El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-11-24
The Herald's
Daily Short Story
An Appeal To Chance

It went against the grain to tell
deliberate faIsehoOd, and yet she could
not bring herself to reveal the truth.
However. he did not seem TO notice
her confusion. and went on chatting
gaily:
I've been thinking about you ever
since" he said. and somehow 1 felt
that 1 must meet you again. So 1 put
that advertisement in the paper hop
ing you'd see it,
"You-you must think rather badly
of me for coming" she said after a
pause.
Not a bit of it I'm quite uncon-
about introductions and all that hum
ventionaI myself, and don't trouble
about introductions and aall that hum
bug. But, of course, 1 shall tell you
all about myself, so that you may
know I'm not an utterly disreputable
person"
1t seemed that he was an engineer,
and had a rather good position at
some works in Westminster. His name
was Arthur Jackson. he lived with his
mother in a fiat al Kensington. and
before Daisy could quite realize. the
fact she had accepted an invitation to
tea there for the next day.
After lunch they went for a stroll
in KensingtOn gardens. and had tea
under the trees. Eight o'clock found
them in the dress circle of the Lyric
theater, where Daisy reveled in the
acting of Mr.. Lewis Waller, and was
probably the happiest person in the
audience. When the performance was
ended, her companion drove her home
in a tax. and made an appointment for
the following day.
{
! cess. Mrs. Jackson was quite as charm
faced old lady, with silver hair and kind
! eyes. She did not ask any awkward
questions. but made the girl feel at
home at once.
There is no need to elaborate this
| little romance. The end can be fore
/ seen, of course, so why spin out the
record? Enough if it be said that
when three months had passed, Ar
thur Jackson asked Daisy to marry
him. and she said yes on the in
slant They were married at the par
ish church, very quietly and went
| away to Folkestone for their fort
! nights honeymoon
I Now Daisy ought to have been SUI
premely happy, but she was not.
! Throughout the courtship period she
had Ionged for the courage to tell Ar
| thur the truth-tO reveal to him the
/ fact that she had replied to his ad-
vertisement half in joke, half in earn
/ est but all the time utterly Ignorant
of his identity. The deceit, trivial as
| il was. weighed her down, because she
loved and worshipped him so thor
| oughIy that it seemed utterly wrong
! to allow him to remain under mis-
apprehension.
''Whatever is wrong. darling? he
asked her one evening, as they sat in
| a remote corner of the pier You
don't seem yourself at all. Hope you
! don't regret being married."
She took his hand and squeezed it
The gesture was very significant and
! spoke volumes.
You old goose she said softly u
i have never been so happy in my
| life-except for one thing.
.'WeIle"
She was beginning to tremble a
| little. But resolution had come to he1
now-she was determined to tell him
| everything and risk the consequences
"Suppose-suppose / had deceived
yOu?" she murmured softly
He drew her closer to him as he
replied:
MY dear Daisy. there are certain
deceits known as pious frauds. Per
haps yours is one of them Anyhow
fire away, and let me know the worst
He did not seem at all perturbed
| Encouraged, however. by this fact, she
| took her courage in both hands anC
| bIurted out everything.
I've been wicked-wicked and de-
ceitful." she sobbed, when she had fin
ished her story. But. oh, darling
forgive me. forgive me-"
4 pause followed. 1.-The he burs
into a long laugh
Forgive YOU" he echoed. why. my