Molly Make-Believe

. A minute after that it seemed as though every door in every house on the street slammed shrilly. Then the charred fire-log sagged down in

nto the dying fire. Nine o'clock rang out dully from the nearest church spire; ten o'clock, eleven o'clock followed in turn with monotonous, chiming insistency. Gradually the relaxing stea

ring-staring into th

agination were turned loose upon just one fellow! Even if she didn't love you,

groaningly forward in his chair sifted the brittle, pungent needles into the face of the one glowing ember that survived. Instantly in a single dazzling flash of flame the tangible forest symbol vanished in intangible fragrance. But along

at Stanton turned again to th

had driven him on and on to one last, supremely fantastic

Corn

laughed at you. Do you remember? But you were right, it seems, and I was wrong. For I believe that I have changed my mind. That is:-I don't know how to

l sinc

ar

answered immediately; but the 'immediately'

ar

ssible chance was it meant to be a joke? You say you do not love me 'as little'

et another week's agonizing strain and s

Corn

ing. I don't hope anything. All I know is that I suddenly believe positively that our engagement is a mistake. Certainly I am neither giving you a

ar

e telegraphed instead. The message even in the teleg

are tired of it?" sh

n wired back. "No, I couldn't ex

t was fluttering in his

ne else?" The words fairly ticke

ind just what to reply. Then, "No, I couldn't exactly

fairly rustled with sarcasm. "You don't seem to b

other answer

rought the first chee

g," he wired almost gleefully in return, wiping his pen wi

nuckles ground so hard into his eyes that all his tears were turned to stars, there came to him very, very slowly, so slowly in fact that it did not alarm him at all, the strange, electrifying vision of the one fact on earth that he was sure of: a little keen, luminous, brown-eyed fa

lly!" he shouted. "I

sh-and-blood Doctor nor slim paper sweetheart tramped noisily

ailed to appear. Certainly neither the boldest private inquiry nor the most delicately worded public advertisement had proved able to discover the whereabouts of "Molly Make-Believe," much less succeeded in bring

A trifle coolly, a trifle distantly, more than a trifle disapprovingly, he appeared at

murmured the Doctor with an undeniably de

on emphatically. "What in crea

Doctor, "considering the dec

y, in all my life before, ever-ever-set eyes upon that wonderful little girl, until that ev

d sink into a chair, the Doctor

ntly all about

stated, on my honor, that the evening we speak of was actually and positively the first time I ever saw th

ied the Doctor. "W

sparkle faded fr

r Cornelia. Cornelia isn't going to get hurt. I tell you I've figured and reasoned it all out very, very carefully; and I can see now, quite plainly, that Cornelia nev

r," persisted the

is troubled eyes to the Doctor's face. But he did li

it were Cornelia herself who had proved herself, perfectly amiably, no 'journey's end' after all, but only a way station not equipped to receive my particular kind of a permanent guest. It isn't that I wanted any grand fixings. Oh, can't you understand that I'm not finding any fault with Cornelia. There never was any slightest pretence about Cornelia. She never, never even in the first place, made any possi

he remotest perceptible difference in her daily routine. Anyway-" he finished more lightly, "when you come right down to 'mating', or 'homing', or 'belonging', or whatever you choose to call it, it

hair the Doctor snatched

peated wildly. "Love us? us? For he

d him aside, and began to rummage an

eemed to catch in a half open pamphlet, and he bent down casually to straighten out the page. "Area in square miles-9,565," he read aloud musingly. "Principal products-hay, oats, maple-sugar-" Suddenly he threw down the pamphlet a

him some fresh advice-but