The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1921-07-28
WAY OF A WOMAN
70 1924. BY Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.>
BY MARIE RYAN.

q 1921. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)
The girl at the piano in the wide
hall jingled out one little ragtime air
after another. The admiring group
about her grew larger as the "guests"
drifted in twos and threes out Of the
dining-r0om after the midday meal.
Those who were not attracted to the
piano dropped into seats either in the
hall or on the piazza.
A youth in white trousers and blue
coat was pointedly attentive to the
pianist. The smile of thanks she gave
him was perfunctory. Occasionally.
she turned and looked through the hall
to the far end where another young
man was sitting, pretending to read
newspaper while he admired her dis
creetly.
Rene Courtemanche thought she was
very fascinating. But these people
appeared to him as the American mid
die class. Though his perceptions and
prejudices were foreign-French-he
was not without lights on the United
States before he arrived there. His
mother was an American Of some for
tune who had married Frenchman
she had met at Nice.
Rene was wounded at the beginning
| Of the war. The wound, although
healed, was troublesome, and Rene
| could not return to active service. At
! the suggestion of his grandmother,
with whom he had lived since his
mothers death, he had come to the
United States for his health.
| The young man was not cordially
received on his arrival in New York
by his mothers people. He remained
there, however, for few months as
an onlooker of American life.
From New York he went to little
bathing beach in Maine.
He was hopelessly at sea about the
girl at the piano who showed such
| flattering interest in him.
A few minutes later the girl solved
the question by walking over to him
and saying:
"There's q ball game this afternoon.
I and my lady friend are going. Will!
| you accompany us? It'll be some
| gamer
Not knowing what else to do, Rene
accepted.
| Much to his surprise no one noticed
the affair. He concluded that it was
mere incident of summer hotel life.
| Rene lost no time but began to COM
| pliment her. "People must always be
wanting you to do things. You are so
| pretty"
Eyes, I guess I am. Everybody says
So"
Rene knew nothing about baseball.
but she knew great deal, and he
| found it pleasant just to listen to her
explanations. She was not disposed
to talk about her home life, but Incl
| dentally mentioned that she came from
Lowell, Mass.
1t was not until the evening after,
when they were on the beach, that it
occurred to her to say: my name is
| Louise A.; what's yours?"
! Somewhat self-conscious, he mouthed
| "Rene Courtemanche."
His regret that Louise's vacation
was so near at end took him by sur
| prise.
Rene the next morning found him
self going on board the steamboat,
carrying her bag and coat. He intended
to go as far as Portland, and there
| put her on the train for Lowell.
Louise had agreed to linger in Port
land till the last train, so that her
'lady friend" might enjoy little long
er the company Of the young man who
was with her.
Rene and Louise, by taking walk,
missed this last train. It had gone,
carrying away the ''lady friend"
Louise, astonishingly calm and serene,
sent a telegram to her home, and then
| went to a hotel. Rene left her before
they got there. He finally concluded
| it his duty to remain under the same
roof with her.
They spent pleasant evening to-
| gether, which aroused Rene's consci-
BUSINESS of his being deeply in love
with her. Furthermore he realized
that he was placed in acute obligation
to Louise. Was he not spending the
night in the same hotel with her? This
obligation took the shape that he
ought to marry her.
He had quite decided to marry her
by the time he met her at breakfast.
CHANGING over rather anxiously at
Louise eating her breakfast, Rene
asked:
"What is your mother like?"
mother? Oh, well-people say I'm
like her."
The proposal followed.
"Well, I'm sorry" she said, "but I
can't. What do you want to marry
me for?''
"I'm dreadfully in love with you.
Besides that, you can't 60 back to
Lowell alone without doing yourself
an injury. People will think"
! "People nothing!" she interrupted.
"Listen here. I'm engaged to Edwin
B, that boy you saw at the hotel"
She twisted small ring on her finger.
"He gave me this. He's awfully smart.
We're going to- marry at Christmas.