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Show m ("FRESH j PAINT!" ' ' By Jestie Ethel Sherwin 8 H (Copyright. 1910, by W, d. Chapman.) B "I shall wait for Mr. Leslie," spoko B Graco Rogors to her cousin. B ' "Well, don't logo your way If you Bg And ho (Ioob not como." Bf "Tho Idea!" dflshed out dainty and BBl, potlte Graco, Sho rulllod at the thought BBft. of any swain, foresworn or proBpoc- BBV , tlve, daring to placo hor n auch a pre- BBV -dlcuraonL and Paul Leslie was pro- BBl nounendly of tho former class. They B wero not engaged, but of all the ollgl- BBl bio young men of tho village ha had B 'tho moat fully attracted her. B Paul had admired her from tho first BBl day he hail Heon her, and bad told her bo. More recently he had Insisted that BBS they wero made for ono another, and BBS that ho was gathering up tho ovldonce BBl to provo it to hert 8b liked his BBl 'bright broozy ways. BIB Oraco was on a two months' visit to B . her cousin. Norma Bills. The pro- BSB Bcrlbed period had nearly passed. That BBS ovcnlng thoro was a party at a Tllla BIB two miles away. Paul bad promised to BBl call for hor at seven o'clock. 8ho pre- BBb ferred to go on foot, she had told htm. B Now sho sat on tho porch awaiting tho B arrival of hor expected escort. B The clock, lnsldo the house struck B seven, then tho quarter. Oraco began B to grow impatient. Half put. A dainty BBa foot began to tap tho porch floor faster B and faster. She darted a look town- L ward full of real temper. Sho sprang BBBf i to her feet quite angrily as the clock BBS announced that Paul Lcsllo was forty- fl five minutes late. H "How daro hot" sho flared out. "Oh, fl I could almost scratch html" BBS Thon sho Jumped back Into hor scat, BBS affecting In hor poso tho utmost indlf- BBS ferenco to ovorythlng In tho world BBS eavo tho most, Intense enjoyment of BBS rest and tho soft porfumed evening air. BBS Sho had socn a whlto-garbed mnscu- BBS line form coming down tho road. H "How Dare Hal" 8ho Flared Out. BBB "At last, my bolatcd cavalier," sho B tried to say viciously. "I shall be BBSS marbla and Ico qultot" BBS ' Footsteps crunched on tho gravel BBSB walk. Hor head was turned and she BSBS gave no tokon of recognition or Inter BBSj est. Tho footsteps sounded on the BSBBj Btops, and thon B "My doar Mlaa Rogors I am Indeod BBS BBSj A vivid revulsion passed through hei BflSl ' frame. InBtantly sho rocognlzedth& BSBBJ unwolcomo volco. It was not that of B Paul LobIIo. It wjas that of his autltho- BBl bIb, Ilryco Wlllard. BBBBj If thoro was dne among hor nuruer- BBBBJ , ous suitors whom Oraco despised It BSBBJ was this ovorfdstldlous, self-concoltcd BSBB individual. Ho wns u inuii of wealth BSBB and lolsuro. It had como to hor pars BBSB j that ho had boasted tho "Miss Rogers B . was tho nearest to his idoal of a lovely BBSB j girl and ho had halt a mind to sottlo BBSS I down and marry hor." Rut this intolll- BBSB ! ! genco was vapid. Ho had a suit bt BSBB j clothes tor each 'day in tho wook oh BBSS i the present occasion twd, for ho woro BBSS J an outing garb of icomacufato whlto, BBSS I oven to tho oapyglovos and shoos. BBSS "I was on myilonoly way to tho tunc- BSBB i tlon." ha.ohsorvcd, coming nearer.'"! BflflSj i made out someono on tho porch. May BBBBRt . I hopo that I will havo tho company1 K i of a good angol for the rest of my BBBBj ' routaT" BSBBB ,( "You may," spoko Qraco, promptly BBBBl and deltbQratoly, thinking to herself BSBBB that her framo .of mind at tho present BSBBB moment was vory far from bolns nn- BSBBB ' gollc. Hero was her opportunity to BBBBB I teach "that prosumptuoua Paul Les BBBBB Ho" a sqyoro lesson t That ho H f ! would arrlvo Jator, profuse with H oxcuoes, sho doubted not. Ho should BBBBB find hor gone, with anothor. and BBBBB' nil that ovonlng Wlllard tihould bo at H hor side, whllo X'aul sho would froozo H ' htm with a lookl BBBBB ' "You boo, I don't know tho exact way Hi to tho Waltlmms," oxplalnod Wlllard, H as thoy started down tho steps. K "Nelthor do I," said Oraco, and she B qulto hurried him for fear that Paul BBBBB ' would put In an nppcaranco before B ' thoy got started. BBBBB ' "And It's doucedly dark, no moon " BBBBB 'j .proceeded Wlllard, as It announcing an Individual and particular discovery. "I know It's two miles. Wo can hardly miss It." Ho rattled on In his empty-brained way and Oraco tried to keep up tho conversation. Half An hour later thoy found thoy had wandorod off from tho regular road and carao up against a barbed wlro fenco, the road having faded away into n mere footpath. "I dcclaro, I bollovo wo are lost!' rcmarkod Wlllard. Oraco was getting nervous. She suggested sug-gested that they retrace their steps. Thoy regained thrTroad, branched off Into anothoi ono and halted again at a crossroads. "I know that wo follow tho Hubbard Hub-bard road." Bald Wlllard. "but which Is It? Ah, thoro Is a telegraph polo with a sign on it" Tho Hamo was In clear evidence, but, standing oven only ten feet away from it, neither could make out the lettering letter-ing on tho Rlgn. "Ill have to climb up and bob If I can make It out at closer sight," observed ob-served Wlllard. "I'm something of a climber. Miss Rogers, bollovo met At the nold sports last year I won In the greased polo climb,- so this fifteen or twenty-foot stunt is nothing to me. Pardon, for a moment." Showily the vaunted athlote ascended ascend-ed the polo. Oraco, waiting below, watched him reach the sign. A certain growl of disgust ochoed on the still air. Mr. Wlllard came sliding back to terra firms. "It roads fresh Paint.'" he announced. an-nounced. "Ah, you seem amused?" Oraco was. Indeed. Sho leaned against a convenient treo stump and laughed. Sho could not holp It. Her merriment rang out In freo-rushlng volume. Hor escort was a sight! Oloves, garb, face, he was mottled, daubed, strtpod and spottod. The black paint plastored him, stuck to htm. "I I had better see you safely in sight of tho scene of the function ot the ovonlng," announced Wlllard, solemnly, sol-emnly, "and And my way back home by sequestered paths." He Indulged In no further conversation. conversa-tion. His dignity was offended at "tho hoydenlsh merriment" ot his companion. compan-ion. Dy accident they reached tho road. 1 hey carao In sight of a lighted house. Tho sound of running footsteps sounded bohlnd them. "You will bo safe tho rest of the distance," dis-tance," spoko Wlllard. "I do not care to bo observed," and vanished In among tho shrubbery lining the road. "Miss Rogers, Greco!" spoke a breathless volco, and It was Paul Lies-He. Lies-He. "Ran all tho way. Hoped to ovor-take ovor-take you. Who was tho ghastly figure that Just left youT" Oraco drow back with hauteur. The quick-witted Paul noted It. "Angry at me for being lato?" he questlonod In his Jolly off-handed way. "You won't bo. You see, I was at the Jowclers'. The question was: Should I havo tho inscription read 'P.r L. to O. R.' or 'Paul to Oraco,' " "What aro you talking about?" ques tioned Oraco, but her tones softened, for Bho half suspected tho issue at stake. "Inscription on the engagement ring," airily explained Paul. "Was going go-ing to lead up to It In our walk. Have to bulk it oil in a minute now. Mnst know my fate tonight, now. Resolved upon it. 'Yes,' and yon tako the ring. No,' and I fly abroad war, battles, grave in tho trenches, broken heart." Hi held out tho tiny circlet. Ho was so artless and penraasiret "Yon odd peracverinc mortal," whispered whis-pered Grace recUy 'Tfcal" |
