Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1922-02-24
The
Golden Girl
By LII.LIACE M. MITCHELL

""i.AhS loi hluuyS W CoHle out. ne
took off his glasses and cleaned them
thoughtfully on his new silk handker.
chief. Whether or not to propose to
Gladys this Sunday afternoon as they
walked in the park was the question
uppermost in his mind.
He liked Gladys; he believed that |
he loved her. He did wish that she |
were little 'classer,' as he termed |
1t to himself. He wished this now es-
pecially, for he saw coming down the |
street the girl with the tiny pup on the |
long chain, the girl whom he had
called to himself the golden girl ever
since he had first seen her. 1t had
been three weeks ago today that she
had strolled by the boarding house
where Gladys had her half room with
one of the other girls who worked
with her at the beauty shop.
The golden girl had been on the
opposite side of the street, which was
shadier in the afternoon because of
the tall trees that grew in the mar
row parking space.
Tom wished that she would walk
nearer, for though he strained his
eyes he could not see her as distinct
ly as he would have liked to. She
was small girl, not more than five
feet, and the tiny pup that pulled on
the chain suspended from her hand
seemed to be about all she could man
age. Tom knew that if she walked
in the park she would hang on the
arm of the man she was with. Gladys
never hung. In the first place, Gladys
was full four or five inches taller,
and came up to Toms shoulder.
| Before he had seen the golden girl
he had never thought much about it,
but after that he noticed that Gladys
happened to hold her elbow as they
passed through a crowd, and Tom
would have liked her to be the cling
ing-vine type.
And then the clothes Of the golden
GIRL Every time he had seen her
on Sunday afternoon she had had on
a golden brown suit of some silky ma
terial that shone in the sunlight, a
gold lace hat, and even her stockings
had golden clocks embroidered on the
sides. But it was her hair that seemed
about her. 1t was the goldiest golden
he had ever seen, and fluffed out dis
tractingy under her hat. Today she
was wearing long dolman cape with
the same golden tints.
At this moment in his raptures
Gladys came out of the door of the
boarding house, closed the screen door
without bang and. joined him.
'"WellY' she said.
Gladys always said ''wel' in just
the same way every time he came. In
that well" she seemed to ask worlds,
and Tom wondered If they did marry
If she would continue to say well" in
lives. But Tom had not asked her
yet, and as he looked from her blue
tricotine suit and tan oxfords back to
the golden girl in her dolman and
high-heeled slippers he determined not
to be hasty. He would not ask hel
today, at any rate. There was al
ways plenty Of time, and besides hi
was fairly sure that Gladys never
went out with any one else, and 81
until he gave the signal there wa.
nothing she could do but wait.
"She's pretty little kid, isn't she?'
he said. indicating by jerk of hi
hand the golden girl with her dog whit
was by now almost opposite the board
J ing house.
Gladys looked in the direction HI
had pointed out and dropped he
. eyes to her glove buttons. She dl,
, not reply.
"Dont you think she's pretty ?
. prodded Tom.
: A pink flush ran up from her necl
! to her cheeks MS she averted her eyes
/ Tom glanced at her brown hair wit
Its copper CLEANS through 1t. IL
stood up and stared down the step
beside her.
"You know. Gladys" he said slowly
II can't stand catty girl"
She paused at the bottom step. PEI
haps you'd rather not go to the park ?
she said quietly.
Instantly Tom was sorry; indeed, h
had been so the moment the word
were out of his mouth, for in all G
the time he had known Gladys sh
had never shown the slightest hlr
of the trait he had mentioned. An,
anyway, the thought of n whole, Ion
Sunday afternoon alone withou
Gladys, whom he had come to loo
upon as his logical companion
seemed impossible.
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said, trying to. laugh ietassa stnfe
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