The Little River news., 1923-01-03

< wouldn't dare to do that. No one ! could take liberties with Elsie. You see. she never was like other girls,
 There's sort of free masonry among l girls, just as there Is among married women, and among men, of course. But Elsie always raa by herself. That's what rather put the sins against her. @s remember when she left college she adopted sort of highbrow atti-
 tude toward life. Instead of going
 about with the young fellows, shed
 be off to a nook with a shady book--l
 mean, off to a shady nook with a
 book, poetry usually. And there shed
 sit, wrapped in meditation fancy free, and listening to the other girls hay ing good time with the boys.
 wonder I wonder if Elsie really Hkcd it. She never wanted anything 10 do with the men. She said love was a sacred thing, and came once enly in lifetime, and if you didn't find your love returned you just kept quiet about it, and went on holding yourself in as long as you lived, un- til you either died or pined away.
 I remember young Rowell. He was queer, poetical sort of chap, with a far-away look in his eyes, and when he was staying here one summer-it must have been five years ago-he and Elsie just naturally grayitated toward each other. They'd saunter off to- gether into the shade of the old apple tree and sit there, with their books in their hands. First young Rowell would read a bit and then Elsie'd read a bit-and all the time the other young folks were enjoying themselves in a healthful, natural way in ham, mocks, and walking off in pairs, and buggy driving.
 We'll, what naturally happened? Florence Keith came down for the week. She was fluffy little thing, full of spirits, and she hadn't been here a day before she fixed young Rowell with her basllican stare. Next day, when Elsie wandered eff with her book, young Rowell didn't turn up. He'd taken Florence off to see the hermit in his cave-Joe Briggs, who works winters in the boiler factory. And all that week Elsie was left alone, and at the weekend young Rewell saw Miss Keith on tho train as far as Philadelphia, and then went ca his own way.
 Marry7 No, nothing but summer filtration, of course. Maybe Elsie wasn't mad. She didn't eat hardly anything the rest of her stay here, and she used to nope more than ever. and read her love poems to herself under the apple tree.
 You know, the same crowd comes down here pretty regular year after year. Next year Elsie was just tho same, only little more SC. She wouldn't have thing to do with the young men, and Florence had things all' her own way. Young Howell? Oh, he'd gone West. Yes, he married fancher's daughter out in Utah. He doesn't appear again in the story.
 "For the lords sake, Elsie, why don't you make up to some of the young fellows?" I asked her. think 1t was the year after that "Youfe good-looking, and you can be bright when you want to. What d'you want to scare 'em off for? They don't want hlghbrow. Why, the sight of those books of yours puts the lid on your chances"
 I'll never forget how Elsie looked at me and answered: "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at ah."
 I hadn't thing to say to that, and I let her keep on loving next year, and the next The fifth year little Florence Keith met her fate. She'd played with the boys hearts so long, it was high time she got caught her self. Young Middleton was the son of the banker of Boston-ever hear of him? Worth few cool millions, but nothing like what some of those bank. CTS have got. Still, he was a good catch, and the odd thing was, Flor eDce really was crazy over him.
 And there was Elsie with her shady 1 book-I mean her book and her shady nook, and-next thing that happened H.as when Florence and Middleton had .Aad little tiff. I was walking alons the creek, and who should see but Middleton and Elsie, sitting side by side staring into the peol.
 T shall never love again." heard Elsie say in her wistful way. "One life-one love. An me! .Tis better to have loved and lost tharnever to have loved at all.'"
 I turned and raced back. "Florence for the love of Mike get your hooks Into him. I gasped. "Elsie 1,avis is out for battle"
 It was too late. We'll, what s.ou,d you expect? They were engageu hv supper time. eloped that night, ana were married next moas,i~a
 state line. 4
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