o find why the wires will not work, she
could not find the "break" anywhere, and decided that romances, whether
"wired" or taken in the ordinary way, were certainly very unwieldy
things to manage.

"It seems to me that you do not use that wire very often now," she said
one evening to Clem and Nattie, the latter of whom she had forcibly
dragged forth from the solitude of her room. "Were it not for me, it
would rust. Why! I used to hear your clatter into the small hours, but
now--"

"Now we are more sensible," concluded Nattie, leaning over the piano to
look at some music. "One gets tired of talking in dots and dashes after
a time!"

Poor Nattie's trouble made her bitter sometimes.

"Yes, one wants a person they don't know to talk with, in order to make
it interesting!" added Clem, not to be outdone.

"Good gracious!" thought Cyn, dismayed at the result of her probing.
"This is really dreadful!" then she exclaimed impulsively,

"I hope you have not quarreled, you two!"

"Oh! dear no!" replied Nattie quickly, "what should we quarrel about?"

But Clem, after looking at her a moment, advanced and held out his hand,
saying frankly,

"I believe we have been cross to each other of late, although how it
happened I do not know! So let us make up and be good!"

Cyn looked up hopefully at this, but Nattie, who could hardly conceal
her agitation, replied coldly,

"I do not see that anything has been the matter!" and placing a limp
hand in his for an instant, turned away.

Clem bit his lip, then took out his watch, saying,

"I believe I have an engagement down town this evening. I shall have to
leave you now, I fear, ladies."

Nattie celebrated his departure by bursting into tears that she vainly
tried to hide, and was detected in this situation on the sofa by Cyn.

Cyn's arms were about her in a moment, and Cyn's voice said lovingly,

"What is it, dear? Tell me what is the matter lately? Trust me with it.
Is it about Clem?"

With a determination, very brave and unselfish, but unfortunately
entirely uncalled for, not to mar Cyn's happy love by her sorrow, Nattie
checked the tears, of which she was ashamed, and answered,

"No! I am very weak and foolish. The idea of my crying like a
school-girl! I am only unhappy because--because--I am nobody!"

And this was all the information the sympathetic and perplexed Cyn could
obtain.

Sitting that night on a low cricket before the fire with her dark hair
unbound--and