The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-05-04
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Say, Sis, there goes your fellel
a-ridin' out with Miss Pettibone ag'in,
sung out Billy Spencer from the gar
den, where he was supposed to be
pulling weeds, to his sister who was
practicing at the piano in the parlor
IF you don't hump yourself. she's
goin to cut you out, an don't You
forgit it,"
Billy Spencer, l should think you'd
be ashamed of yourself, said Millicent
from the window in wrathful tones
Il wouldn't wonder if they heard ev-
cry word you said You're just the
most provoking boy l ever saw. HOW'D
you feel, if you were in my place; if
they did hear what you said?"
Mad, spose, just as you do an
swered Billy "But wouldn't be mad
at feller for tryin' to help matters.
I'd be mad at my beau, an the wom-
an who was tryin' to cut me out"
IF John Mead wants Miss Pettibone
he's welcome to her, for all | care,
retorted Milly. "But l don't fancy
the idea of having you shout. your
opinions to the whole neighborhood.
You'd better attend to business and
let other folks look out for them
selves" Then Milly shut the window
with a force that gave some color to
Billy's claim that she Slammed it,"
and went back to her practicing.
But discord had found its way in
to her music, and kept interfering
with its harmony. Try as she might
to concentrate her mind on her exer-
else, she could not help thinking about
the couple who had just ridden by.
Was John Mead inclined to fall in love
with Miss Pettibone, she wondered.
1t certainly looked that way. True,
he came to see her nearly every week,
the same as before he began to be at
tentive to Miss Pettibone, but she
thought perhaps that was more from
force of habit than anything else. Per-
haps he hardly knew his own mind
and was trying to decide which one he
for her in the sense she kad believed
he did, and came only as a friend.
But then, friends are not inclined to
be lover-like, and John Mead, though
he had not talked love much, had GER
tainly looked and acted it, and given
her good reason to think he had "seri-
GUS intentions" But fish is never
really caught until it is landed, and
young woman is never really sure
of her lover until he has bought her
an engagement ring-and sometimes
not then. So il John saw fit to pay
attentions to Miss Pettibone he had
one kind of a right to- but she couldn't
help feeling indignant about it, all the
same. But Milly Spencer was too
proud to wear her heart upon her
sleeve. No one should know, if@she
could help 1t, how sorry she was over
the prospect of losing John. For
though she could not be positively
sure as to his regard for her. she
knew very well that she cared more
for him than she ever expected to for
any other man.
4 suppose its because Miss Petit |
bone can write stories," she told her
self, as she sat in her room and
thought 1t all over. Men always like
women who write, l guess. But l |
can't see what there is in her stories
to admire. To me they're silly. |
really believe l could write as good
ones, myself"
An idea came to Milly at that mo-
ment that was almost like an inspira-
ton. Why not try her hand at story.
writing? If she could write a story.
as she believed she could, she might
prove to John that Miss Pettibone
hadn't the monopoly Of literary ability
In Wellsbridge, and the discovery that
she could write might turn the current
Of his fancy back into the old channel
and enable her to get the start Of her
rival
I'll do it," she decided. "I'll think
up my plot this evening and begin
work on my story bright and early to-
morrow. wonder what kind of a
story would appeal most strongly to
John?"
That evening she shut herself up
n her room and thought out her plot.
t was hard to decide between the
many brilliant ones which submitted
for consideration. but at
asst she chose one which seemed to
Ter best fitted for the purpose she had
n mind. She wanted her story to be
me Of the haunting" kind--some-
hing that John would read and not be
Ible to forget, so full OF pathos that
b would bring tears to his eyes as well
IS love to his heart for the woman
Who could write so beautiful a thing,
Therefore she chose for her story a
lot that hinged on love in IT'S most
athletic aspects, ana was delightfully."-,
entimentally gloomy and fearful. "A
weet thing" she told herself. 1t I
vould be a success, she knew. Al
eady she began to feel the enthu- /