The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-01-27

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foot under herself, and waved the
other in the same fashion as had Miss
Van Teller earlier in the evening.
Nov talk" she said.
do you like me :" asked Mr.. Ran
dolph.
She nodded her head.
you're not afraid to be hereT
She shook denial
"Have you ever been in a mans
before?"
She looked him straight in the eyes
and made no other sign.
1t was MI. Randolph's turn to flush.
"Then," he said, IF you like me and
If you're not afraid, please begin at
the start and tell me all about it."
The girls eyes fell and sought the
fire. Her face slowly paled to the
shade Of her somber thoughts. She
was no longer pretty she was beauti-
full, with a revealing transparency that
made her seem u%nfleshed, a disem-
bodied spirit Of sincerity and truth,
Individually pure.
II had a nurse once" she said, in a
low voice, land a wfre-haired terrier,
a show-dog and a darling. His name
was Sport" She raised solemn eyes
to Randolph's face as though measu
ing his powers of understanding. my
nurse died and then, n day, I had to
sell Sport I wasn't old enough to sell
myself"
She stopped speaking with An I'm
mistakable inafity. Randolph was
overwhelmed by the flood of -informa-
ton that this slip Of a girl had packed
into two-score words. A life-story in
four lines and a revelation of the
heart thrown in for good measure!
Over and above that, he had to reckon
with the confirmation of q suspicion
which had been slowly establishing It.
self in his mind that he had met her
before, that not for the first time this
night had those soft lips, curved for
merry words, cried, my, what a
buInp!" within his hearing.
So many considerations pressed to
his immediate attention that he
awoke to the actual present too late
to stem the tide Of tears that sudden.
ly rose to the girls eyes.
"Oh," she. sobbed, what, is to b.
come of me-? I was SO happy here. II
you hadn't made me think !"
II anything has been said in the
course Of these pages to give the i'm
preston that Mr. Randolph was mod
eled after Joseph or hewn out Of ice
or packed with probity to the e1clu-
sion Of red blood, forget it. At the
sight Of those tears, he slid the length
Of the couch to first base, felded the
girl in his arms, switched her round
SO that she lay cro his knees, drew
her face against his shoulder, and
rocked her gently.
"You poor kiddie," he said softly,
what a devil Of a time you've had d!
But believe me when I tell you it's all
over. This is the night that starts your
old happy sun into the blue sky again.
Don't worry"
She stopped crying and looked up
into the honest face so close to her
own, puzzling as to how just those
words could have come from it; but
the world had taught her a hard les.
son in varying standards. She drew a
long quivering sigh.
If you could only wait until I love
YOU, body and soul" she breathed.
"What on earth. do you meanf'
asked Mr.. Randolph.
"Why, then it wouldn't be % bad
SO ugly"
II don't get you," remarked Robert
Hervey.
"A man told me just a little while
ago that. he was making q catalogue
Of reasons why women give them.
selves" she continued. HE had eleven
already, and yet he was one Of the
incest men I've met. He talked to me
az though he showing me a way
that / must travel alone"
'Reallyy said Mr.. Randolph, stiff
fleming perceptihly.
'The lowest reason Of all was fol
cold cash." she went on, as though III
had not spoken. '.Thenscame the gilt
ter Of precious stones, and, after that
silk underwear"