Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-09-30
b|LL|ARDS--AND
SOMETHING ELSE,
The Chance That Came With &
Lesson In the Game.
BY M. J. PHILLIPS.
copyright. 1909, by Associated Literary
Press

to present his excuse, Miss Welland
by her manner ignored the existence
OF an offense and so made excuse i'm
possible. At first blush that sounds
all right, but it wasn't.
For how could Il fellow secure free
dom from his grievous dungeon when
the pardon board publicly and official
ly pretended to believe that he was
enjoying the sweet atmosphere of lib
erty? That was the question which
bothered Carrick.
lie felt that five minutes talk with
Miss Welland would set everything
right. But she was graciously and
firmly unapproachnble. She insisted
on treating him just the same as ever,
only more so. And Carrick ratified his
dungeon chains, while Miss Welland
smiled sweetly ON Purves Bland.
Carrick wasn't really to blame. They
had been going to the theater Wednes-
day evening after having waited three
weeks to get tickets because every
body else seemed to want to go too.
And that very Wednesday afternoon
the manager had sent for Carrick.
BE here at o'clock tonight" he
directed There will be Il special
meeting Of the board for the purpose
of discussing your carbon improve
ment plan. If we take it up His
ponpous smile was rich with PROMISE
For Il young man whom opportunity
had seized by the nape of the neck and
In
ity Carrick was singularly unapprccia-
tive. He knew how Miss Welland was
anticipating seeing What Woman
Would DO" and the impossibility of Sc
curing other tickets during the re-
mainder Of the run. Miss Wellands
slightest wish was more important just
then than Il good many other things.
so he mentioned another engage
ment."
Then you must break it. Mr.. Car
rick said the manager quite decided
ly. MIR. Kern. who is our president
and heaviest stakeholder, will be here
from the west tonight on his way TO
New York. He can stay only two
hours. We can do nothing without his
approval. SO you see how necessary
it is that you attend the meeting"
There seemed no way ont of it. Car
rick wrote note to Miss Welland ex-
planning the circumstances. scaled it
and rang for Il messenger. When 4
diminutive representative Of the y. u.
Il. arrived Carrick was smitten With Il
brilliant idea. Why not send the tick
cts SO she could 90 anyway? SO he
wrote another note, inclosed the tickets
with it and handed both envelopes to
the messenger And the one contain.
ing the tickets was never delivered.
All unconscious of this fact. Carrick
went back to the office ut s o'clock.
Fifteen minutes later word came that
Mr.. Kern was delayed by wreck ana
that the board meeting would be held
next morning.
On the chance that he might yet be
in time to escort Miss Welland to the
theater he rushed off to find her. only
to be Informed by the maid that she
had gone out He went on home then,
where he was promptly pressed into
service by his sister Beatrice. who
wanted company as far as Gladys Bur
tons. And at the Burton door they
had encountered Miss Welland.
That young lady had smiingly cut
short his explanations before they
were begun Later. when he heard of
the nondelvery of the tickets. he tried
again. But Purves Bland was now in
the play, and explanations were impoS-
sible. He never saw Miss Wclland
unless the neutrality-suspicious. Mr.. Bland
was at her elbow. He haunted balls
and rectals and tea fights in an ell
deavor to tell her of the meeting that
didn't come off, but in vain.
Weeks of plotting and plannin" ana
waiting for opportunities that never
came left him worried and hunGl.
looking Why rejoice that his carbon
Improvement scheme was Il go when
the only girl in the world-it had
reached that sta@e-wouldnt look at
him or, worse still. looked 1T him pre-
cisely as she looked at everybody clSet
But his persistence won finally. BY
the assistance of Dick Sargent en-
gagged and consequently Sympathetic
he was assured of a monopoly of Miss
Welland and the billiard room during
n dance ut Burton's one night. Dick
promised fifteen minutes if he had to
tie Purvcs Bland with the portieres.
Miss Welland." he began GREATNESS
" when Bland had been lurcd away
by Dick and the future Mrs. Sargent,
'you know the night OF What Won
an Would Do -
"Rut YOU were to teach me TO PLAY
billiards. You know" remarked Miss
Welland.
"But I want to explain" he urged.
Il got your note" Miss Wclland re
minded him, and Beatrice has ted
me about the loss of the tickets. So
that's all over and forgotten"
icing equipped only with tn" slow
going mental processes Of mere man
Carrick was somewhat daZed by this
Information. For weeks he had been
preparing himself to take the cncmy's
fCrtifcations by storm. To find that
there was to be no war was surprising.
70 say the least
"You know all about it?' he queried