Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1926-02-04
THE GOLDEN CUP RETURNS
To SAIlIE

''You know my knowledge of his
tory" / complained.
He smiled slightly. "You re-
member the little boy ruler, the last
king of the Manchu dynasty who held
the fate of China in his youthful
hands,"
"Uh-huh," nodded.
"Well. Sallie, as far as | am con-
cerned, you are still like Hsuan for
my fate is in your slender palms. Do
with me what you will. | only know
that ! love you more, much more,
than Life itself and in deep humility,
| have come to tell you that my entire
happiness depends on whether or not
you will be my wife"
He was asking me to be his wife!
Oh, why could not this have hap.
pened before the intervening heart
ache and despair"
"But Curtiss," / answered, "what
of Anne? Surely you're not going
to throw her aside on account of that
scandal at CAMP"
"What scandal-and how did you
know" he asked in surprise.
''She told all of us about it at
Valeries the other day. But Curtiss
your arms should have been big
enough for her and her mistakes too"
"Sallie. precious, you don't under
stand. 1t wasn't the scandal that
ended things there. 1t was my love
for you. All through the dreary
months your face was ever before
me and was haunted by your sweet
,acc a,6 n +houconJ iYracictabIo char
acteristics that are part of your
things out in my mind. | regarded
your indiscretions in their proper
light and knew them for the mis-
chievous pranks of an impulsive
child"
"But you would never have brok-
en- off with Anne if it had not been
for that scandal your brother told
YOU about" | replied. "And oh,
Curtis, I'm so weary of men who
idolze woman as long as they think
she has a spotless past and then, when
it comes time for truths, are too small
of soul to understand"
But, my darling" he interrupted
gently, "what has that to do with
U.S."
Everything 1t was that same
fear of scandal that made you will
ling to put our love aside in the first
rlace and turn to Anne.
"But-
"No let me finish, please, because
to tell you why. Even if | have to
sacrifice my happiness, it would be
better than making the heart of me
ashamed by breaking faith with my
ideals. You see if you believe in
Love as do, you would have loved
me in spite of any mistakes | might
have made; mistakes that after all
have helped to mould me into what
am. Don't you see that you would
have loved me because. l am | and
band in hand with your live for me
would have gone faith in my ulti-
mate ability to achieve the qualities
that you admire"
| looked far out across the waves
not wishing to meet his absorbing
gaze for loved him so, and with his
eyes gazing deep into mine, could
not have had the strength to tell him
that our paths must lie apart.
"God knows, I've been blunder-
ing foow he cried with sadness in
his voice. "but ] don't want you to
think that I've ever doubted my love
for you once, sweetheart. The thing
that drove me from you was not lack
of faith but hide-bound admiration
for a certain sort of. conduct that
had been reared to expect in the
girl who became my wife. But" he
continued, "once away, | realized how
impossible it was to ignore my hearts
desire. ! saw too tat my warped per-
spective had been due to the environ
ment of my youth. | came back, Sal
lie," he reached over and took both
by hands, Ito beg your forgiveness
on my knees. | went to Anne at once
and told her of my love for you and
released her from our engagement.
For to have married her under the
circumstances would have been
most unfair. Them" he continued,
II hunted for you and followed you
to the Clanceys to ask you to be my
wife, but remember how you wouldn't
listen dear?"
81 couldn't let the potatoes burn"
] replied looking down at the gleam-
ing sand.
'How big and fine and charitable
you've been to those people at the
plant" he reminisced, then back to
the subject again. ooh, don't blame
YOU for not wanting to hear anything
have to say. | have acted the cad
I'm not discounting that"
you mean by telling Anne that
10 - 81 L. -
CAMP"
Amusement cleaned in his eyes.
You don't think I'd do thing
like that" he exclaimed.
That's what she said"
AND THEY LIVED
why she would be the last per-
sen on earth I'd tell even if | had
known the camp story at the time"
IL declared.
You mean to tell me that your
<. -. hadn't told YOU them"
No. and not even later except by
mis- look of astonishment and few
questions he asked when he saw Anne
and | told him she was the girl to
Whc-3 I'd been engaged. It's true he
Scc ne to thinking Il know him so
welD, end in flash it all came back
to me. Then | too, recalled the ugly
tale at camp"
''She said you thought her face, was
familiar the first time you'd ever
mot'
BY Jovev' he exclaimed, did she
even remember that" Then a puz-
zled expression swept over his face as
il he We're trying, piece by piece. to
figure things out.
Then he shook his head.
Nv hats the matter?"