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Show jlllillllllM.'llltililliilliil! The Rea lj of tke Rv .-- - &7 i 1 WILLIAM ALLEN 1 : . riiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin Copyright, 1922, by the '.' "Dear, was it really In truth the riddle's So many are the d- Before we can be df THE town of at the Junctlo that name, uJ dy. But the people j nlty being born scoff the name of the Bi mou parlance to "i transformed by the I lar depreciation, thel itself has shriveled Creek." It might hi thing of a town, as West, but instead of neighbors for the sue each of Its founders making fun of the prl ers. When there was of "old man" Mead, th master, of securing ij land office for Willow dlan trader, and the sal the blacksmith, made the old man's ambition later, when civillzatlorl In with a hotel, a lumol saloon, and a barber 1 spoke of starting a u the laugh that went uiA Creek was the only ui greeted Editor McCray w was turned. But the new .4 and so did the people, an coming, until, when the "bA later eighties struck Kansal Willow Creek with about sand scoffing inhabitants. But, in one way or ano "boom" seemed to bring w Willow Creek. And with came some attempts at the zation of polite society. There innumerable young real estate aS young doctors, young lawyers, 1 clerks, all from the East, in the lage; and these, with the daughter.A the early settlers and such friends V they chanced to make in the hlg school, constituted the aristocracy o the town. It was a vulnerable arls tocracy, and the scoffers made sad havoc with It. It was said of Flora McCray, who went to boarding school and came back, timid, retiring, and distinctly Unsocial, that, "She needn't hold herself her-self so high. If her father would only pay back the money he stole in' the school land fraud she would be as common as anybody." But the girl paid no heed to these rumors, if she heard them. She quietly filled her small sphere, bounded on one side by her meek-voiced mother-and her busy father, on another side by her church and her "church social," on a third side by a very brief glimpse of a very big world and her memory of it, and on the fourth side by occasional day dreams and night thoughts, pretty much the same as those which come to any young girl of good health, good spirits, and twenty-one years, who has never had a sweetheart. As the reaction, caused by the decadence de-cadence of real estate prices set In, Willow Creek became poorer. As the young men, who paid for the orchestras, orches-tras, and halls, and flowers, gradually left town, the young women, who formerly for-merly frequented receptions, parties, and balls, were seen more and more often at the "church socials." After a two years' Ineffectual struggle Willow Wil-low Creek gave It up. the town could no longer support two branches of society, and the "church crowd" and the "dauce crowd" merged Into one. When It was announced that the entire social body of Willow Creek was going out to Robinson's for a "taffy pull" one Saturday night, the rest of Willow Creek laughed. The town people sneered at the young women wom-en who had planned the party, and Intimated In-timated that the night ride out to Itob-luson's Itob-luson's and back was a heroic measure; meas-ure; aud they laughed at old man Robinson and his family for tolerating people who would snub them If they came to town, and lnstly they laughed at the young men who would have to pay the livery bills. Saturday morning, John Howard, Mr. MeCray's partner In the stock business, came up from the farm on Dry Creek, and after going over some details of business, McCray asked his partner to Sunday dinner, as was h)s custom, wheu the young man was in town, and the invitation was accepted. During the "boom" Howard had made money. He had mingled with what is known as the "swell set" of Willow Creek, and though not a favorite at the flood of the "boom." the very -feet that he hail the social Instinct, made hlni a necessity in society at its ebb. Soon after leaving his partner's office, of-fice, he had learned of the plans for the "taffy pull," that evening. He w-as urged to go. and finding that all the "rigs" were full, and that all the giris of his "set" were provided with escorts, es-corts, in a moment of despairing inspiration in-spiration the young man sent a note to b Is partner's daughter, asking for "the pleasure of Icm- company." His i invitation was accepted, and late that j afternoon. Flora McCray stepped Into I ! a buggy witli the first beau she had ever had. and headed a long pnco- slo:i for Robinn's. ! i Someone had stepped the clock that I nigl.T. and the young women, puttir.- j oa their 'v.-jps. gue-e4 that it was 1 1 "She Came Even Closer to This New Found Presence, and Almost Cuddled Against the Man's Great Coat." the Girl, who felt a strong arm quiet her, answered : "A little." As the lights of the town came In sight the young couple grew silent. A turn In the road brought the buggy under the white glare of an electric light. Flora McCray was sitting up-light up-light with her hnnds folded under the robe, and Howard, with the whip and the lines In his hands, was consciously clucking at the horses. Each saw the other's face clearly, and as they crossed the circle of light the man spoke : "It must be two o'clock." The girl did not reply, and the young man leaned over to look out of the buggy, as If to scan the clouds. The prospect did not altogether satisfy him and he said : "It's going to be a pretty gloomy Sunday, I guess." As Howard put out his arms to help her from the buggy she barely touched his outstretched hand, and her decided shyness surprised him. In a bewilderment of confusion he said: "You have made me very happy to night, Miss McCray. Shall I sfeak to your father when I come out to dinner din-ner tomorrow?' The girl did not reply, but wnt up the steps and into the house, while the young man cliiubed into the buggy, and bent time with the whip to the tune he was whistling, as lie cave ttie hordes tlie rein for the stable. Flora McCray locked the door and slipped the bolt as quietly as she could. She blew out the light In the parlor and stele noiscsiy unsiairs. .lust b-jre going to bed she started to put way her hat. Sio picked it up. The velvet and the ribbon seeme,! crushed. She put out her hand to sm.vith them. A hot Hush of reco;!ec;,,Q swept over her, and she and Mr. McCray thought that the evening eve-ning mall would be in and distributed. They put on their overcoats and were In the hall, when the elder man opened the dining-room door and said: "Mother, John thinks it's time to go, and I am going to walk down to the post office with him." When the front door closed Mrs. McCray Mc-Cray said : "What a nice young man John Howard How-ard is, Isn't he?" "Oh, yes, he Is uice enough, I guess," answered the daughter, rising to go to her room. As she neared the top of the stairs, Flora MoCrny quickened her pace She ran through the upper hall. Once In her room, she went straight to the dresser, where the rumpled hat was still lying. The lonely girl stood before be-fore It a moment, and then, stooping awkwardly, touched the crumpled velvet vel-vet with pursed, uncertain lips, as one ashamed. It may have been the dusk In the room, or it may have been the ghost of an odor from a cigar, that transported this unschooled heart back to the darkness, and the joy of a first caress. F,ut dusk, or ghost, or something, came to this shy girl there, and nerved her whole being, s : that she was no longer awkward, no longer uncertain, nor In any wise I ashamed. The pretty velvet toy she i made her shrine, and In her worship he kisseil It. rubbed It with her burn-; burn-; ing cheek, and buried her face in it t sacred folds. Ia Vt'i'.loW T'reek Where tbey S'o;T and higgle over sordid tilings, in t'i' ! hc.v Creek tiie hard, the arid, t!i bar ren. they say no n, fitter what, fcit :r. ; and ouf of the narrow v avs. t;r:;:.:2 ! the sharp corners wi'h 'he- rft. - irh i tire-l feet, and timid, i;: -',rt i :! j there goes a wotnan who.- - ore ;..; i came to her as a Jr'atu -in te ; g!.;. |
