Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1906-10-10
Love
Is enough
BY o. R. PHELPS
Copyright, 1906. by @. ii. sutcliffe
By o. R. PHELPS
Copyright, 1906. by G. II. sutcliffe

begins as stories ought always 10 De-
gin, Once upon time
Dear mel | know l shan't like 1t.
Those once upon time things have
grown to be such bore!' Lolita muir
INJURED plaintively, but without In the
least checking the story teller.
He ran ON, his eyes fixed high above
her head, "A foolish fellow, foolisher
than the common, set himself to hate
wisdom, whose other name Is wom-
an
"He got his comeuppance, of course.
They always do in stories, never out
of them" Lolita interjected dispassion-
ately.
This time Alwyn laughed. Whose
other name is woman-woman," he
repeated with all the emphasis of capt.
tails. But you're dead wrong. He got
no come-uppance. 1t was rather his Ill
luck to come down very hard-so hard
he groveled in the dust when one par
tcular woman looked him over with
out seeing him. That has happened,
let me see about three times day for
full six weeks. Result
zone hundred and twenty-six grow
els. II your figures can be trusted.
doubt it. l doubt, indeed, II there is
anything trustworthy about you," Lo-
lIta flashed at him, with a smile so
coyly engaging II took all the sting
from her speech. Suppose you stop
being tlresome," she went on. Il don't
ask you TO be sensible, I'm so far from
sensible myself But let's get away
from the eternal me- There must be
! such lots of things better worth while"
what will you have? Shall | dis
course on ships and shoes and sealing
wax and cabbages and kingsY" AL
| wyn asked, his voice submissive
enough, but dancing rebellion in his
! eyes.
Lolita smiled demurely. Il think"
she said, with an air of grave rehec-
ton, IF you don't mind, / had rather
hear things about Gordon Fleming"
There's nothing | can tell you-he's
so openly. so Extensively, so disgust
ingly rich-and so patiently in love with
YOU" Alwyn burst out.
Lolita gave him Il sidewise look. Are
you sure?" she murmured. Don't you
see it would be cruel to experiment
with my credulityT'
"As cruel as your experiments with
my affection?" Alwyn flung back at
her. trying to speak tragically. but
/ laughing In spite of himself. What a
rogue she was TO play with him so. She
! loved him almost as he loved her. 1t
| had been nstantaneous-they had
| hardly more than looked at each other
when eye spoke TO eye. heart TO heart.
! But she had fiouted him daintily all
along. thereby making him more than
ever captive And he In turn had
leased and veXed her, now with eXag-
gerated and open devotion, now with
reproofs for wholly imaginary faults.
! Really he did not think she could own
a fault-she seemed to him perfect and
altogether lovely. But i'm spite of his
overcoming. he had wit enough to see
4 that tame and abject devotion would
never suit her-he must show himself
a man of spirit and temper else he
would be no man for her
1t was ten days since they had come
together at the Glenwold house party
ten bissful days of Lolita and love.
Incidentally there had been walks,
rides, drives, golfing and moonlit
maunderings Mrs. Arklow, Glen
woods chatelaine, had looked on in
smiling approval Lolita had but a
scant fortune, and Alwyn, though not
overrich, was clearly at the beginning
of n great career Were not the Elem.
ings. father and son, behind him, the
Flemings who had millions in hand
and the potentiality. of other millions
in their mere approval? Gordon FleR-
ing, the son, was well in the middle
age; he had married very early-as had
his father before him-but Ii had
turned out very badly. In year there
had been IA separation, later the threat
of divorce, but fate stepped in to save
the family pride. The wife sailed away
on ship that went down at sea. She
had not been heard OF In the fifteen
years since. SO 1t was safely assumed
that she was among the lost. None OF
the few survivors had any knowledge
Of her; she was, moreover, so slight
and frail she could hardly have lived
through the terror
Morally and legally her husband was
free-to love, to WOO, to marry, II he
chose. So far lie had not chosen. In.
deed, until Lolita came in hlt way wo-
men had been to- him as shadows
shadows which must be well and ten
derby used but given no further
thought Her freshness. her unspoiled
fairness. her simple natural charm. had
swept him off his feet as completely as
they had bowled over Alwyn. At first
he had seemed TO see how the land lay
between the pair and eontented himself
with standing aside to watch their de
light IN each other. But for three days
past he had shown a disposition to en-
ter the lists--a disposition which reused
I'm Alwyn rather pity than apprehen-
sion. Lolita knew-that was his sure
hope-knew what IL was TO love. to be
loved. All Flemings millions were no
offset 10 the Knowledge. Still. II did no
harm to make believe he was in fear