Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-11
A Runa,Cay Marriage
CHAPTER

| CHARLOTTES bedroom was in the
- northeast corner Of the old farm
! house. Outside an apple tree grew so
close TO the house that its branches al
most touched her window pane. That
was IN winter. In summer the window
was always open, even in rainy weather.
and tonight Charlotte stood looking ont
into the soft summer night waiting for
the family downstairs to go TO bed
Somewhere out in the darkness Ton,
was waiting for her. As soon as il
was safe she would slip down the long
stairs. open the Oldfashioned front door
fly across the lawn and down the road
to the fork. Then she would be in Tonys
arms. and all the fear that this secrecy
had aroused in her would be forgot
It was Tony who had insisted upo?
Keeping, it secret, Charlotte had
girls do, but somehow she had never
thought of slipping off in the night to
be married secretly. Her dreams had
been vague. but they had been concerned
with white satin and wedding veil and
the envious glanCes of the other girls.
But, after all, she argued to herself,
Tony knew best. Her heart skipped
beat as she visioned him to herself there
in the soft dusk Of her own little room.
Why Tony was a veritabe fairy prince
much too good for her. She thought of
his straight tail figure. the proud set
of his head, the Wide-awake brown CT
his eyes, and the tenderness in his hands.
OF course, Tony knew best. Wasn't lie
the most wonderful man in the world,
and she the luckest girl? For the hun
dredth time or more Charlotte wondered
just why Tony had asked her to be his
wife. From bits Of description which
she had pieced together, she had formed
a vague impression of his home in the
city. To her 1t seemed fairyland OF
soft lights, beautiful pictures, thick rugs
on which one could walk without being
beard, and beautiful old furniture. Tony
must have known so many girls before
he had known her, and yet he had asked
her to marry him, little Charlotte Graves.
who had never been more than ten miles
from her home in all her short life
If Charlotte had but known it. Tony
had his own reasons for keeping the mar
riags secret He was quite madly IN
love with this small person who was
like no other girl he had ever met be-
fore lie had never been so completely
bowled over In his life as he had been
the night he had held Charlotte in his
a tiny thing. II had been like holding
a bird against him, and through the
heady selfshness Of his passion for her
Tony had felt surge of deeper feel
ing, OF finer love. He wanted to pro-
teCt Charlotte, to take care OF her al
ways, And yet Tony wanted Charlotte,
not her horny handed, stoop-shouldered
father. nor her overworked gray l'ttle
mother so anonymously the parents or
this dainty creature, who seemed piece
Of moonlight imprisoned in the sordid-
ness Of her life in the old farmhouse.
Outside in the han heavy steps began
TO climb the creaking old staircase
Charlotte, with both small hands pressed
over her heart, waited breathlessly while
her father went along the hall to the
room at tho end. In few minutes there
was the sound Of lighter footsteps. This
was her mother. a little sob rose to
the girls throat, and she stretched out