have managed it myself, but lam quite nervous
to-day. I am going away to college all alone and
I hate to travel with no one to talk to," at the same
time seating herself close to the window and glanc•
ing at the vacant half of the seat. He asked her
if she were going to college at Melena.
"Yes," she replied, "do you attend that col
lege?"
He replied in the aflimative. There were several
of last year's girls in the adjoining car so he propos
ed bringing them to Constance to keep her
company. He excused himself and soon returned
with a party of girls; he told them that Constance
was to be a new student and that they might now
tell her about her new home. He immediately
joined the boys and the young ladies whom Cleve
had taken to her tried hard to make themselves
agreeable, but she apparently did not care to con
verse with them, and they each inwardly decided
that, even though she were pretty, she was awfully
slow. The first thing which greeted her ears was,
"Well Cleve, you are ajim dandy to miss a chance
like that ; the prettiest girl on the whole train and
she as much as asked you to sit down with her, but
you were too much of a chump.
Soon the train stopped at Melena and the girls
all crowded into one of the omnibuses and were
driven to the college. Evzrything had passed
along nicely until Constance retired and then she
lay awake thinking; thinking a little of her broth
of her friend Mame Miller, but had she con
fessed the truth, she would have acknowledge that
by far the greater part of that first sleepless night
at college, was spent in thoughts of Cleve Dun
derdale.
She had been at college almost a week and it
seemed to her that Cleve did all his power to avoid
her. When she passed him on the walks she spoke
to him as nicely as she knew how, and once or
twice when she had met him in the postoffice she
had tried to draw him into conversation, but 1 e
a'ways seemed anxicu; to get away from him. On
one occasion she remarked that it was necessary
for her to procure some chewing gum; Cleve re
THE FREE LANCE
plied that about two squares up the street she could
get the best in town. She said, ''wont you come
with me Mr. Danderdale? lam quite sure I shall
never be able to find the place alone." He made
some lame excuse about the meeting of the staff
of the college paper, Cleve was editor in chief,
but she would accept no excuse, and promised
him a nice time if he would accompany her.
They walked up the street together but Constance
carried more than her share of conversation.
When they arrived at the store, Cleve said,
"here's the place" and was about to leave her ;
but she anticipating his design said, "surely you
are coming in are' nt you ? You wouldn't make
me walk back to college all alone after bringing
me away here ?" Cleve walked awkwardly into
the store and after she had made ber . purchase they
came out together and started toward the college.
Constance seemed very happy, while Cleve act
ed as though he would rather be somewhere else,
though really he was the happiest man living.
When they arrived at the young ladies depart
ment she said to him "come and sit down
on the porch awhile."
"Really," he began, "I must—"
"Now don't make any excuse please, you
try to get out, of everything ; you don't seem
wiling to give me a show. Don't you want me
to be kind to you? Wont you let me think that
you are nice ?"
He finally said that he would sit down for a
little while, but ccukl not stay long.
They sat together and she chatted ; just as he
w.ts leaving she said to him, "I'll tell you what
wa can do to have some fun Cleve; I'll go down ;
t, the Main street church next Sabbath evening
and you be there too and then as I come out of
the door, you come up and speak to me and then
we will walk up together." He said in his em
barrassed way that he would do his best.
It seemed a long while both to Cleve and to
Constance until Sunday. Constance in the mean
time was o.:cupied wondering if she had been able
to make Cleve understand that she loved him.