Mary Minds Her Business

the winter after

iss Parsons' School for Young Ladies. But in the first place her aunts were adamant, and in the second place they were ass

was at once divined by her two aunts. Whereupon they groomed Mary to such

ch unconscious charm that more than one who danced with her that night felt a ra

show it for a moment. He was a handsome, lazy-looking young rascal when he first appeared on the scene, lounging against the doorway, drawling a little as he talked to his friends-evidently a lion, bore

r, Wally?" asked

serious. I only hope it's catching." The next minute he

I can't dance,"

ith a tick, please-th

ngly she m

st each tick. "We'll sit those out. The

ed-'Chester A. Br

sked Wally. "He fell downstairs

the begin

said to himself, "I shall kiss her,

he d

o himself, "I shall kiss her if I nev

he d

he said to himself, "I shall

ed in her eyes. Then it was that the truth began to dawn upon him. "I'm a g

Mary's room ostensibly to undress, but really to excha

Mary. And she a

nt! Wally Cabot, of co

he di

f you don't w

nothing

well, don't worry...

was

ot. His high-powered roadster was generally doing one of three things. It was either goi

ly said to her fath

Josiah the light

heard a woman saying that I didn't look the l

n her own family,"

nodded. They went on chatting and

alter Cabot?" he asked, looking a

a helple

asked

in a muffled v

't you t

too was on the point of opening her heart. But again heredity, t

I married Wally, it would spoil it all. I sometimes have such dreams-such wonderful dreams of doing somet

a girl can very well say to her father-or to any on

in life that I can do-ever so many doors that I can open. But if I mar

es and shy. Nevertheless those were the thoughts which often came to her at night, after she had

gled on the pillow, full of vague dreams and visions-vague dreams of greatness born of the s

s-well, somehow, she's through. But it doesn't seem to make any differen

ent the strains of Wally's tenor entered the room, mingled with the moonlight a

'er the

alls the so

she was wondering if Wally was right, after all-if love (as he often told her) was indeed the on

whispered excite

, watched the singers through the curtain-knowing wel

the chorus grew

a-Ju

ul if we s

a kiss. "He had the two Garde boys and Will Thompson with him. I thought he was leaving ea

lived in the land long enough to hear a real, live serenade. And after they had kissed her and gone, Ma'm Maynard came in with a pretty little speech in French. So that altogether Mary held quite a reception

d it," said Miss Patty at the

d Mary. "I think I

k over his mail. Mary passed gaily through the library, but it wasn't long befo

she choked. "Somethi

efore him, on the desk, lay his mail. Some

, her arms around Mary; and looking at her brot

Mary away, they returned to look over the letter

n these that could have

fearfull

Patty, picking up an emp

and the date showed that it had ta

tion of that writing,

Patty in a low voice, "

she who made

aid. "His ash tray is cl

n burned. This ash still lay in its folds and across its surface, black o

read it?"

f light struck the tray, the words became as

ntil her sister had to hang breathless upon the movement of her lips, she added "

round each other.

ty, her lips suddenly gone d