Show Maud Sees the World By H. H IRVING KINGon KING tl H H I do so want to see something on dt of the world before I die sighed Maud Claxton Claston Im tired o ot of Middleborough 1 people Not you John of course nor father and mother mother- but of everybody else I want to see Gee big cities eWes and travel for miles and miles In fn pullman carsI carsI carsI cars I went on to New York once replied replied replied re re- re- re plied John Latimer slowly Its a abIg abig abig big city all right but I like Uke MIddleborough Middleborough Middleborough Middle MIddle- borough better I l was waR down to Boston once said Maud reflectively but I was so young that I dont don't remember much about It Anyway I want to travel and see the world world and and what's more Im I'm going to some some day You are a regu regular ur old stick stick-In the stick the mud John It was not often that Maud got out of ot patience with John John John-dr It had somehow come to be tacitly understood understood under under- stood that some day they were to be married but whenever the subject of I seeing the world came up they were sure to disagree and Maud would become become become be be- come fretful John was well-to-do well his farm was an excellent one which he cultivated by the latest and most approved approved approved ap ap- ap- ap proved methods and machinery anc and made mone money out of He le liked his work he liked Middleborough and Middleborough-and and above all he liked Maud Claxton Mauds Maud's case was presently aggravated aggravated aggra aggra- by the appearance In town of ot Arthur Mandeville He put up at the village tavern and soon knew everybody everybody every every- body In Middleborough He gave his home address as New York and talked of eminent people London Los Angeles and Paris Just why he had hac shown up in Middleborough l he did not say When the villagers tried to pump him on the subject though their guesses wore wide apart he would wink one eye and intimate that they were more than half hal right in their surmises He seemed to have plenty of money and the manager of the local bank told several people who told toll several others that he had investigated ed his financial standing and It was all right Maud appeared to make a decided Impression repression on n Mandeville and Mandeville-and and he made n a a decided Impression on on her herShe She was never tired of hearing him talk about the great world over the hills hillsand hillsand hillsand and far away All the married women in town said that she ought to marry him The Idea of a girl like Maud who longed for higher things settling down on a farm with John Latimer for all her life They told her so too right to her face and Maud was sorely tempt tempted d. d Even her parents parents' intimated in Intimated In that here was a chance such as sh she might not have again r I John saw how matters were going and was sullen and sour and made himself disagreeable which dIsagreeable which is not the way to win back the fluttering regards regards' of an any young lady At last the dash 1 lug ing ng stranger actually proposed to Maud She refused to give him any decided answer but told him to go and talk with mother and father He produced documents and gave references references refer refer- of of- the most ost satisfactory kind He le was in the moving picture business business busi busi- ness and was down in that part of the country looking for a location for forthe forthe the he filming of ot an Old Home play He Hemd had md happened to stop off at Middleborough Middleborough Middle- Middle borough trough had met Maud and had stayed on much longer than his business business business busi busi- ness warranted He was sincerely In Inlove Inlove Inove love ove and If Maud would marry him her slightest lightest wish should be his la law All this was highly satisfactory to the he Claxton parents and when their visitor had gone they called In their daughter and advised her her to accept Mr Ir Mandeville's offer of heart and hand land You could not do better said Mrs Claxton and you ou will have a chance to see the world It was evening and Maud wandered out to a favorite spot of hers where an old elm drooped its branches over overa a broken wall The toads peep-toads were calling from the hollow and a thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand odors stole on the night breezes from the neighboring woods woods- But Mauds Maud's head was filled with gorgeous I visions The toads peep were an orchestra orchestra orchestra or or- chestra pla playing ing in a palace and th the woodland odors were shaken out from the silks and velvets civets of a gorgeous throng Suddenly her Iier eye caught a alight alight alight light shining far off across the fields It was the light from Johns John's farm farm- house She gazed gazell for a moment and then started started to run rUll Across Across two fields and over two stone stolle walls she sped and antI knocked at Johns John's door He ca came e and let her ber In wonderingly She sank Into a chair and told him all Well IVell Maudie said John at length If lilt you really must see the world I tell you what Ill I'll do You marry me Instead of that Mandeville l e feller and Ill Til take you to New Nev York York Washington and Niagara Falls on our wedding trip Oh John will you ou she cried joyfully Then I d shall see the world and have you too When Mr and Mrs Latimer returned returned re re- turned turnell from their wedding tour Maud threw herself Into the same chair she had occupied on t the e eventful night when the trip was planned and said Well I am glad to be home once more You dont don't catch me leaving Middleborough again not again not for a long longtime longtime longtime time at ut least The great world isn't what its it's cracked up to be Copyright |