Show L 00 j 0 0 A scrap crap 0 of ca carbon b paper er L it if one were loolen looking for a cura cure for bashfulness carbon paper would seem an unlikely thing to select but it was a piece of this paper which if it did not exactly cure john kendall at least overcame the effects of his shyness johns bashfulness was most pernicious ni nt and while it had not retarded his career as a successful manufacturer in the flourishing town of ler berville ville it proved a very embarrassing possession when he be was smitten with the tender passion in the first place margaret little was w a s an authoress and that alone was an awe inspiring circumstance to be able to write stories which met with occasional acceptance to have the postman sometimes bring her thin letters containing checks and not to be the grinning bearer of bulky packages of rejected manuscripts placed her on a plane above other women in johns eyes not that slie site needed such placing for it would be futile to chronicle the angelic qualities with chien ho he en endowed doweLl her the trouble with this endowment process was that it was not disclosed to margaret john could write and did write letters teeming with sentiment of course it was unfortunate fortunata un that these letters were never sent it was more unfortunate fortunate that he found himself unable to express in her presence the feelings which agitated his six elx feet of manhood he had made three attempts at a proposal each of which had ended in stammering contusion confusion and dire failure and it is probable that the number would have been extended indefinitely had not a rival appeared on the field abono anyone anono who showed margaret the slightest attention was a rival in johns view and it seemed impossible that the editor of a new york magazine would come fifty miles to ler berville ville for the sole purpose of consulting margaret about a series of stories tor for his periodical it if this innocent purpose brought the etli editor tor some something thing emotionally attractive attract lve in margarets pretty fice face must have induced his reappearance within a month andrt and it was during this second visit that john spurred himself to action on a june afternoon lie he deserted hla his desk and determinedly strode toward the little homestead his courage usually lasted until he be passed we the front gate but on this occasion he was surprised to find iti it upholding I 1 lim him even after lie he had reached tho the aeran veranda a it eva when he rang the bell A mald maid told him that miss little had gone tor for a walk with a a gentleman f from in new york this ld information formation coming as a re respite athirst at first relieved john then jealousy renewed his courage and he boldly sald said he to leave a note for afar margaret barei in the matter of impassioned mis L 0 Q orr 1 ai C e r ZY CE dashed off a few glowing periods john kendall was no coward and he sat at margarets little desk and dashed off a few glowing periods on a sheet of her manuscript paper when the effusion was finished it proved satisfactory being in tact fact a condensation of tho the others which he ha had left unseat ile ho folded it neatly and was reaching into a pigeonhole in the desk for an envelope when he happened to glance out of the window across the orchard came margaret rad and the editor the latter a small blonde handsome man was wag walking close beside ditl h contributor and looking smilingly jato nto her beautiful beautt fut eyes after viewing the tag scene job john wai wag seized with panic at tb the e thought of margarets reading hla his note immedi italy T th ant distant fi tant stant hp wa ing awry from fr the house scattering bit bits a of whito white pap paper 1 0 r to the june juna breezes bicey cs i he did not net sc eMargaret for a week arid during that time deep despair hold him for its own then an urgent hu business stress ait altair tair led him to call on hir her father who was suffering from a slight loress and was unable to leave the tha house when tho the interview with mr little was at an end and john reached the front fiant door doer he found Al margaret argaret sItt silting Irig on tho the ver verampa amla he thought to pass her with ith a formal greeting but hla his intentions usually went astray where she was concerned and lie he was soon seated near her in a wide armed ver auda anda chair 1 I am sorry I 1 missed you when you called last week said margaret after her fathers illness had been discussed im borry too t john replied mentally condemning the memory ot of the maid he hoped had forgotten tho the incident the girl giri cald something about you yon leaving a note continued margaret yes or er an invitation to a picnic john salt said weakly but the affair was wag postponed before you could write the tha noted note no 11 I 1 thou thought klit it would be postponed so I 1 charged my mind margaret was looking demurely at a rose bush it has been postponed wl I 1 glanced shyly down at margaret a before she murmured softly but her companion como anlon did not hoar hear the remark john she said in alo a louder alouidor udor tone 1 I suppose it is only in an invitation to a pie picnic n ic t that h a t you yet 1 we would 11 I 1 d a address me as your dearest margaret john kendall turned slowly and regarded tho the object of his affections with bewilders rt ile ho wondered it if any of the torr torn bits of paper had been pie picked up tip pud and pi pieced eced io together gether aymar by margaret but he had scattered them so widely that anat seemed impossible miss little who had transferred her gaze from the rose bush bua to her overs lovers face seemed to enjoy its expression ther then john rocked violently in the veranda chair in the hope t that bat the action would leduce mental stimulation but it did not will you corne come with me for a moment margaret margare asked rising and entering the house horse john followed her to her study there on the little desk was the pile of manuscript paper Al margaret argaret took a note from the bosom of her dress unfolded it slowly anil and handed it to john there was a piece of carbon paper among the top sheets she said and this was wa i under it and john read an exact ejai t copy of the effusion he had a ad d dressel dress cl to margaret the week bafo before re for a moment he ha looked helplessly at st the note then he glanced glan cedi shyly shyly down at margaret and the expression he saw baw in her eyes was entirely unlike that with which she had regarded tho the editor le it seemed to say speak for yourself john and had the stolid typewriter which stood on the desk risen to the th e occasion it would have hae added another love scene to its long list in the home of mr and mrs john kendall in schuylerville erville irville Is a don den and on one of its walls hangs a bit of black paper in a gilt frame when the curious question john about this paper he tells them its story if they are worthy and if they are unworthy ho merely says that it is ii an impressionistic picture of the darkest hour before dawn bennett musson in los log angeles times |