Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-08-21

and bllnked in the doing.
OF course went on Mrs. Leighton
you are rather young-eighteen seems
a mere baby. But, after all-Barbara!
Again!'
And, lnvoluntarily, Barbara blinked
After all" Mrs. Leighton continued
you did make your debut and
nowadays many girls are married be-
fore that. So really you should-Bar-
baral Againi"
Barbara had in her trousseau a sea
green negligee that trailed a%lluringlv
She had thought at the time it was a
sufficient reason in itself for getting
married.
She opened a drawer of one trunk
carefully. Layer upon layer of softest
undertakings. and all breathing family
of LIE Jardin de Mon Occur +.
Oh, gorgeous! She shifted ecstatically.
Mama had never before allowed her to
use real perfume. Toilet water, laven-
der water, eau de cologne-but never
real perfume. But now that she was
to be a married woman She
flushed deeply.
She peeped into the glass and saw
that her eyes were very bright and her
cheeks were very red. Below, a motor
horn screamed. A door banged. The
telephone rang.
Messages. gifts, uncles. aunts. and
friends arriving in continuous order
The little huitjours clocks on her desk
licked ~monotonously. It's frail hands
pointed to half-past eight. Too late
too late too late
it licked. diSinterested.
No, it wasn't too late-it couldn't be
too late. 1t seemed, now, a monstrous
lie that she would ever be with that
dark. strange mar all alone
and on a boat their honey
moon was to be spent on his yacht
In the middle of the ocean. And if she
didn't like it-well. she could swim
home!
She'd sneak away to the gardens
away from the avalanche of belatedly
arriving presents, ~prematurely arriv-
ing guests-and have it out, n ane
for all, without the chance of being
stared and gushed at.
AS long as she wasn't going to use
her trousseau as a trOuSseau, she de-
cided to appropriate its incest spor'
dress. Nothing like looking well-feel.
ing right-when you have an unpleas.
ant task to perform.
She took out one of the slim white
dresses mama had ordered or her, anC
put it on, felt the chill silk agains'
her hot flesh and thought of his coo
hands-cool and impersOnal against
her face and arms and shoulders
When she was ready, she crept softly
down the back hall and stairs, through
the pantry, and out into the side gar
den.
And once she had stood there-Sht
was just fifteen-With her hand against
her mouth, moss rosebuds in her hair
while a neighbours son had urged upOr
her the brilliant splendor Of his frat
pin.
For a long moment she stood there
remembering, then she went on dOwT
to the farmost end of the gardens
There was a tall gracious linden anc
she sat down within its shade. She
closed her eyes and heard the low hum
ming of the bees in the pink clover
Then a quiet voice rolled in upon tina
sound like a wave.
Good morning" said the quiet voice
rather gravely.
1t was a man-tall and quiet anc
rather grave, far above her.
Barbara blinked up at him. "GOOc
morning" said she politely.
He said slowly, I'm sorry if I seen
impertinent-but you look unhappy
She nodded-blinked.
And today is your wedding day,
said the man very slowly.
She nodded-blinked.
sNTrhofsc met ~ y cLo told ht~, frxinr
hard not to cry.
The man sat more fully upright
But this is perfectly preposterous!"
She nodded-blinked.
Il know. l know. But there vol
are!"
Il see," said the man slowly. "You
wouldn't, by any chance, like to tel
me all about it?"
Barbara considered. Eyes" she de-
cided, Il would. / simply must tel
some n and it might as well be YOU
Might just as well" agreed the man
But / shall have to talk about my
SELF" she warned him. will you minc
that very much?"
mot SO very much" said the a
She smiled a little plaintively. "O1
course, it's not really important. tt.
just I'm worrying about myself. To-day
as yesterday and all the days before
I've been wondering whether I reall!
am or am not going to get married.
But of course, you are!" said thu
mar with conviction.
Eyes" she nodded. That's exactl.
what Parker said and mama woult
say, too, except that she'd say it il
a bigger way. But she doesn't know
you see. And I'm worrying about j
lots. I simply don't know what l shall
do"
But you can't be SO indefinite" ar
gued the man. II mean, my child, tina
you must surely know whether you d.
or don't like him enough"
ooh, but / do, I like him dreadfully,
she protested, an exquisite flush tinge
ing her customary pallor. "You don
just understand. It's not that I'm wor
rying SO much about my part as abou
him. He's the ~cleverest and most won
derful person in the wOrld-yes, n
II