The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1939-08-17

He patted her on the cheek and
was of.
Jane picked spray of princess
pine and stuck it in her blouse.
Oh, what an adorable worldl Her
world. Could there be anything bet
ter than Frederick Towne could give
| her?
Baldy's words rang in her ears
do you think | am going to take
her money!"
Yet she was taking Frederick
Towne's money. She wished it had
not been necessary. Each day il
seemed to her that the thought
burned deeper: she was under OBJ
legations to her lover that could be
repaid only by marriage. And they
were to be married in June.
She went back to her own little
house, and found great box of
roses waiting. She spent an hour
filling vases and bowls with them.
Old Sophy coming in from the kitch-
en- said, Looks lax dat Mistuh
Towne's jes' fascinated with you.
Miss Janey."
Aren't the roses lovely, Sophy?"
Jane wanted to tell Sophy that Mr.
Towne would some day be her hus-
band. But she still deferred the
announcement of her engagement.
1--WE told one or two people"
Frederick had said.
"Whom?"
"Well, Adelaide. She's such an
old friend. And I told Annabel. of
course. / don't see why you should
care, Jane.
''I think I'm afraid that when |
go into shop someone will say,
oh, she's going to marry Frederick
Towne. and see how shabby she
! is. -"
"You are never shabby"
That's because | made myself
two new dresses while | was at Ju-
dy's. And this is one Of them"
"You have the great art of looking
lovely in the simplest things. But
some day you are going to wear a
frock that I have for you" He told
her about the silver and blue crea-
tion he had bought in Chicago. ''Now
and then take it out and look at it.
I've put it in your room, Jane, and
it is waiting for you"
She thought now of the blue and
silver gown, as Sophy said, "Miss
Jane, I done pressed that wife chif-
| fon of yours twel it hardly hangs to-
| gether."
"I'll wear it once more, Sophy.
I'm having sewing woman next
week"
With the old white chiffon she
wore golden rose or two-and sat
at Frederick's right. while on the
other end of the great table, Cousin
Annabel weighed her in the balance.
Jane knew she was being weighed.
Cousin Annabel was so blue-blooded
| that it showed in the veins of her
hands and nose-and her hair was
dressed with a gray transformation
| which quite overpowered her thin
little face with its thin little nose.
As matter of fact, Cousin Anna
bel felt that Frederick had taken
leave of his senses. What could he
see in this short-haired girl-who
hadn't jewel, except the one he
had given her?
Jane wore Towne's ring, hidden,
on ribbon around her neck. "Some
day I'll let everybody see it," she
had said, "but not now
"You act as if you were ashamed
of it."
'sI'm not. But Cinderella must
wait until the night of the ball"
1t was while they were drinking
their coffee in the drawing-room
that the storm came up. 1t was
one of those cycIonic winds that
whip off the tops of the trees and
blow the roofs from unsubstantial
edifices. The thunder was a cease
less reverberation the lightning
was pink and made the sky seem
like glistening inverted shell.
Cousin Annabel hated thunder
storms and said so. Il think I shall
go to my room, Frederick"
"You are not bit safer up there
than here Towne told her.
! But she went up and Baldy and
Edith wandered across the hall to
the library, where Edith insisted
they could observe other aspects
of the storm.
Jane and her lover were left
alone, and presently Frederick was
called to the telephone.
|. I'm not sure that it's safe, sir,
in this Storm" Waldron warned.
Nonsense, Waldron," Towne said,
and stepped quickly across the pol
ished floor.
Thus it happened that Jane sat
by herself in the great drawing
room of the Ice Palace, while the
wind howled, and the rain streamed
down the window glass, and all the
evil things IN the world seemed let
loose.
And she was afraidl
Not of the storm, but of the great
house. She was SO small and it
was SO big. Her own little cottage
clasped her in its warm embrace.
This great mansion stood away from
her-as the sky stands away from
the desert. All the rest of her life
she would be going up and down
those great stairs, sitting in front
of this great fireplace, presiding at
the far end of Frederick's great ta-
ble-dwarfed by it all, losing per-
sonality, individuality, bidding good
by forever to little Jane Barnes,
becoming until death parted them
the wife of Frederick Towne.
| She cat h,,ddled in her chair pont