The Tupelo journal., 1910-10-07
HIS LAPSE
! 6 6MEMORY

II
When she saw the girl in the door
way the girl kneeling before the fire.
place exclaimed: Why. Isabel How
did you get int"
II ran right in." exclaimed the new.
conner. sinking into . chair. because
! was sure smelled something burn.
ing. supposed the house was ON
IRE. The maid was scrubbing the
front steps and she must have thought
me crazy. What on earth are you
building . fire for on q hot day like
this?"
The girl at the fireplace threw q
handful Of letters on the little fame
which she had kindled. "Oh, this isn't
q fire." she said. TITS funeral"
so that's it," laughed Isabel. well.
who Is the man? And. Edith. why
couldn't you have told me Of your en-
gagement in some other manner than
this-letting me run into the house
as though were thief or a maniac.
just because you are having one Of
those bonflres which we always have
on such occasions?"
You're wrong on the first guess, =
said Edith as she threw the last letter
on the fire and turned to face her
caller. I've half a mind to tell you
about It," she mused, "for it is an In
teresting story. II you'll promise
never to tell"
Il promise"
We'll. then, Isabel. do you remem-
Der anything about Jack Wheeler and
me?"
What kind Of memory do you think
I have?" laughed Isabel. do remem-
Der! Have l recovered yet from the
nervous strain Of trying to console
Jack when you finally made him un-
derstand that you wouldn't marry hin?
And didn't absolutely refuse to be-
lieve that he was engaged to some
one else. until the wedding cards were
out? It's two years ago. Of course,
but he was so madly in love with you
that"
1T happened yesterday afternoon. !"
said Edith. interrupting the remarks
of her friend. II dropped In at Amy's
and who should be there but Jacks
wife! It was positively her first ap-
pearance in Chicago. 1t seems that
her mother and Amy's mother were
little girls together, or something like
that. Anyway. there she was. Amy
acted as II she wanted to laugh. or az
il she were waiting for something
very dramatic to happen. Jacks wife.
however. seemed unconscious that ]
was anybody in particular"
what is she iike?" asked Isabel.
"She's a nice little thing" said
Edith with the manner of one de-
termined to be just. But she isn't
the kind OF girl you would think Jack
would admire"
"M-m-m," said Isabel. as she bent
down, ostensibly to fasten her shoe,
but really to hide smile.
mo. she isn't the kind Of girl you
would think Jack would like. But
she is very well bred and rather pref
ty in quiet, demure way. We TALKED
about the things that every one al.
ways talks about Then in some way
the conversation turned to names.
made my stock remark about the con-
yeniences of having name as odd
as mins. Jacks wife then made her
longest speech.
".You E4ow my name was Smith,
~ fNH hot
name Of more than two syllables al
ways seems strange to me. And you
know your name is enough to surprise
nearly any one on the first hearing
agreed with her. Then she said:
I've had lurking fear that didn't
spell 1t right on the announcement
cards. You see, Jack didn't write his
list out for me. but simply told me
the Names
"She seemed so earnest about 1t
that assured her the name was
spelled correctly. AS a matter of
fact, it was. Then laughed and said
it was my first name, which certainly
is common enough. that had been her
undoing-she had changed my name
to Edna.
well, what do you suppose she
replied? That is joke on Jack she
said, for l asked him what your first
name was and he said 1t was either
Edna or Edith, he couldn't remember
which. Then he thought a minute and
said 1t was Edna"
"She must Ee a little cat" declared
Isabel.
Il wonder said Edith ''Stiil. she
seemed SO unconscious and so demure
that / can hardly believe 1t. The
chances are that Jack really did say
that to her."
swell, where dc the letters come
Int" demanded Isabel.
aOh," said Edith, they haven't
much to do with It. You see. the way
she said It was so perfect that !
came away telling myself that It must
oil be mistake about Jacks having
been fond of me; that time had exags
gerated to me the importance OF that
AFFAIR. So this morning went down
to the storeroom and hunted around
for box Of old letters that knew
was there. l hadn't thought about
them for months and why ! didn't de-
stroy them long ago don't know.
"T've spent hours reading them
over. every one. And now have
burned them all, as your own eyes can
testify. But in strict confidence, be-
tween ourselves. don't mind telling
YOU that at one time and that not so
very long ago-Jack Wheeler knew
nv name. And II 1t wasn't for shat
.-.s.~ <ha faith If hia little wife I'd