The Ordway new era., 1910-07-01
TAKING NO
MORE RISKS

Auutou Out ueT uest FdTiS uutpluS anu
. fresh pair Of white gloves. Then
she brushed her new tailor suit.
Why" gasped the young woman
who was visiting. ~ thought you
said you were Just going to run
around the corner to the grocery and
here you are putting on all your aft
ernoon tea clothes!"
"You are mistaken" said her host
ess firmly. Heretofore l have had
best clothes. and second-best clothes.
and rainy.day garments. but from now
on shall have but one outfit and that
my best! made my mind up to that
after last Wednesday.
"You see. had a dressmaker in the
house and was attired in kimono and
my hair was on the verge Of tumbling
down from my frantic endeavors to
help sew. ! can sit absolutely still
and just sew and in an hour I will
look like worse wreck than I would
II had gone through bargain sale
fght. At that precise moment Miss
Downs discovered that she had to
have q yard and half more lace and
Il had to go downtown to get 1t.
. "since 1t was just before lunch time
i figured that all the women who in
tended to 60 downtown that morning
had already gone and It was too early
for me to meet any OF them returning
30 shouldn't run into soul knew
and It wasn't worth while to make a
careful toilet.
II noticed that my face needed pow
idering and my hair needed doing up
and curling. In short. | looked
fright. all tag ends and with wor.
ried frown between my eyebrows.
Still. ! got into an old suit that need.
cd pressing badly and didn't change
the shabby pumps ! had on that were
all scufied at 'he toes. found after
J started in a rush to catch the sub
urban train that hnd grabbed pair
of gloves with ripred finger ends.
when l rushed breathless into the
last car and sank into seat found
when ] raised my eyes that Sally
Homestead was sitting opposite. She
was gazing at me with the virtuous
expression engendered by knowledge
that she had on a new $125 suit.
$50 hat, immaculate boots and gloves
and a carefully massnged complexion.
"she took In every detail Of my out.
rageous attire with plncidly commits
Grating eyes az she Informed me that
she was going to n luncheon party.
She said It kindly as though she knew
i. Of course. never had social occa.
sions proffcred me. Jpst before was
ready to break loose and kill her on
the spot she got OF.
my station was next and had Just
caught my breath. stilled my rage and
bitterly prepared to face the world
and made a dash for the back door Of
the store I wanted. stepped on the
car into the full glare Of the noon sun
and gaxed straight into the face OF a
man haven't seen for ten years.
almost married him once-and you
know you always have sort Of senti.
mental regard for the men you almost
married but didn't
; II had often wondered Idly what
had become Of him and where he was
and sighed over him pityingly. for he
really thought lot Of me ten years
ago.
AL these years I'd fancied his
memories Of me as the fair.
haired, lovely girl ineradicably en-.
shrined within his heart and I was
quito certain that no matter II he did
ever fall in love again and marry he
wouldn't really mean It.
well. there he was. We Just stared
at each other. I was so furious that
he should see me looking as did that
! glared at him as though It was every
bit his falkland he was so amazed
that he stood there with his mouth
open.
IT suppose he was mentally dis.
posine forever OF the fair.haired, love
" girl and thanking his stars that
had refused him. Anyhow. neither OF
us had sense enough to speak and
when I came to rushed on. simply
boiling with wrath. OF all the people
on earth I should have chosen to meet
him last that morning. When per.
son has an ideal Of you It is perfectly
dreadful to see It go to smash before
your eyes.
"I was buying the lace as though I
intended to go out and commit suicide
Immediately afterward when the
woman next at the counter looked up
and spoke. She was my immediate
predecessor with Jim. I've always
been a little Jealous Of her. but have
comforted myself with the idea that I
really was lots better looking than she.
"There she stood in new long au-
tomobiie coat that looked howlingly
fashionable and evidently she had Just
been to the hairdresser's. I know she
had on rouge. but she looked fine and
I wish you could have seen the lift to
her eyebrows as she took me In!
"1 wanted to strangie her with the
yard and half of lace. but instead l
speaked out and took to the back
streets and skulked to the train. All