Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-03-27
Love
Is enough
BY o. R. PHELPS
Copyright, 1906. by G. II. Sutcliffe
By o. r. PHELPS

|
"Shut your eyes tight while l tell
you a story" Alwyn commanded. 1T
begins as stories ought always to be-
gin, once upon a time
Dear me. l know l shan't like II.
Those once upon a time things have
grown to be such borev' Lolita muir
INJURED plalntively, but without ia 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 come-uppance. OF course.
They always do in stories. never out
Of them" Lolita interjected disposition
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 i'll
luck to come down very hard-so hard
he groveled in the dust when one par
ticular 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-slx grow
els. II your. figures can be trusted. /
doubt It, l doubt indeed, II there Is
anything trustworthy about YOU" Lo-
llta flashed at him, with, smile SO
| coyly engaging 1t took all the sting
| from her speech. suppose you stop
| being tiresome," she went on. II 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 l dis
course on ships and shoes and sealing
wax and cabbages and kingsT" AL
wyn asked, his voice submissive
enough, but dancing rebellion In his
| eyes.
Lolita smiled demurely. Il think"
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 sidewise look. Are
you sure?" she murmured. Don't you
with my credulityw
las cruel as your experiments with
my affection?" Alwyn flung back at
her, trying to speak tragically. but
laughing In spite OF himself. What
rogue she was to play with him so. She
loved him almost as he loved her. 1t
had been instantaneous-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 In spite of his
overcoming. he had wit enough to see
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 blissful 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 a great career. Were not the Flem-
ings, father and son, behind him. the
Flemings who had millions in hand
and the Potentially of other millions
in their mere approval? Gordon Elem
ing, the son, was well in the middle
age; he had married very early-ss had
his father before hm-but 1t had
turned out very badly. In year there
had been a 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 IL 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, IL he
chose. So far he had not chosen. In
deed, until Lolita came in hif way wo-
men had been fo him ~ 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 contented himself
with standing aside TO watch their de-
light IN each other. But for three days
mast no had shown a 1fcpa-ffion fO on