The Crux

same old g

the same

lilacs, da

e in the bac

forgotte

by which it might be seen that "a call" was toward. Miss Jessie, the thin sister, and Miss Sallie, the fat one, were more hastily attired. They were

little, for her, but the others

d think you were eighty instea

! I wonder if she's heard alrea

led, and the three proceeded in irregular order under the high-arched elms and fence-to

eds of flowers from which to pluck a hasty offering or more redundant tribute. The fragrance which surrounded it came from the back yard, or over the fences of neighbors; the trees which

hat fact. Mr. Lane rose stiffly and greeted them. He did not like the Foote girls, not having the usual American's share of the sense of humor. He had no enjoyment of the town joke, as old as t

rocking them, the Misses Foote burst forth, as was their cu

've heard abou

nk Mort Elder's

d news for po

nterested. Even Mr. Lane

surprised

ie with conviction. "I always said

s done for him! He always wa

ing, her voice booming through the lighter tones of her

t has he done?" asked Mrs. Willia

nd had been so immersed in the suddenly widening range of her unsalaried

sh lustre, topics long trampled flat in much discussion lift their heads anew, opinions one scarce dared to rep

advantage of her position as old friend and near neighbor of the family under discussion, swept into the field under such headway that eve

s never married-she teaches, you know-and her brother-he owned the home-it's all hers now, he died all of a sudden and left two children-Morton a

g torrent. They sought to inform Mrs. Williams in especial, of numberless details of the early life and education of their subject, matters which would have been treated more apprec

tream, interrupted by cross currents of heated contradiction, and further varied by the exclamations and pr

tescopes at once. She saw, in confused pictures of blurred and varying outline, Orella Elder, the young New England girl, only eighteen, already a "school ma'am," suddenly left with two children to bring up, and doing it, as best she could. She saw the b

vous, aren't they?" she sug

. Lane assured her sourly. "There

s. Lane hastened to add. "She was

, their voices rising shrill, one above the other, and pla

ow;" urged Mrs. Williams. "Wha

"the city" with a group of "the worst boys of college," to get undeniably drunk, to

spended!" said Miss R

ice rose in scorn. "Expelled

e!" added M

ening. At least, she appeared to be studying. Her tall figure was bent over her books, but the dark

s Foote?-and had followed the torrent of description, hearsay, surmi

under her breath. "A shame! An

as if to do it herself,

e of talk r

lf kill h

r! I don't know

he'll do. He can't

ve to go

where-nobody'd hir

e to the door, and there, as they paused

ms," said her mother; and the oth

your lessons, Vivian,

he minister's wife. She had a vague feeling that if sh

girl with the thoughtful eyes and pretty, rather pathetic mouth, and s

she presently inquired; and Vivian ow

"Stuff and nonsense, Vivian!

same mind; and Mrs. Williams plainly regretted her question. But Vivian mustered courage enough to

g to college. Eve Marks has gone, and Mary Spring is

incisive comment, and her mother said quietly

t want to marry

er father answered. "Mar

in the interests of further combat. "Do y

d the girl with quiet intensity. "I'd li

o me about that woman! You attend to your stu

ree with Mr. Lane in his opinions about college, marriage

lowed the liquid note of a whippoorwill met the gi

cked on that of Miss Orella Elder, with a connecting gate in the gray board fence. Mrs. Lane had grown up here. The house belonged to her moth

here was a real affection between them. And just as the young Laura Pettigrew had played with the younger Orella Elder, so Vivian had played with little Susie Elder, Miss Orella's orphan n

sie was Mort

path between the bordering beds of sweet alyssum and mignonette. A dew-wet rose brushed against her

them, spreading over to a pear tree on the Lane side. In this fragrant, hidden corner was a rough seat, and from it a boy

he said. "What

n was

down on me too? I tho

"How can I be your friend if I don't know the

o a

oote girls

e right here in this old oyster of a town-and you make mountains out of mole

ath of relief. "Then

nyhow? The prisoner has a right to know what

nt, finding it di

d?" He picked up a long dry twig and brok

e city-with a lot of the

he laughed scornfully-"I suppose those old ladies think if a fellow smokes a cigarette or says 'darn' he's a

ay-you

have a skate on that time, I admit!" And he la

er! I think it

e. All the fellows get gay once in a while.

hold of her hand agai

omething els

uestioned sharply.

t satisfy him-pe

make your aunt so much trouble. They

lders and threw away the

ugh-I might as w

didn't believ

d I'm glad of it." He leaned back against the f

she urged.

as q

ou going to do?-Won't

his town of maiden ladies-and 'good family men.' I'm sick of being fussed over for ever and ever, and having wristers and mufflers knitted

is long arms. "I'm going to

er hands gripping the

oing?" she asked

course. I'm sorry she feels bad-but she needn't, I tell her. I shall do better there than I ever should have here. I know a fellow that left c

too, how his aunt's hopes all centered in him, and in his academic honors and future professional life. "Busine

going," she as

off-to-

e a lit

-I knew I'd get no other chance to talk

cry. He dropped beside her, stole an ar

cry! I'm sorry-I really am

h for her, and s

ou! How could you!-And n

't cry-sh!-the

hush a

ad-I'll come back so

dden fierceness. "You'll just go-and

to him. "And do you

d, "Haven't we always been f

d with a cheerful laugh. "I hope I'll make more friends out yo

d drew away from him. "You

ght shone on his teasing fac

name to certain small cuddlings not in themselves terrifying,

lent-he could see the r

. "I shan't see you again in ever so long. You

er head, st

u speak t

ind the words she wanted.

away? Sorry to disoblige-but I hav

t the sad tr

e to her-I'll make lots of money-and come back in a few

issed him. She had never in her life

tn't--" She shrank

e to shrink to, and his strong

" he said. "Then you'll wish you

chill of horror, and while she hesitated, he took he

eard coming

id with a little la

the fence a

g here, Vivian?" d

by to Morton," she

ere in the middle of the night with that scapegrace! Co

chronology, she followed him in, meekly enough as to her

d been

out the radiant, melting moonlight, the rich sweet

id he once more. "I

her," she

n it and had shut the door and put a chair aga

he mirror. Her eyes were star-bright. Her cheeks f

leaning out in the fragrant stillness, trying to arrange in

struck eleven, she went to bed i

re watching the changing pl

st as if she