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Show - Love A la Mode By ELLA SAUNDERS , 1U, Wutern Nwippr Union.) "DUT are you sure you lore him, - Isobeir "Why, I I guess so, Grandmother," answered the girl with an uneasy laugh. Her grandmother sighed. Since Isobel's mother died, when the child was seven years old, she had bad the care of her upbringing, and she bad not succeeded In the least In turning her out after the stamp and pattern of her own generation. When Grandfather had courted her, this Is what had happened: for about a year he had visited her, bringing her little gifts of books, flowers, or candy, the only three things a girl Is permitted per-mitted to take from her lover. Then one day he had asked her if she would make him the happiest man In the world by marrying him. And Grandmother had whispered "yes," and hung her head In shame when be kissed her. And If she had been born a gen-traUon gen-traUon earlier Grandfather would have gone down on his knees and Grandmother would have swooned. Grandmother didn't believe In extremes. ex-tremes. But when Isobel calmly announced an-nounced her engagement to Bob Simpson, and "guessed" she loved him, Grandmother didn't know what to think. And then Bob bad given Isobel a present of six pairs of silk stockings. That bad horrified Grandmother beyond be-yond everything. "I guess girls of today don't know what lore means that's why there's so many divorces," Grandmother sighed. "Coming for a motor ride tomorrow night, old thing?" asked Bob carelessly, careless-ly, as he started to go that evening. "Oh, I' suppose I might," said Isobel. "Ta-ta till tomorrow, then," said Bob, waving his hand as he went out When he was gone Grandmother went up to Isobel. "Isobel, doesn't he doesn't he ever kiss your she asked In a pleading tone. "Great heavens, no, Grandmother," answered IsobeL "Bob Isn't mushy like that Why, I wouldn't have the smallest use for him If be was. Bob says he never kissed any of the girls he's been engaged to." "Any of themt Why, how many times has he been engaged 7" asked Grandmother. "Oh, half a dosen, I suppose. I pever asked him," Isobel replied. "Then you you may not be the last" Grandmother faltered. "Don't know, old dear," laughed Isobel. "That's to be found out, Isn't itr "But but" stammered Grandmother, Grand-mother, "If Bob's been engaged to half-a-dosen girls, he's done them a great wrong, because because the bloom's off them, Isn't itr But Isobel's wild laughter drove her back into the defense of dignified silence. In Grandmother's day a girl who had been engaged and had broken the engagement of course it was always the girl who did that was more or less under a cloud. The bloom was off her, as Grandmother had very well expressed it Grandmother was very unhappy while Bob and Isobel were taking their motor ride. She was responsible for Isobel's upbringing and what sort of a child had she turned out? Isobel, with her bobbed hair, and taking tak-ing silk stockings, and Grandmother sat alone in the un-llghted un-llghted room, pondering. She was sUll wrapped In gloomy meditations when she heard the motorcar drive up, and then Bob's and Isobel's voices outside. out-side. "Grandmother's gone to bed," said Isobel. "Dear old thing, I'm afraid I must shock her terribly. Love-making was so open when she was a girl. They wore their hearts on their sleeves In those days. Do you know, she really thinks we don't care for each other, Bob. Bob" she clung to him suddenly "you do care, don't you?" "Why, of course I care, sweetheart" answered Bob, and the souud of a kiss followed. "You weren't really engaged before, were you?" "Never," said Bob. "Sometimes I'm almost afraid only I know you do care. But I don't see how I could live without you, darling. Only I couldn't bear any one to know how much we love each other." Grandmother crept softly from the room and upstairs to bed. She was happy again; she knew now that it was only In Its externals that love had changed. |
