The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-02-13

tvas Jim, a fatuous smile upon his
broad face, and his arms around Ka-
tie. who, perched upon his knee. was
rumpling his hair between kisses and
giggles.
AT our entrance, Katie gave one
startled scream, then dashing away
from Jim's side, she put up her
hands to her face and covered in q
corner, for all the world as If she
expected an old-fashioned switching.
Jim got to his feet awlOSvardly and
stood flushing a brick red from en-
barrassment, although l detected q
CLINT of anger in his eyes.
l did not blame him. l felt an in
truder, as if 1 had roughly drawn q
veil from something which, no matter
how crudely expressed, was yet sa-
cred TO these two.
But my mother in-law saw nothing
in the scene save impertinent pre-
sumption and indelicacy.
II should think you would hide
your face. you wicked girl" she be-
gan. How dare you have man in
the kitchen ia this time of nightF
What do you suppose Mrs. Graham
and / thinlSsof your"
"Oh, Mother Graham, do STOP"
said, but she paid no heed to me.
And stealing food TO make a
spread like this" my mother lin law
went on. when a hysterical scream
from Katie startled us both. The girl
took down her hands from her face
and advanced toward us with a face
of such fury that instinctively
stepped in front of my mother-in-
law. | was actually afraid the girl
might strike her.
You bad, bad, old vonaans TO say
dot 10 me- Katie shrilled. Il not bad
girl. 1 not steal food. Dot stuff in
house / cook, I feex, vy~not / eat?"
saw her naive viewpoint at once,
and / felt my heart go out to the
girl, who l saw was almost beside
herself with shame and anger.
And Wy not I have a man in my
kitchen?" Katie went on, superbly ig-
noring my mothers in laws COM
handing gesture to stop. Il not old
vomans. / yong girl, Wy / stay all by
myself? Besides"
She broke off abruptly and turned
to the bashfuI giant standing by the
chair they had just left.
Jim, you tell dem"
Jim coughed. shuffled his feet, and
then blurted out:
"WeH, you see. ma'am, Katie and
me got engaged this evening. We're
going to get married pretty soon"
felt my face flush miserabIy when
Jim Gregg blurted OFT the information
that he and Katie had been getting
engaged this evening" and were "gor
ing to get married pretty soon"
Mother Graham had heard noise
in the kitchen and had summoned ms
TO go with her to investigate It. We
had found the table set for a spread
with profusion Of our food, and Ka-
tie and Jim snugly ensconced In thu
big rockingham.
The memory of Mother Graham's
insulting words to the girl made my
cheeks burn. My mind went back
swiftly to the never-to-b be- forgotten
night when Dicky and I had plighted
our troth. / remembered it as IL Il
were an hour before
We were sitting in one Of the small
parlors of Mrs Stewards home in
Brooklyn, where my mother and I had
lived so many years, and where, af-
ter her death, / had stayed until my
marriage to Dicky Mrs. Stewart. wise
tender mother that she was to thu
girls that boarded with her, called that
parlor her counting room" No on<
was ever allowed to disturb the occu4
pants of that room when a young wo-
man was entertaining a young mar
there.
Mrs. Stewart had been Jack Biclcs
ett's staunchest partisan. She dis.
liked Dicky intensely, yet she never
in any manner disturbed US. I thought
with shuddering horror, of what II
would have meant to Dicky and me Il
some one had ru6eIy broken in upo1
us in the sacred moments after he had
asked and had answered the mos
momentous question OF our lives
My heart went out to Katie with re<
morse and sympathy. / went swiftly
over to the girl and took her twisting
rluttering, angry hands in my own.
Continued Tomorrow.)