He shot several beautiful baskets. But Mother, I don't see why they didn't tell me when I got back that night that you had called."
"Well, I didn't try you again. I thought you would have been up late, and there were more examinations that next day; and besides, I had sent Rex that telegram and thought he would surely call up pretty soon and I wouldn't need to bother you until I knew more about it. But when he called, he hardly had time to talk. He said he had important classes and wanted to know what I meant by ordering him home before the term was over. I told him that if what he had said in that letter was true, that examinations and classes didn't make any difference now and I wanted him to come right home. But all he said was, 'Aw, you don't understand. I've got to hurry. Good-bye, I'll see you soon,' and that's the last I've heard from him."
Mary Garland tried to stop the tears, which were again in full force, and Paul drew her close to him and put his lips down to her tear-drenched face, trying to comfort her.
"There, there, Mother! I'm sure there must be some mistake about this! Don't worry! Rex will surely be here soon, and he'll explain it all. You know, Mother, he's a good kid!"
Her heart leaped up at that. It was what had made this whole thing so bitter to understand--how Rex could have done this thing to her. Although she was not one who thought a great deal of herself, she knew that Rex loved her deeply, and how could he help but know what pain he had given? If he was suddenly in love with somebody, surely he could have waited a little. Surely he could have given them some warning, and they could have arranged a quiet little wedding, if they insisted on it so soon, even though he was so young!
They talked it over gravely, carefully, and considered every phase of that possibility. And in the midst of it all they awoke to the fact that Paul had had no dinner. They summoned Selma, who adored "Mr. Paul," and with smiles produced plenty to eat, good and hot.
"I was keepin' it warm for ye," she acknowledged with a shy smile.
So while Paul ate they sat around and talked it over. And suddenly the question of the girl came to the front as she had not done before.
"But, Paul, haven't you any idea who the girl could be?" asked his mother.
"Not in the least!" said Paul decidedly. "There aren't any girls at all around the college, that is, girls that would be at all in his class. The waiters at the college are all fellows who are earning part of their way in college. The telephone operator in the college happens to be an oldish woman. She used to be a teacher in the town, and she had a fall that left her lame, so the college gave her this position to help her out. Her family were somehow connected with the college."
"Aren't there any girls in the village?"
"Why, there isn't any village, much, you know. Just a few stores, a couple of restaurants. Of course, they have waitresses in the restaurants, and there are girls in the telephone office. There's one in the pie shop, rather startlingly attractive, with platinum-blond hair, or maybe that isn't it. It's more like the color of nasturtiums. Anyway, it isn't natural. They call her Florimel. But I'm quite sure Rex wouldn't have anything to do with her. I will say she has a 'come-hither' in her big gray eyes, but she's away and above older than Rex, and anyway, you know he has some sense, Mother."
"I've heard that common sense doesn't count for much when people think they are in love."
" In love! " snorted Paul. "Rex in love! That's ridiculous!"
But his mother sat there and sighed and tried to check the slow tears that kept stealing out upon her face, trickling gently down to her chin, and dripping off, until the children's hearts were wrung. Mother had been so brave and cheerful all these awful days, and now here that Paul had come to help she had gone to pieces! They didn't realize that she had been relying on Paul to dispel the trouble in some unexpected way, and
"Well, I didn't try you again. I thought you would have been up late, and there were more examinations that next day; and besides, I had sent Rex that telegram and thought he would surely call up pretty soon and I wouldn't need to bother you until I knew more about it. But when he called, he hardly had time to talk. He said he had important classes and wanted to know what I meant by ordering him home before the term was over. I told him that if what he had said in that letter was true, that examinations and classes didn't make any difference now and I wanted him to come right home. But all he said was, 'Aw, you don't understand. I've got to hurry. Good-bye, I'll see you soon,' and that's the last I've heard from him."
Mary Garland tried to stop the tears, which were again in full force, and Paul drew her close to him and put his lips down to her tear-drenched face, trying to comfort her.
"There, there, Mother! I'm sure there must be some mistake about this! Don't worry! Rex will surely be here soon, and he'll explain it all. You know, Mother, he's a good kid!"
Her heart leaped up at that. It was what had made this whole thing so bitter to understand--how Rex could have done this thing to her. Although she was not one who thought a great deal of herself, she knew that Rex loved her deeply, and how could he help but know what pain he had given? If he was suddenly in love with somebody, surely he could have waited a little. Surely he could have given them some warning, and they could have arranged a quiet little wedding, if they insisted on it so soon, even though he was so young!
They talked it over gravely, carefully, and considered every phase of that possibility. And in the midst of it all they awoke to the fact that Paul had had no dinner. They summoned Selma, who adored "Mr. Paul," and with smiles produced plenty to eat, good and hot.
"I was keepin' it warm for ye," she acknowledged with a shy smile.
So while Paul ate they sat around and talked it over. And suddenly the question of the girl came to the front as she had not done before.
"But, Paul, haven't you any idea who the girl could be?" asked his mother.
"Not in the least!" said Paul decidedly. "There aren't any girls at all around the college, that is, girls that would be at all in his class. The waiters at the college are all fellows who are earning part of their way in college. The telephone operator in the college happens to be an oldish woman. She used to be a teacher in the town, and she had a fall that left her lame, so the college gave her this position to help her out. Her family were somehow connected with the college."
"Aren't there any girls in the village?"
"Why, there isn't any village, much, you know. Just a few stores, a couple of restaurants. Of course, they have waitresses in the restaurants, and there are girls in the telephone office. There's one in the pie shop, rather startlingly attractive, with platinum-blond hair, or maybe that isn't it. It's more like the color of nasturtiums. Anyway, it isn't natural. They call her Florimel. But I'm quite sure Rex wouldn't have anything to do with her. I will say she has a 'come-hither' in her big gray eyes, but she's away and above older than Rex, and anyway, you know he has some sense, Mother."
"I've heard that common sense doesn't count for much when people think they are in love."
" In love! " snorted Paul. "Rex in love! That's ridiculous!"
But his mother sat there and sighed and tried to check the slow tears that kept stealing out upon her face, trickling gently down to her chin, and dripping off, until the children's hearts were wrung. Mother had been so brave and cheerful all these awful days, and now here that Paul had come to help she had gone to pieces! They didn't realize that she had been relying on Paul to dispel the trouble in some unexpected way, and
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