George Weston

“ It would take an epic writer to do full justice to that game—to tell how Charlotte first went ahead, how Lady Salisbury overtook her, how they tied five holes in succession, how Lady Salisbury stared, how Charlotte stared back, how the gallery nudged one another, how Charlotte began to forge ahead, how desperately Lady Salisbury tried to overcome the lead, how she gradually pulled up, and how the gallery thrilled when Charlotte forged ahead again, simply because she could hit the ball harder than Lady Salisbury. ”

“ Outside of her doing of the Three Famous Sums, she was an unusually sweet and wholesome little body, with deeply tender eyes, expressive eyebrows and a bashful manner, but, oh, so eager to live, so sincerely in love with life! It was those qualities of naïveté and enthusiasm and sincerity which drew Perry Graham's thoughts more and more often to the girl who had learned her first profound lesson of life from the story of Micah's apple tree. ”

“ So, half consciously and half instinctively, whenever Perry showed his growing liking for her, she drew back; and the more she drew back, the more he pressed forward in his pursuit of a new experience; and the more he pressed forward, the longer Charlotte lay awake when the rest of the household were asleep, thinking things over in her sage, old-fashioned way.
"I wish he didn't have that tired look in his eyes when he thinks nobody is noticing him," she thought one night. "I suppose it's because he's so awfully rich; he's always had everything he wants and he soon gets tired of things. ”

“ Whereat she shook that wise little head of hers, and more in wonder than sorrow she said: "Life's a funny sum!"
Thus the two cousins grew up, one growing more old-fashioned and the other growing prettier every day. By the time they reached their senior year at high school, Margaret had developed into what can only be described as a howling beauty, and Charlotte found herself dreaming more and more often of the day when she would do that sum which she had already decided would startle the world. ”

“ Whereupon, Micah's apples or no Micah's apples, Charlotte showed such a bright, sparkling glow of temper that Margaret shrank back and, not knowing what else to do, she burst into tears. At this Charlotte's temper went cool again and she stared at her pretty cousin, her beaky little nose so curly with disgust that it would have done you good to see it. "Yes," she gravely nodded to herself that night, "that's our beautiful heroine!" ”

“ Walking with resolution she went to Briggs' Livery Stable, and came out a few minutes later in the red-wheeled buggy, Mr. Briggs seated by her side, driving with dignity behind his enormous mustache.
"What a great, silly thing you are," Charlotte told herself, "running away from Neil like this! Perhaps you'll never see him again—till some bold thing has gone and married him!"
"I don't care," thought Charlotte.
"Yes, you do!" she almost passionately told herself. "Else why have you been thinking about him so much lately?"
"Well, I don't care," she thought. "A girl has her pride." ”

“ A weaker character might have asked the despairing question: "What's the use of being smart?" After the performance the night before she remembered everyone had crowded around her pretty cousin to congratulate her, while she, who had graduated at the head of her class, had sat neglected in a corner, an old-fashioned little figure, thinking things out. And when the exercises were over, Willis Hayland had taken Margaret home—Willis Hayland, the richest young man in Penfield, while Charlotte had walked home with Aunt Grace, her beaky little nose held proudly to the stars, pretending not to care. ”

“ Lady Salisbury's critical eye was following her like a searchlight, and altogether it wasn't surprising that after a wild swing Charlotte nearly missed her ball, which rolled forward a few miserable feet instead of sailing grandly half way to the hole.
The gallery gasped. Mr. Ogilvie groaned. And, fortunately for Charlotte, Lady Salisbury smiled. Yes, fortunately for Charlotte! And why? Because it only needed Lady Salisbury's smile to drive the blush from her cheeks and to stiffen her knees till they felt as firm as two steel sockets. "I'll show them," she breathed; "yes—homely as I am!" ”

“ And though, even then, she wouldn't put her thought into words, if you could have looked deep down into her mind, and have lifted the veil of modesty which you would have found there, you would have come to one of those secret places which all of us keep hidden in the depths of our consciousness—and in that secret place of Charlotte's mind you would have found this unphrased thought burning ever so brightly, ever so impishly: "I'm going to pretend he's a millionaire—and practice on him!"
"Don't you want to take the children home in your car?" ”

“ And that's the reason I like Aunt Hepzibah. She likes me! And that's the reason I don't like Margaret. She doesn't like me! And that's the reason all the young men like Margaret. She likes them! And that's the reason nobody likes a selfish person, because a selfish person likes nobody but himself. There! So if I want people to like me I've got to like them. And if I want everybody to like me I've got to like everybody, and that's all there is to it! ”

“ Charlotte was putting her hat on while Perry waited in his car outside. "Why?"
"Because he's very fond of you."
"What makes you think so?" asked Charlotte, blushing for all that.
"Why, you dear little goose, anybody can see it. If he wasn't, do you think he'd be taking you home to lunch?"
Charlotte said nothing; but after she had bade the Phairs good-bye, which wasn't done in a minute or in any perfunctory manner, she went out to the waiting car, still blushing, her heart still warm to Mr. and Mrs. Phair, her eyes luminous with youth and love and success. ”

“ Charlotte bit the end of her tongue and went upstairs; but the next morning as she rode back to her birthplace in Mr. Briggs' wagon she found herself thinking of what her pretty cousin had told her.
When they first left Penfield the houses they passed had a prosperous appearance, and the people she saw waved their hands at her. But gradually, as they jolted farther and farther into the country, the farms began to look more and more dilapidated, and sharp-faced curiosity was seen more often than smiles.
"Great country for rocks hereabout," said Mr. Briggs, stroking his enormous mustache. ”

“ For a little while her heart turned heavy and her feet turned cold, but a few minutes later Charlotte tossed her head so vigorously that, if she had been a queen, her crown would certainly have tumbled off. "No, sir!" she cried. "Lady Salisbury can't frighten me. All the champions living are going to be beaten some day, and why shouldn't I beat one?" ”

“ The Little Rattler roared away as unconcernedly as ever, and Neil kept his eyes fixed on the ruts and turns ahead.
"Perhaps—if I sat a little closer yet!" thought poor Charlotte. So she screwed her courage tighter and sat a little closer yet, but the only thing which happened—alas!—was that Neil moved farther away, as though to give her room.
"Crowded?" he shouted above the rattle of the car, his eyes still fixed on the ruts and turns.
"N-no," said Charlotte in a faint voice. "I'm all right." ”

“ But in the first place, Charlotte's wasn't the comic spirit (her childhood at Marlin Mills had something to do with this) ; and, in the second place, whenever she had to speak in public her feet seemed to grow so big and her hands so red, and her voice seemed to proceed from such a far country, that the whole proceeding was more like a nightmare to Charlotte than anything else.
So, as you plainly see again, that wouldn't do.
"If I could only do something to make myself famous," she thought, "everybody might like me." ”

“ But oh, what a problem—a problem that many a million have vainly tried to figure out since this old world began to wag. If Charlotte had been a talented young man in a great city the sum would have been plenty hard enough—or if she had been a rich and beautiful girl it would have been plenty hard enough. ”

“ There were only six families left, and only seven pupils to attend the school-house under the old Marlin elms, that same schoolhouse where Nathan Hale once taught before he went away to voice his deathless regret.
"And, out o' them seven, one's a bit simple," said Aunt Hepzibah. "Billy Bates. You remember him?"
"Yes," nodded Charlotte, frowning at what Margaret had said.
"The old folks haven't changed much—those that are left," continued her aunt. "A little crabbeder, you'll find 'em, and a little poorer. But that's Marlin Mills all over." ”

“ And now I know that a girl can practice by herself. And now I know that a great big farm like this is the very best place to practice, too. So all I've got to do is to practice—and practice—and practice—morning, noon, and night—more than any girl in the world ever practiced before. And then——" A thrill ran over her as she continued in awestricken accents "‘Miss Charlotte Marlin, International Woman Golf Champion'—and I'll be famous, too!" ”

“ It was the way they smiled at each other, the rich little duets of laughter they indulged in, the breathless nods of the head, the sympathetic faces they pulled, the delighted little snorts, and all those graces and adornments of speech which can only flourish in the warmth of understanding, and wilt away completely in the first cold blast that blows—little graces and adornments which quite defy description. ”

“ There's not much poverty in yon crowd."
"Isn't it funny!" said Charlotte with an innocent look. "I never saw a millionaire till I came down here. It's a treat to me just to see them—to find out what they look like. Now take that man who's just starting out—is he a millionaire?"
"N-no," said the judgmatic Mr. Ogilvie, "he's what I'd call just ordinary rich. ”

“ After awhile she calmly arose and bathed her face in cold water.
"Now!" she said, with that air of resolution which always fell upon her when she set herself a particularly difficult sum. "She's popular with some of the people, but I'm going to make everybody like me! She had her picture in the 'Penfield Journal,' but I'm going to have my picture in all the papers! She thinks she's going to marry Willis Hayland, but I'm going to marry one of the handsomest and richest young men in the whole United States!" ”

“ Now, take Perry. If he wants to enjoy himself he's got to be dressed just so, and he's got to have his car and somebody to amuse him, and he's got to have a lot of money in his pocket, and then go somewhere and spend it. If he had nothing except one old suit of clothes and was dropped suddenly in a strange country somewhere without any money, and was told to enjoy himself, he wouldn't have the least idea of how to go about it. Without money he's nothing."
She drew another deep sigh. "Neil isn't that way," she thought. "Money isn't everything to Neil." ”

“ Ogilvie, it didn't require much effort to deduce that the other belonged to Mr. Phair.
"I tell ye, sir," said Mr. Ogilvie, "I've coached her till she's a wonder. The first time around I played easy, being unsuspicious, and she beat me. The second time I played as canny as I could, but she beat me just the same!"
"Good for the home talent!" laughed Mr. Phair. "Yes, I'd like to meet this prodigy of yours."
They found Charlotte on a corner of the veranda, looking out over the Sound. "You live near New London?" Mr. Phair asked her, when they had chatted for a time. ”

“ In the panic which fell upon her, Charlotte's thoughts rallied around her favorite formula: "I've got to be smart!" Instinctively feeling that flight was the only way to safety, she jumped out of the car and pulled her golf clubs after her. ”

“ Festooned around the edge of the pit were the Seven Faithful Ones, their fourteen eyes gravely watching, their fourteen ears gravely listening. Charlotte went on trying her difficult shots, and a naughty, yes, a wicked thought gradually took shape in her mind, as wicked thoughts have taken shape since time immemorial.
"I practiced how to make people like me," she thought, "because that was my First Sum. ”

“ It's the same as if every gentleman still had to go around in armor, and every old woman was a witch. Why, the way the books have it, Margaret's the only girl in Penfield who could ever be a heroine, and I don't believe there's a girl in town—no, not one!—who wouldn't make a better heroine than she! ”

“ Phair gave her husband one of her significant glances, and they went out on the veranda, leaving Perry and Charlotte together.
"Did you notice him, Joe?" whispered Mrs. Phair, outside.
"Notice who?" whispered back Mr. Phair, with a fine disregard for grammar.
"Perry Graham, of course! At first I hated to think of Charlotte's going; but now I can see it's the very best thing she could do. It's going to bring Perry to the point."
"You think so?"
"Joe, I know it! And the best thing that could happen to him, too. Of course everybody thinks he ought to marry a girl with a lot of money. ”

“ Last month he rented Doctor Baldwin's old house, furnished, but he's still taking his meals at Mrs. Potter's."
With heightened color Charlotte started up the street toward Mr. Briggs' livery stable and, thinking of the things which her aunt had told her, she looked curiously at the big house on top of the hill where her pretty cousin lived.
"Poor Margaret!" she thought. "Willis has probably found her out. And when a man is attracted to a girl because of her looks, after a while he's just as apt to be attracted by another girl because of her looks. Perhaps Margaret has found that out." ”