes in silence, don't
you think you could like me a little,
though ! am not all that you had
hoped forf'
"All hoped fort" stammcred Eli
nor.
Eyes. You see, i know my aunt and
Alice have a way Of raving over peo-
pie, and | could tell they'd given you
a wrong impression of me. Also. my
name has been a stumbling block all
my life. ! don't know what my parents
had against me when they named me
Byron. 1t isn't so bad with men, but
girls have had a habit Of judging you
by name. Confess, now, didn't you
rather expect to meet a sha~ggy-halred
poet, instead of a plain John Jones'"
who has been decorated by the
French government" said EIlnor, soft
ly, "and who never said a word about
II. though he knew the decoration was
coming! !"
"Oh, as for that"
"As for that" said Elinor, ~ realize
that poets could never have won the
war for US, and that I'm a very foolish
person"
IF you1l forgive my being un-By-
ronic," said Byron, with his humorous
twinkle, "I1l forgive your being foolish.
In fact. I'm pretty well pleased with
you as you are"
Elipor stopped and made him an old
fashioned curtsy.
1.-THE sentiments mutual" she said.
said"
Which pleased the un-Byronic Byron
very much.
Land Clearing Shown In Pictures.
Movies Of the first land clearing
aahanl nx,A hold In tho TyptfAA 0Nnknu