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Show for a moment. There were so many ways to take that. "Yes," she said with a gleam oi daring in her eyes, as she looked squarely at him, "draw up a constitution constitu-tion and we'll have it put before the whole house." In the merry jest of the morning when Gloria had laughingly presented to her professed admirers a documenl wherein she had set forth her acts ol independence, each had felt an un derlying strain of seriousness and Declaring Her Independence & . g Li ajROM the time she was H "ISOiril five years old Gloria d $F West had been lmDue(i n HsV vlth patriotic feeling PK anc a reverence for u fJ: 72c Ml tlle constitution of her a country. " Her father had been a soldier and her grandfather before him and when she was so little as to be unable to get up Into a chair without with-out being lifted, she had to sit solemn- ly by the side of her sisters and brothers and listen to tales of heroism hero-ism told by her father. On every Fourth of July, as regularly regu-larly as that date rolled around, Gloria and all the members of her family had been forced to sit patiently and respectfully re-spectfully in a circle about the old dining room while their father read, impressively so she had believed every word of the declaration of independence. in-dependence. No firecrackers, no torpedo, no celebration cele-bration of any sort took place in the West family until after this patriotic duty had been done. And then the old flag was drawn high on its pole and the various members of the family were allowed to celebrate in their own ways. Gloria was nineteen now, and though her father had long since passed on to the resting place of brave soldiers., the old custom of reading the declaration on the morning morn-ing of every Fourth of July still prevailed pre-vailed in the family. And there were many candidates for the place at Gloria's side. The young men in the pretty western town would gladly have joined the circle even though it meant absolute submission to the will of the beautiful beauti-ful Gloria. "I wouldn't be married and submit to the wishes of a mere masculine person," per-son," she said to her sister one evening eve-ning when the latter young woman was preparing to go to make a distasteful dis-tasteful duty call for her husband. "And what would you do?" asked the sister, indulgently. "I'd assert my independence and " "And have war instead of peace in your family," interrupted the wiser sister. "Not at all," protested Gloria laughing, laugh-ing, "we're going to hae a constitution constitu-tion in our family," she added with undue stress on the progressive pronouns. pro-nouns. "And he shall abide by it." "He?" asked her sister in surprise. "Then have you decided which one it shall be?" Gloria was noncommittal. "At least, if I have, he doesn't know it," she said. "It is poor policy to disclose dis-close the maneuvers of war, you know." "You're bound to have war at all events," was her sister's parting comment. com-ment. Following a fancy, Gloria had asked six of her most constant admirers to the reading of the Declaration at the old homestead on the morning of her nineteenth Fourth of July. "I shall declare my own independence independ-ence on that day," she said to John Hammon, "and every one of you boys shall sign it. Won't it be fun? for me?" she added roguishly. "And may 1 draw up a constitution to insure a perfect union, Gloria?" the young man asked, half in jest, half in earnest, i Even Gloria's quick wits failed her Gloria Turned and Saw Him. each wanted to talk with her. Joking ly they had signed it, thereby making themselves slaves to her whims henceforth, hence-forth, then, and forever all but Johrj Hammon. Even in view of its being the veriest jest, he refused, laughingly though it was, to add his name to the list under Gloria's perpendicular scrawl. Gloria had been accordingly piqued, and though she smiled and danced and made merry, still she won dered why he had refused so trifling a fancy on her part. At last they were all gone and Gloria was' standing on the threshold listening to their footsteps die away on the old brick walk. Presently she heard one pair of steps coming back Someone had forgotten something. "Gloria," said the deep voice ol John Hammon, "just one moment be fore you go." Gloria turned and saw him in the moonlight. "Yes," she acquiesced ir such a strange little voice that she hardly recognized it "I that is I have drawn up the constitution," he said, his hand or his pocket. "But j-nr didn't sign the declara tion," Gloria reminded him, a little pout on her lips. "I'll sign anything if you say this is all right read it," he broke of suddenly, thrusting a folded papei into her hand. "Look at it and tel me if you think it will insure us j perfect union, de-r." And in the moonlight Gloria unfold ed the paper, to find lying tied withir its folds a ring. She did not speak. "Dear, give me your hand and lei me draw up our constitution," h( said. "Will you?" She did; and it fitted so well wai so fitting, as Gloria put it some lonj minutes afterward that she decidet to accept it. |