The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1920-06-25
You Never Can Tell
BY JESSIE DOUGLAS


&c. 1920. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicste)
Little Miss Angel looked smothered
behind her pile of exercise books. The
front of her hair was quite white
where she had brushed against the
chalky board, and her middle finger
had deep scar of ink.
When you looked very hard at Miss
Angel you saw she might have been
pretty, il the shyness Of her eyes had
dullness Of her hair had not hidden
its softness and the wistful look
about her mouth had not forbidden
you to look at its pretty curves.
When you had seen all this-yOu
saw suddenly just how little Miss An
CELL would look in ten years when the
softness had changed to sharpness
and Miss Angel would have become a
'good teacher"
But Miss ANGEL wasn't thinking just
now of becoming a good teacher; she
was staring right through the school
room with its prim little desks, right
through the wall with its gay maps,
into the manse at Brookline where
Uncle Pete was sitting all alone.
Just because she, Mary Angel,
wanted to go out into the world and
see what happened there. And this
was the world. This school with its
gay, carefree girls, and its older women
who had taught too long to care very
much what happened to the Mary An
gells-all except Roberta.
Right into the middle Of Mary's
thought came Roberta Hardy, the real
Roberta. In a minute the room had
ceased to be schOOlrOOm and had
become the background for her glow
ing person. She perched herself on
the desk, which was unthought of;
she tossed off her hat and put warm
hand on cold, red cheek, while her
black eyes cleaned.
Been in here all the afternoon
working?" she groaned in sympathy.
ooh, Angel, If you wouldn't be so
good But whatever should l do with
out you in this nunnery? Angel, I've
got to tell you," she lowered her voice
so that none of the curious maps could
near. II IN going 10 marry
Marry" repeated Miss Angel.
"Oh, Roberta !" Her eyes glowed MS
though 1t were she to be married. $50
it Is Joe, and you are going to-"
"You poor innocent! No! Whoever
heard of marrying a man you could
have? just saw him this afternoon.
l was taking the children walking up
by the old highway and l was so
bored. At the top of the hill we
passed that pathetic looking mission;
the girls begged to 60 In. Anything
was better than their everlasting chat
ter. So in we went. ! felt like an or
phan asylum, of course, with six of
them tagging on behind. and then
knew why they had wanted to go. Up
the aisle came the asSistant-a man.
The first I've seen in months, with the
face of a ST. Anthony or some early
martyr, and the devil lurking in the
back of his eyes. And voice, the
kind Tint once you've heard 1t winds
itself about your heart and squeezes
1t. After the service 1 put on my
sanity expression and went up to him.
II wonder If I couldn't help you.
Isn't there some Sunday school work
Or
"He looked at me very gravely be-
fore he said, Thank you have about
all the teachers and assistants l can
manage at present. But
"'Yes? asked sweetly.
"I'm going to have q sewing class
Saturday mornings; perhaps you
might
81 jumped at the chance, not that
I can sew q stitch"
Mary Angel sat looking at the mar
rator breathlessly. She loved her
warm cheeks and her wiry black hair
and her eyes that were dark and dar-
ing and gay.
"That's ALL" Roberta ended, $50 I'm
going to marry him. It's very simple.
I shall make a delightful minister's
wife. something new In that line.
Hark, there's the dressing bell See
you later" she caught up her hat and
few down the hall, her heels click
clacking over the polished floors.
And that was the beginning Of 1t.
The last bell had rung, the lights
were out in the dOrmtory, except for
the tiny CLEAN that peered through
Miss Angeles keyhole. Miss Angel
was still working over a problem in
arithmetic. She never even heard
Roberta's light knock.
"Working? Oh, Angel, you'll lose
your beauty Sleep" Roberta laughed
at funny little thought Of her own.
you've got to help me, Angel. I'm in
an awful mess. You know the man.
Tm-going-to-marryT"
Mary Angel nodded and for some
reason she flushed all over her fair
skin. eyes. I've seen him when I've
been walking with the children In the