Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1907-11-28

| time. Her head was thrown back, her
moist. crimson lips broken apart in a
| smile, her eyes shining and luminous.
| Every inch of space in the room seem
cd TO vibrate with the mad joy of her
mood.
| Suddenly the telephone bell in the
| corridor pierced the melody with pro
| longed, imperative summons. Phillida
| Jumped Ip from the instrument and
ran out to answer 1t, the erlmsou
splurglng into her cheeks.
"One-eight--thr -fiye-Main!'
Hello, Is that you, PHIL
"Me-yes. she replied, ungrammat-
| ically and TREMENDOUSLY.
| Hartridge seemed to wait a second
| for something she distinctly heard his
| throat clear and the Kissing little
sound that followed told Phillida that
| he caught bis breath once or twice.
| Then;
"Phillida." he said huskily, Il hate
| like the deuce to tell you, but it's got
| to be done, and there's no use putting
| it off. II am going away"
"Rnlyl What"
yes" he rushed on desperately, Ito
Mexico-this afternoon. Like fool,
! took that s. 600 and invested 1t in Il.
and q. Lot every cent of it. The
governor told me to keep out of buck
ct shops with my blamed foolishness,
! but--but'-
"Oh-h, Eil-lyr'
I. linn IN,
| hoarSe voice II had been put next to
| one of those private tips, and ! just
| fell in. Now | shall simply have TO
| get down To work and pay the price of
| my folly IN the coin of grim expert
ence"
For a moment there wlS no reply.
| Then the girls voice drab. diSpirited,
! driftcd over the wire:
"l}ily. how could youW
"Why-why 1t was this way, Phil"
he cried back eagerly in final at
tempt at self exclamation Il thought
If could double or maybe treble my
| little bank account we wouldn't have
SO long 10 watt
Something sweet and gurglng broke
suddenly against his ear Hartridge
removed The receiver and stared into
| its inane orilice, then he placed it back
and listened. rhi.iida was laughing,
"Dear me. YOU stupid Old goose" she
! was Fayiul now. II have all the
| money
out of the question" he cur in tart
| ~. You don't suppose I'm that style of
chumr, do you? Iiy Jovc, 40. There's
no end Of good chance down there
for energy and determination If IL Eel
wants to get ahead. There aren't
many opportunities here for the mex
perienced, and-oh. well, anyway, I've
| decided to Try my luck T."
Autlled sohS shut him off perempto-
riIy. Two receivers tangled Simulta-
| neously in their hooks and three min
! utes later Ilm1ridge was on his way to
the Pendletons
Phillida went back to the drawing
| room, but it seemed all at once dull
| and small and suffocating. She was
too unutterably crushed to do anything
but sink into a chair and hold her
hands. Her heart felt like a stone; her
brain sccthed and whirled. Billy going
away! Her realization baked HeI
mind simply refused to grasp the fact.
/ And an hour ago she had been the hap
piest girl on the globe.
In dazed, hopeless fashion she got
up presently and went out into the
, Hover garden. The beds were a gilt
tering mass of rainbow color. There
were roses everywhere. They nodded
their gentle beads in silent sympathy
with her Myriads of violets looked M
modeStly from their green nests and
condoied with her. Perfect pastures of
johnny -lump-upS peered pertly at her
from every direction. A sudden shad-
o" cut through the streaming sunlight.
ihlIlida turned and lifted her face 10
Harrldges panied eyes.
Billy she said, you we're only
joking"
lie spoke with a gravity she had not
seen in him before.
Not by any means. Phiuida. When
| rang you up 1t was with the intention
OF saying goodby without seeing YOU.
u iett as though ! could not bear It.
hut When you took It the way YOU did
made up my mind TO come 70 Won
ana explain how necessary il is that
should 90"
fhIlilda dabbed at her eyes with her
handkerchief ana chokc1 hack n sn;,-
fe "