Show Daily Short Fiction Story I L 5 THE GIRL FROM HOME 7 S By JANE OSBORN Copyright 1916 by McClure Newspaper Newspaper News News- i paper Syndicate s S r 1 D Dean Dean- a was drinking tea iea at atS S es when nen Dan Brown summoned up I IE E courage ir ge to her to go with him fa If the the the- senior prom Julia Dean was a i ii i Daughter a iI er of 01 on ont one of or the professors and eJ except ept for being absurdly young young she she still wore wore her golden curls down her and low tow isred slipper j at dances he was unmistakably one o of the popular girls in town Sometimes Some Some- tini times when hen the boys called in the afternoon clad In their best raiment she ehe coaxed them Into a bout of baseball baseball baseball base base- ball practice in the garden and when t tey ey were Inclined to grow sentimental l and compliment her on her very pretty blue eyes and her equal equally pretty golden hair she nev never r seem seemed d to know Just what hat they were talking about Sometimes Sometimes Some Some- times Umes she even eyen laughed in their faces races Otto One thing was certain Julia Dean al alt although al- al t though ough she was young was a good fel tel low And nl nd Dan Brown well Drown well Dan had ad not arrived Perhaps later he became Quite quit magnetic and no doubt some day lt he will alit do himself and his family S p proud oud But just at this stage Dan Dann youthful ness unlike that of ot Julia Tutla simply aim sim ply py made him exceedingly bashful amazingly awkward and as all afraid id of ot girls as he be would have been of It an unfamiliar un Un- Un familiar passage o of Greek in an ex ox- ox But with Julia as ns with the pass passage ge o of Greek he saw what was before him and wasted no time Julia Dean was having chocolate with her mother at the town caterers caterer's where to the accompaniment Cf of phonographic phonographic graphic reproductions of ot Madama Madams Butterfly and the Lucia mingled with the hum of many high pit pitched hed voices the leisured d folk tolk o of town were prone to congregate on pleasant afternoons Dan Brown was buying 5 cents' cents worth orth of at his favorite chocolate creams cream In the front part o of the caterer shop and the sight o of Mrs Dean and the knowledge that he had before him the task of ot inviting Julia tb to his senior prom gave him coura courage e to make his way past tables of ot girls whoso faces w were re familiar at college dances dances and college games straight upS up S t to Julia S tHe He He had planned his speech and It was soon delivered It was wall short andS and S to the point And Julia turned him down She did it very politely al alS although al- al S though with an air that left DanS Dan S Brown wondering why in his wildest dreams he had imagined that she she she- jjr ir any other girl for that matter matter- would have accepted his Invitation to toa a senior ball 5 The truth of the r matter atter was that for fort t tiis ls first senior prom o of Jullas Julia's career for for this was the first winter that she had been old enough to go to college parties she parties she had expected to go with 9 Butler l For or Clark was in the p parlance o of the other town girls the theS S ori n man man in all the world as far as asS S Julia rulla went That is to say when there were basketball games or college plays Julia went with Clark On Sunday afternoons It was Clark who dropped dropp d in in at about 5 o'clock and permitted S himself always alway to be urged to stay to the family 5 f So It was simply a matter of ot course with Julia that she turned turied down the bashful Dan Then she waited for fot forthe theS the S invitation that she was sure would S comp come from Clark Butler and for two S she waited in vain There was a a. week left before the dance and anc lie o of th the uncertainty was getS get get- S ng fig too much for her frank nature Jr 5 iVhon tire are you going to take to the l lor she asked Girl from home hom was Clarks Clark's un- un l' l reply ply Julias Jullas frank trank eyes opened wider She s not flot at all used to enigmatic re- re 5 of this sort ort from Clark but she 5 irua aUe e no further query L JIm V lIm Im not going was all she said 4 v What's the matter with going with Dan he Iso asked avoiding her searchIng search- search S Ing You haven't really turned down have m you 5 rom im the way Clark said this it v. v wf ll that it was something that had 1 ng on his mind S Ot course bourse I turned Dan down said S uJ Ari 1 This time she avoided Clarks Clark's t gaze for ze or she caught the tone of ot re- re nj pj of It contained although she did S not know at all why she deserved it i S Perhaps there was Vas a shade of ot jeal- jeal 1 9 iW In h her r next remark r I hope the theS S girl eirl Irl from home is I very pleasant Clark seemed to pay no attention to thrust but Ut asked Why did you Sr A refuse j-refuse s Dan S 'S 5 JUllas JUlla's Julias Julia's cheeks always flushed with i uie 1 pink of youth and health turned I and there was a a. catch In her v voice when she else answered answered- l jl Because I thought I 1 would go with 1 S you fop I J thought you would ask me and 7 1 waited Though I wouldn't have a Accepted g Dan Brown anyway any f Apparently this was the answer 5 dark rc had been waiting for S You iTou Iou oughtn't to say that Julia fj fIe straightened himself to his full eight and assumed the full uIl dignity of S tie e- e senior that he wasti was ti ir I Dan Danis is a fraternity brother of mine you jou dont don't know him well but j ou have no right S1 to refuse him You You lt t Is this way way may may as well tell telI tellA r as lo long as you OU have been 80 so frank frank- A r Uthe Kir girls girl's s III names In town are put on a n. n taper paper aper at the frat house the day the S ball ball Invitations arc are Issued an and then every fellow lellow in 11 the house hands hanels in the name ame of some orne girl he would like to tou u ke Sometimes one girl gets a a. good m many thany ny slips I 1 guess you ou got soma some half halt S.- S. Th Then n the slips slip are out outS tip S d all the fellows fellos that choose any one have to draw lots lob to see which one geth gets h her r. r and then the girls that dont don't any slips sUps are paired off oft with the s ll-s I R that dont don't the get right slip of I course fellow ellow r any that wants that wants usk Sk an outside girl has a chance J vas ras J s one of ol the men that missed out Q the slips when hen we drew for you so 1 J i asked a girl from home I oughtn't to to tell you this this everything thing even that hap hap- pens Jens in the tile frat house is more or less secret secret but but t I tl saw that you ou didn't un un- un d f i What i if a girl refuses the first man that asks her 5 5 Well th then n. n of ot course she might be asked by another fellow That's perS per per- S But it gives the girl a black eye Do you see Now after you had refused Dan Dan I I knew you yon did and andI I told him not to say anything about i it because It would give you a a. black eye ee Do you s see e I or s some me other fellow might have asked you and you might have accepted but every everyone one would have known you ou had turned Dan Brown down and that would mal make 6 you yO 1 out a flirt and a fusser I wouldn't want the men to think of ot you ou that way But I 1 dont don't like to dance with Dan Brown persisted Julia I dont don't care for your old rules I dont don't care for tor your old senior balls anyway Dont Don't touch me Clark Butler Clark Butler Clark had tried triad to tolay tolay tolay lay a soothing hand on the girls girl's Irl's shoulder shoulder der when she said that Im Tm ju lust Just t as mad as a girl can get There and md Iam I 1 Iam am n not t trying to pretend Im I'm not no mad either You dont don't understand still stilt You see Dan Brown is a perfectly all right fellow ellow If he were not he wouldn't beIn be bein bein in our frat and it it itis is up to every one of ot us to stand tand by every other one o of ofus us and if it a girl snubs one of us it isn't loyal for any other man mn in the frat to encourage that girl to go o on snubbing members o of the frat That's why I asked a a girl from home Instead of ot asking you I thought maybe you would go with me were we're such old friends But i if you had gone with Dan you and I could have seen a lot lotof lotof of ot each other anyway We Ve could have had more dances with each other than with our own people people people-I I thought of course you knew that It was very rude of 01 you to snub Dan But Julia was as she said angry through and through and Conciliatory though Clark was she refused to h be soothed As Aa Clark B Butler tho thought thought- and as he had predicted predicted Julia Julia took the next opportunity she had to meet Dan Brown and when Dan Brown summoning all his courage asked her hera a second time time Clark Clark Butler had coached him to this ordeal she ordeal she accepted ac ac ac- ac When he called for tor her on the night o of the ball Dan In his clumsy way vay tried to express his appreciation for her kindness I suppose you know how it is about dance invitations he said I guess Clark told you You see lee I didn't quite understand when I I put your sour name down I Just thought we were to put the names down o of some girl we wouldn't mind taking and you were so sort of young and natural that I 1 didn't mind at all aU But I didn't know about drawing lots lota and I really didn't mean to cut Clark Clerk out I fixed it up so you can have It a lot o of dances with him But I 1 dont don't want to have a lot of I I dances with him Julia protested I 1 didn't want to go with him Then after a a. pause vause Is the girl from home pretty A broad smile pass passed d over Dan Browns Brown's freckled face Apparently he recalled some Instructions he be had had from Clark Yes she is a regular queen The fellows will be nutty about her her her- couldn't help it Il Julias Julia's che cheeks ks grew pinker and her ller I eyes shone with excitement Dont talk to me about her I know Ill I'll hate her Oh Im I'm Just miserable rable Im I'm not going to the horrid old dance at all aU You Just asked me because you dont don't mind going with me and Clark who has almost been my y very ry own senior all winter hAS hns got a pretty girl from home I know Im I'm a kid and I know I 11 dont don't dr dress ss clothes like some orne o of the other girls and I know I wear my hair down my back bark I 1 dont don't blame any o of you you hut but I wont won't go to your horrid old dance I 1 don Aon care if Clark did tell me I must I She had torn off one white glove and amI was tugging at the other I wouldn't get so cross Dan said with a It really successful attempt to be comforting Clarks Just crazy about you and the girl from home ome is his sis sic ter He asked her up because he said laid he wouldn't go to a senior dance with any anyone one but you and in a aVa Va way that sister of ot his is s really for lor me I guess he thought maybe it would make you I cross crotts enough to agree to go with me |