Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-12-12

I went on. THE great occasion will
take place here in September-in the
garden If the weather and the late
flowers hold out. It would be grand
If you and Alice and David could
come"
IN tell Alice" you said. She's un-
packing like mad and driving the
servants crazy. Her French maid says
that the village of Linden Is formid-
able But they'll have to take it; we
my grandfather's business straight
ened out. Yes, we'll try to be at this
lovely girl-child's wedding" You
tweaked her ear.
Now she understood your affection
ate teasing She hasn't had much teas
ing. being an only child. But so is
David-and you know how they are
She smiled at you sunnily.
Has David come? I'd like to see
him again. When he was here before
he was only IL and I was 10. told
him we had the best car in the world
and he looked at it and said, I
wouldn't even call that bus and he
kicked it. . But later at the picnic
he was awfully nice. He was like a
brother remember we sang Neigh
bors' together so long that the rest
nearly lynched U.S."
Oh my dear, I hope you understand
why am writing all this down. I have
to. 1t is almost like writing to ones
self. It's so good to see their words
and your words in blue ink on white
paper. can't go to bed and certainly
not to sleep until have traced it
through from the beginning to the end.
Ned Is at a late board meeting
something about some new kind Of
banking laws-I am not very clever
at understanding that kind of thing, as
he often tells me. Is that crime,
John? I feel guilty about it. But he
doesn't feel guilty because he can't
fathom my delphinium, or the Beet
hoven records I bought, or the reason
I like to walk in the rain.
Do you remember our walk in the
rain up Lenden hill that April? How
the lilacs were budding out and the
air was so sweet and you said for the
first time: II am terribly, terribly
afraid that something is happening to
me! don't want it to happen. am
engaged to Alice Caradine. I am 60
ing to marry Alice Caradine."
And my heart froze because I was
a little Linden girl, just small-town
girl who had never been anywhere
except to Chicago once, and Alice Car
adine was a debutante. The very name
Alice Caradine made me feel that she
was a remote princess. had seen her
~, ir Va -A1ipn q
Newport, at Palm Beach, the Freak
ness, at the piers leaving or taking
big boats.
I will confess to you now that I
was heartbroken, that you are the only
man I have ever loved. And tell you
after all these years because I must
for their sakes, your son and my
daughter.
After you had told me Of your en-
gagement felt I mustn't see you
again. I felt dreadfully guilty that
night when you came and threw gravel
up at my window and finally tip
toed down the dark stairs and met
you there in the moonlight. Remem-
Der our talk under the old box elder?
1 1c1C AZ Wdo tCly WILMA VA liz w
let you kiss me again. suppose you
thought I was quantity moral mid
Victorian, And of course was.
You told me that night that your
vacation at your grandfather's was
ended, that you we're going back to
New York and that your marriage
would take place soon.
You said, II love you u. but what
can I do? 1t is all arranged and
have to marry Alice. That's the way
it is in my family. Those things are
arranged pour convenance.' q had
to look that up in a French dictionary
afterwards. poor little dummyD.
Did you ever stop to think that if
we had been of another generation
I would have tried to beat down your
silly conventional submission to your
family? Perhaps I could have con-
WINGED you that marrying a great
chain of newspapers instead Of a