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Show GLORIA By MOLLIE MATHER. lb-1. Wedlern Newspaper Union.) Gloria was so light haired and fleet of foot, that she seemed to Everton, like an elusive bif of thistledown. When he would glimpse her shining head at the foot of the garden, and go swiftly in pursuit, Gloria would be sure to disappear, her go!den bend popping pop-ping out to mock him presently, from an upper window. It was this elus-iveuess elus-iveuess of the girl which first drew, and then piqued his fancy. Everton, of the old and honored Everton's, was not usually evaded by the fair sex. And if Gloria seemed to him a bit of thistledown. Everton, upon his part impressed the girl just at first, pon- derously. and as an old, young person per-son of depressing character. Frankly, Frank-ly, she did not care to know him. She had heard so much from grandmother, grandmoth-er, since her arrival at the homestead, concerning the desirability of this same dignified young man as a future husband, that she was In revolt at the possibility. To Gloria, families of old and unquestioned un-questioned standing or circumstances of like unquestioned stability were matters of indifference. She had come to enjoy in full the novel experience of country life, and the sweet old experience ex-perience of occupying the very room that her own mother had occupied in her far-away girlhood. After that, Gloria wanted to go back to her father. fa-ther. The mother, whose picture on the wall, was so like herself, had died before she might even become a memory. mem-ory. Father Bob, Gloria preferred to call him "Bob," had cared for her In child- hood as tenderly as that mother might have done, and had sent her later with tears in his eyes away from him to school. And though Bob's money was hard won, Gloria never lacked for the things that her associates enjoyed. She looked forward to graduation, merely as a time when she would be reunited to her father, and then he' had sent her abroad. Upon her return re-turn he urged that she try life in her grandmother's home. Gloria was grieved at Bob's desertion. It was difficult for her to see the unse.'tish-ness unse.'tish-ness of his plan. When Mrs. Everton Blaine learned of her son's infatuation infatu-ation for the little stranger, she was distressed. Mrs. Blaine remembered Gloria's mother as a graceful young person who had married out of town, and ffone away, never to return. Everton ctune to her with the startling announcement an-nouncement of his engagement. Gloria had consented to marry him, he said joyously. "Everton," she bemoaned, "if you had but waited ! Now, your engagement engage-ment will only have to be broken. An Everton may not bring dishonor upon his family. I am sure, no Everton would " Her son flamed. "Dishonor!" he exclaimed. Mrs. Blaine nodded sadly. "If not," she said, "how do you ox-plain ox-plain the fact of the girl being engaged en-gaged to yon, professedly in love with you, and being each evening not only in the company of a flashy-looking Individual In-dividual but being yes, my dear, In the man's embrace as well." "I don't believe It," Everton cried. "Then you must disbelieve your mother's word," she told him, for I have repeatedly witnessed that embrace em-brace from my seat in the car. The girl upon whom you have wasted your affection, was evidently keeping a tryst each time I saw her, with her companion on the bridge by the mill." Without response the son turned blindly, and made his way toward the same hidden little bridge. lie scarcely scarce-ly realized why he chose that direction direc-tion or why he was going. But as he approached ap-proached in the deepest misery that he had ever known, he Raw Gloria there before him, her blonde head swaying In it's thistledown fashion, in evident time to some merry tune that she was humming. And near her stood the man ; fashionably flashy, ns his mother had said, but with handsome hand-some eyes resting In unmistakable tenderness upon the girl's face. Without With-out a qualm, Gloria beckoned her lover. lov-er. Confusedly Everton came. "This," she said gently, "is my dear, dear father. fa-ther. Mother ran away with him years ago, Everton, and married lilm. Had I been in her place I should have done the same. Father happened to he a young traveling circus man then, and mother's people never forgave. Now, father owns that circus and loves still every animal and every creature In It. lie Is trying to persuade per-suade me to allow him to efface himself him-self for my sake, to foreswear the host father a girl could know, because if the difference of bis life from Unlives Un-lives of your people. I ;(1 not thniiL'hl of that difference." The blonde head li-Tit lo rest i-L-ainst the gray tweed K.uijJdcr. "I love you both." Gloria said, "but. I n, list be true to "Good bye, E eririii." Tin n Everton I'Jaine. smiling his list relief, put forth his hand to .lloria s fatii'-r. "Why should it be good I. ye. ddir--st?" In- asked. |