The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-04-30
EDening Story
The Great Moment.
BY a. MARIA CRAWFORD.

A. It
He had just asked her to marry
him, but even when he took her in
his arms and kissed her gently, as a
brother might have done, Milly felt
that she was being cheated of her
birthright For II is the sum and
substance of every girls life to love
and to be loved, and Milly knew in
stinctiyely, as 1t. is always given 10
girls to know, that while Dick Carter
psssively held her there in his arms
he was thinking Of Juanita Estes and
of what JOY he would have expert
enced in possessing her But Juanita
had wantoniy Tilted him six months
before.
Since the days when she was hafied
by boisterous schoolmates as '.Freckle
Face" because of the fine busting OF
brown flecks across the bridge of her
pretty nose, Milly had loved Dick, and
| because of that love of ten years
growth she had felt a comforting
sense of possibility when she heard
the welcome news of his jilting by the
proud, cold beauty, Juanita. With no
compunetion of conscience. Milly had
set herself the happy task of COM
forting him and now she had accom-
plished her purpose. Dick had asked
her to marry him, but Miily did not
feel wild citation OF heart and spirit
that she had so hopefully anticipated.
there, her cheek resting lightly against
his regularly beating heart, she had
/ gambled with the odds against her
and she had won him, but she had
| lost the thrill of that great moment
in every girls life when the heat of
mans passion kindles the fire of her
own. Suddenly she remembered old
Grandma Winston's eagerly proffered
advice, 1.-TWO psople never love each
other in the same degree. It's safer to
marry a man who loves YOU better
than you love him"
You are going to marry me, Milly
dear, aren't your" questioned Dick in
that rich, throaty voice of his to which
the cords of her heart had always re-
sponded like the strings of a musical
instrument to the hands of a master,
| "Oh, yes, Dick, you know that / will.
! I have always loved you" she answer
ed without q moments hesitation.
Then she was hurt Inundated over
her confession, for Dick had not said
that he loved her. He had merely told
her that she was the very finest girl
he knew and that it would make him
very happy indeed ifeshe would marry
him.
| But he held her a h,tie closer at
that and a flush crept over his face.
! II don't deserve you, Milly," he said
thickly, ''hut I am going to try mighty
hard to make you happy"
|
of the mother heart of every woman
who loves truly and is therefore for
getful of self, slipped her arms around
his shoulders in utter abandonment of
pride to help him thru what she felt
was trying situation. He was giving
her the best that he could offer. Fate
had cheated him just as it was cheat
ing her, and more than anything else
| in the world she wanted her love for
| him to help him, to comfort him. to
make him forget the girl who had held
the priceless boon of his love sc
lightly.
! -''What kind of a ring DO you want
! dear?" he asked then. at want you
to have it before the dance tomorrow
might it, he smiled down at her
! whimsieally 'if you will do me the
i honor TO wear it then
/ "Pll love to wear it. Dick. I want
a solitaire, If that suits you. A gold
/ band, but the stone mounted in plat
mum" she answered directly. 49,,
You're so sensible, Milly. You're
going to make me winderful wife"
l. She knew why he wanted her tc
have the ring before the next night
Juanita would be there. home from q
six months visit in New York. where
she had promptly taken herself after
i lifting Dick.
/ Miily had always been much more
economical than she really needed tt
be- and when her mother chided hel
about her lack of interest in new
clothes, the girl had always told hel
that she was going to be an old male
and that her parents would have II
, support her as long as she lived. i
was not like having a daughter wht
would soon be married and off theil
hands for life, she said
, Her. mother, of course. was thrilled
over her engagement She was be