The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-12-08

to be together?''
.'Why shouldn't they be? They're
old friends"
"They areY' And, in answer to her
look of surprise. / explained that ]
had-begun to speak of Beasley at Mrs
Apperthwaite's and described the abb
ruptness with which Dowden had
changed the subject.
II .see," my cousin nodded, compre-
hendingly. THAT'S simple enough.
George Dowden~ didn't want you to
talk of Beasley there. ] suppose it
may have been a little embarrassing
for everybody especially IL Ann Ap-
perthwaite heard you"
"Ann? That's Miss Apperthwaite?
Yes; was speaking directly to her.,
Why shouldn't she have heard me-?
She talked of him herself little later
land at some length, too"
"She did!" My cousin stopped rock
Ing, and fixed me with her glittering
eye. "Well, of ALL"
"Is 1t so surprisingf"
The lady gave her boat to the waves
again. "Ann Apperthwaite thinks
about him still!' she said, with some
thing like vindictiveness. "Tve always
suspected it. She thought you were
new to the place and didn't know any
thing about it all. or anybody to men
ton 1t to. That's it,"
I'm still new to the place." urged,
"and still don't know anything about
it ALL"
"They used to be engaged" was her
succinct and emphatic answer
found it but too Illuminating. "Oh,
obi" l cried. 81 was an innocent.
wasn't II"
I'm glad she does think of him"
said my cousin. "It serves her right.
only hope he won't find it out, be-
cause he's a poor, faithful creature;
he'd jump at the chance to take her
back-and she doesn't deserve him."
"How long has it BEEN" asked.
'since they used to be engaged?"
''Oh, good while-five or six years
ago, think-maybe more; time skips
along. Ann Apperthwaite's no chick
en-, you know" (Such was the lady's
expression) "They got engaged just
after she came home from college, and
of all the idiotically romantic girls
"B1t she's teacher" interrupted,
"of mathematics"
"Yes." She nodded wisely. IT al
ways thought that explained it: the
romance is reaction from the al
zebra. / never knew a person con
nected with mathematics or astronomy
or statistics, or any Of those exact
things, who didn't have crazy streak
in 'em somewhere. They've got to blow
off steam and be foolish to make up
for putting in so much of their time
at hard sense. But don't you think
that dislike Ann Apperthwaite. She's
always been one of my best friends;
that's why feel at liberty to abuse
her-and always will abuse her
when think how she treated poor
David Beasley."
+ "How did she treat him?"
Threw him over out OF a clear sky
one night. that's all. Just sent him
home and broke his heart; that is, it
would have been broken if he'd had
any kind of disposition except the one
the Lord blessed him with-just all
optimism and cheerfnlness and make
Observation-Disclosures! He's never cared
for anybody else, and guess he never
WILL"
ssWhat did she do 1t for?''
"Nothing" Ny cousin shot the in
dignant word from her lips. Nothing
in the wide world y
"But there must have been"
Listen to me-" she interrupted,
"and tell me if you ever heard any
thing queerer in your life. They'd
been engaged - Heaven knows how
long over two years; probably nearer
three and always she kept putting it
off; wouldn't begin to get ready.
wouldn't set a day for the wedding.
Then Mr.. Apperthwaite died, and left
her and her mother stranded high and
dry with nothing to live on. David
had everything in the world to give
her-and still she wouldn't! And then,
one day, she came UP here and told
me she'd broken it off. Said she
couldn't stand 1t to be engaged to
David Beasley another minute!"
"But why?"
'Because"-my cousins tone was
shrill with her despair of expressing
the satire she would have put into it,
because, she said he was man of
no Imagination
"She still says So" remarked,
thoughtfully.
"Then it's time she got little mag
nation herself" snapped my compan-
ion. "David Beasley's the quietest
man God has made. but everybody
knows what he is! There are some
rare people in this world that aren't
all talk; there are some still rarer
ones that scarcely ever talk at all
and David Beasley's one Of them.
don't know whether It's because he
can't talk, or If he can and hates to;
I only thank the Lord he's put few
like that into this talky world! David
Beasley's smile is better than acres
of other peoples talk. My Providence!