Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1905-06-15

ture there may be a man who is nj
that Jack is and more And what If
should meet him!''
Her lips parted. Half unconsciously
she drew of the ring. Its pressure, Lao
suddenly become unbearable. Flow
could she wear il without knowing
without feeling sure in her own heart
that Ii meant tinalty in the matter OF
choice, meant that with al the world
to choose from she would have him an6
no other?
And how could she know that? She
might send back the ring and wait
but meanwhile what of Jack? 1t seem.
ed scarcely probable that he would
acquiesce mildly IN such proceeding
She laughed hyaterically. She could
imagine him under sufficient provoca.
ton informing her that there We're just
as good fish to he found in the sea as
had ever been caught-aye, and find
ing them too! She WINGED as If some.
thing she regarded as wholly hers were
slipping away from her.
Moreover, suppose she should break
her engagement because of the uncer-
tainty rs to whether he was her fi,al
choice and the future should bring no
other What then?
She frowned in bewilderment. For
the first time she realized with gasp
just how big n lottery marriage really
is She had heard that trte phrase
many times. but it had never seemed
significant before. Now she felt as IL
1t were lottery in which to a million
tickets there was but one prize and
she owned the tenth OF Il ticket.
With sudden swish the rain washed
smoothly down over the outside of the
window pane rs if the surcharged sky
could no longer control itself. Kath
crime turned her head impatiently. She
had no sympathy for any perplexities
save her own.
Again she held the little beieweled
ring up before her with the tips of two
fingers and gaZed Mt it solennly, but it
seemed to have lost all meaning 1t
was no longer Il ring ordered by Jack
and designed especially for her. 1t had
the amy man TO any woman" look that
AWAY y f-tt tl'pli iitl HtlNtS. Nut
at it long and iixedly and then jumped
to her feet and dashed across the room
impulsively. sitting down at the writ
ing desk between the windows.
With nervous haste she pulled some
paper from pigeouholc, took up the
pen and dipped it deep in the ink, as
one always does in moments OF intense
feeling. Then she pushed the pen back
and forth across the paper in those
long, scratching strides that charactcc
iZe the writing OF the modern woman,
and the sound was as balm to her
nerves
You'll laugh and call it nonsense
she wrote, bat Jack, I'm not sure,
And Of course | must be sure, mustn't
I-sure be. ond ans doubt, beyond any
possible man that may come toward
me out of tie future: And so I'm send
ing back the ring
She was interrupted by commo-
ton in the street, where two rival fog
horns seemed at first to be vying with
each other \ moment later her daZed
ears disentanged the sounds and she
made out from the fearful Gin the one
word "UXtra UXtra,' She pushed
up the window and leaned out.
dreadful smashup on til Il roared
the bigger of the paper boys, holding
up a black lettered sheet invitingy,
and Katherine nodded her head in
vigorous assent and flew down to the
door her heart beats keeping time
with her footsteps. Accident on the
a." and Jack always went up and
down that way. 1t must have hap
pened, too. at just about the hour he
would have been going downtown to
oe in print now
She fairly snatched the paper from
the boys hands, not even waiting to
close the door as her eyes clutched at
the print rayenously. A moment later
she was at the telephone.
''031 John! Quick, centralr' And a
second later the thin, strident voice of
the office boy was in her ears. us
Mr.. Langley theref" And the answer
came, Nav, hasn't been down to-
day" She leaned Imply against the
telephone and there a moment later
the maid found her.
'AIr. Langley, miss"
Eyes, what of him.? She turned
toward the maid with staring expect
ant eyes, and the latter looked back
at her IN amazement.
Hes in the drawing room. He
wants to see YOU" che stammered
out
lie was alive then. For one mo
ment she stood still trying to realize
the beautiful truth of It, Then with a
queer choked laugh she ran lightly mp
the stairs and. Snatching up the dis
carded ring, kissed it rapturously and
put it on her finger.