The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-02-10
4 hope you'll Excuse my imperu.

Il hope you'll excuse my imperrs-
nence, Miss
Meredith supplied PersiS.
Meredith, but either ! must have
known you before or somebody mar
velously like you. l wal afraid /.
would never see you if ! let you go"
mo, you wouldn't have, Mr.. Wes-r
ton. for / am going away" replied
Persis. a note Of sadness creeping into
her voice as she thought how happy
she had been, even II she a only
making just. enough with her draw.
ings to pay her way.
Stanford's face fell. /. To long inces-
sanity for the Girl Of his Dreams, to
have her ma~terialize miraculOusly, and
then to lose her! ~Impossiblel But he
only said, duly, Must your"
YES" answered Persis, smoothing
out one Of her worn gloves, "I'ye got
to go back home"
+"And is there somebody back homer"
he asked, the sudden flare Of Jealousy
which seized him making him forget
how little right he had to ask such q
question.
"YesN-in a way there is, a somebody
who doesn't altogether approve Of mel
But enough about mi Are you bet
terri
Slowly In Stanford's mind was grow
ing the realization Of where he had
seen this girl: ignoring her question
in his eagerness, Aren't you the per-
son who sent me stuff to eat and sat
by me sometimesY' he demanded.
Taken unaware, Persis could only
blush and drop her eyes. Then she
murmured, but any n would have
done the same, I am sure. You
seemed so alone-and n day l heard
you calling for some n and / knew
you were delirious and might think I
were she-the one you were calling"
The likable face Of the youth OPP
posite gre0 tender. "Dc you know"
he said, II think you made me well.
But since you've stopped coming, I
haven't wanted to get better. I
thought you were a Dream Girl and
I spent all my time thinking Of my
dream. / know It can't seem to you
as If we were anything more than
strangers, but-oh, don't go home just
yet. Stay and let me see you occa-
sionally. Let me teach you to-like
me a little, so that some day you
might become In very truth my-my
Dream Girl"
But Persis had risen and stood fac
ing him Indignantly. "'Why, you're
married, Mr.. Weston! |" she said, with
emphasis.
Stanford looked at her in amaze
ment. what ip thunder makes you
think that?" he asked.
why" said Persis, when you were
delirious yoa talked ove and over
about your-wife. You called her
Oracle and once you said: I'll be
glad when you come home, darling"
Wetson, to Persis' utter confusion,
threw his head back. and laughed the
first good laugh he had had for many
a day. Excuse me, Miss Meredith,
but poor old G~racie-six foot two
inches, and a beard a yard long, judy
ing by his last picture from Chile.
Why, we were roommates at college,
and when the boys found his last
name was Darling they Immediately
tackled the name of Oracle in front
of it and Oracle he has been ever
since. As for the wife part, it's
what a fellow always calls his room
mate"
Il understand now, Of course said
Persis. "But the mistake was a nat
ural oner
"Of course, it was, little mean,
Miss Meredith" assented Stanford,
gently, but now that everything Is
Strengthened out, won't you give me at
least a chance to prove myself, first,
your very good friend. and then some
day, more than that? 2"
Persis raised her soft. eyes to the
true brown ones of the mai opposite
her. Would she ever dare tell him
that, married though she thought he
was. she-had fallen in love with him
and, thinking her love hopeless, was
running away home?
But Stanford vas urging her
again. Don't you think dreams ever
come true ~
A great wave of happiness swept
through her. But all she said was
"T'm sure they do, sometimes |"
EAH En IN GEE real POINT