The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-07
GOLDEN MOMENTS

On a certain golden afternoon fort night later a young man and girl were strolling through the Surrey woods The man was tall and rather slender, with y;iry. well-knit frame, a lean and boyish face lit by a pair of fine dark eyes, and the possessor of sensitive, mobile mouth that indicates the true artist
 The sun went glinting through the tracery of the beech trees down on their
 uncovered heads on the mans dark. curly, close cropped hair, and on the girls wavy, red-gold locks.
 They stopped in a green little glade, beside woodland pool fringed by soft ferns.
 Miss Shirley, here's your background this is an ideal spot for picture. Jim Dalton set his easel down. He pointed to a messy carpet underneath slender spraying birch tree and close to the waters edge Just curl up over there hat in your hand-soi Ruffle up your
 hair little bit My You look beautiful! Do you know, you've a regular woodland nymph today!"
 Miss Shirley, not unconscious of the pleasing picture that she made, smiled up at him--her blue eyes very blue, her pink cheeks with a wild rose flush upon them, and her red-gold locks and soft blue gown vivid contrast to the glo- rious greenness of the woods Must I sit very still while you're at ! work?" she quered her small face up- tilted at a charming angle. | "Yes-but you can talk to me if you | like!"
 l Ut won't bring on your headaches?" An anxious look crept into the blue | depths of Miss Shirley's eyes. Her pa- | tient's welfare was of great importance
 to her.
 l 'As though you could make my head ache!' Jim Dalon's smile held re-
 proachful tenderness that made Miss
 Shirley blush adorably. You foolish
 little grill
 Isis the pose correct?" inquired the
 embarrassed sitter, hoping he didn't see the blush.
 Quite perfect--just hold on as you are!" The young man hastily drew forth his canvasses and paints. And an enchanted silence fell be-
 tween them--a happy. comprehendins
 sort of silence that spoke more vividly | than words.
 For Shirley and her erstwhile pa | tient were approaching that dear, de- Eghtful crisis known as falling ir
 love"-had, indeed been steadily work
 ing up to it for the last two weeks.
 With all the charming egotism o! |
 nance are beckoning. Miss Shirley
 had quite forgotten David Burke, he1
 nearly y-middle-aged admirer," or. tt
 be more correct. had relegated him t'
 a dusty corner of her mind. J How tame and dull that prosai
 wooing seemed beside the ardor or tn
 handsome. eager boy! She gazed down into the fern I fringed pool and saw the image of he II own fresh face. How wonderful Il was to be young and pretty and-be Il loved!
 Please look directly at mel wan | to see your eyes" The artists word l were intended to be businesslike. bu III I to Shirley they sounded like cares. II They're the bluest things I've eve II seen, Miss Shirley-bluer than tn II hyacinths.'
 II The enchanted silence of the wood III vas broken and the young girl gay Il her soft, throaty little laugh. That isn't true-O flatterer" III Jim Dalton halted momentarily Il his work. brush poised in mid air, liz III smiling happily.
 II Upon the contrary! When I wok II up by the roadside on that ever H blessed afternoon two weeks az with my head in your lap and you II eyes looking down into mine. l though II piece of the sky had tumbled dow " IulSl Sldhc.
 And I thought you were dying supplemented Shirley. a very tende II reminiscent light on her pretty face. Dying? With all the inducemenl MI in the world to live!" Jim Dalto II laughed his boyish laugh. 'No-not III chance of it."
 HI .T should think if any man wei HI cying." went on the young artist f. HI tuously. "and you looked at him vii HI the kind of smile you gave me the HI he'd want to live! It--it was wonde HI full, Miss Shirley"
 n He suddenly forsook his easel, ar M came to fling his long length at h. HI feet.
 MI 'Irs much too glorious day f HI work" said he. II The little rabbit scampered off in III the uudergrowth with flying fes MI How vnoriginal they were. these h M mans, Tn the little green world whe ||t he lived he had seen such things HI hundred times-especially in U IN spring!
 M THE ENCOUNTER HI Full moon was up that night. Al Shirley could not sleep. From under her pillow she are IN fcrth her wrist watch, Elancing at III luminous figures. M Why, 1t was only II o'clock.
 Sweet scents of the garden drift
 through her open window. as thoul