Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-01-07
B|LL|ARDS--AN
SOMETHING ELSE
The Chance That Came With a
Lesson In the Game.
BY M. J. PHILLIPS.

admitted his offense and was anxious
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 fellow secure free
dom from his grievous dungeon when
the pardon board publicly and official
~ pretended to believe that he was
enjoying the sweet atmosphere of lib
erty? That was the question which
bothered Carrick
He felt that five minutes talk with
Miss Welland would set everything
right. But she was graciously and
firmly unapproachable. 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 he a special
meeting Of the board for the purpose
Of discussing your carbon improve
ment plan. If we take it up His
pompous smile was rich with promise
For a young man whom opportunity
had seized by the nape of the neck and
was thrusting headlong into prosper
ity Carrick was siqgularly unapprecia-
tive. He knew how Miss Welland was
anticipating seeing What a Woman
Would Do and the impossibility of Sc
curing other tickets during the re-
mainder of the run. Miss Welland's
slightest wish was more important just
then than a 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 out of it. Car
rick wrote a note to Miss Welland ex-
planning the circumstances. sealed it
and rang for messenger When a
diminutive representative of the A. ID.
T. arrived Carrick was smitten with Il
brilliant idea. Why not send the tick
cts so she could go anyway? SO lie
wrote another$lote. 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 at S o'clock.
Fifteen minutes later word came that
Mr.. Kern was delayed by wreck and
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
10 be Informed by the maid that she
| had gone out. He went on home then,
service by his sister Beatrice, who
wanted company as far as Gladys Bur
toms. And at the Burton door they
had encountered Miss Welland.
That young lady had smilingly cut
short his explanations before they
were begun. Later when he heard Of
the nondelivery of the tickets, he tried
araiD Rut p,irvac DlopJ VOC noxu I'm
the play, and explanations were impos-
sible. He never saw Miss Welland
unless the hint-impervious Mr.. Bland
was at her elbow. He haunted balls
and recitals and tea fights in an en-
deavor to tell her of the meeting that
didn't come off, but in vain.
Weeks of plotting and planning and
waiting for opportunities that never
came left him worried and hungry
looking Why rejoice that his carbon
Improvement scheme was a go when
the only girl in the world-it had
reached that stage-wouldn't look al
him or, worse still, looked at him pre-
cisely as she looked at everybody else
But his persistence won finally. By
gagged and consequently sympathetic
he was assured Of monopoly Of Miss
Welland and the billiard room during
dance at Buttons one night. Dick
promised fifteen minutes If he had to
tie Purves Bland with the portieres.
miss Welland," he began breathless.
ly when Bland had been lured away
by Dick and the future Mrs. Sargent
you know the night Of What Wom'
an Would Do -
"But you were to teach me to play
billiards, you know" remarked Miss
Welland.
But want to explain" he urged.
II got your note" Miss Welland re
minded him. "And Beatrice has told
me about the loss of the tickets. Sc
that's all over and forgotten"
Being equipped only with the slow
/ going mental processes of mere man