The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-08-24
TEN MINUTES
WIN TIE
Short Story
Writers
Arranged By Fate
(ey Cora standish.)

Iahd dlsCo$ef EUU VINO are supposed
to be in f'lorida2"
"I'he person whom YOU think / a4r
Imay be ia Florida, was the response
AS you doubtless realize, you have
lmade mistake, | do not know whom
IyoU think am, but | am not she"
Not Clarice Naughn?' cried Dick
lincredulously You are joking Just
Ias If | would not know You, no matter
where we met
~ am not Miss Vaughn, was the
lsteady answer. AS we are attract
ling considerable attention, / beg that
Iyou acknowledge your error and term
Iinate this very embarrassing inter
View
Il beg 70 apologize for my insist
lence, said Askin stialy, as he turn
Jed away, Y0u remind me very
fstrongly Of friend OF mine even to
your clothes and the pecmliar ring
you wear" he added with a slgniflc.
liant glance at the hand from which
1.-THE fur mitten had been removed
The hand waa hastily covered, as
Askih moved away in search OF the
depot hack He walked slowly, and
iwith none of tile animation that had
characterized his stride as he had
Isprung to greet the girl Then he
lhad been all aglow with delight Now
lie was both hurt and puzzled.
| Clarice Vaughn was supposed to be
lwinterlng in Florida, yet he was eer-
| tain that tae girl Of the station was
lGlarice He had seen her in that
same dress Ealf dozen times and
there WIS TO mistaking the odd ring
cut with the Vaughn crest that she
Ihabitually wore. A mere veil and
lchange Of voice could deceive him.
He could not understand why she
Ishould deliberately deny her identi-
! ty, nor could he fathon her reason for
being here, and when t'he hack driver
told him that the girl To whom he
had been talking was Miss Clara Vail
Ithe mystery still further deepened.
He had come almost wholly by ac-
icident to the little out OF the way viii
lage. d place SO tiny that he wonder
ed even at Its being on the railroad
snap. He had learned by accident Of
bargain in timber land and had
hurried on to make purchase. For the
moment the idea OF a deal was driy
en- entirely out OF his mind and he
could only realize that the girl whom
he loved and who he had hoped some
day would return his affection, had
refused to admit her identity.
There might be two dresses exact
lv alike or Clarice might have given
the dress to the maid who mad sold it
to some village beauty. He Was even
willing TO admit that there might be
two such rings as Clarice wore, but
he could have made no mistake in
the eyes He would know those any
where, however thick the veil
He spent the entire afternoon in
his roo mat the dinapidatcd hotel
which afforded the only accommoda-
tion in the town for transients, and
not until evening did he feel the need
Of exercise after several hours In
room where au air-tight stove con
sumed the oxygen and left the air
yitiated The night was clear and
crisp, the snow crunehed unsteady
beneath his tread, and almost before
ne realized it he was enjoying his
tramp ln spite OF the weight that lay
upon his mind.
He had headed for the country, and
a few minutes walk had brought him
10 the edge OF he tiny town Now
he was striding along a country road
stepping off occasionally into the
deep drifts, ia permit a team to pass
and smiling his negative to the cor
diai offers of q lift from the drivers (
going in bis direction
He wanted To walls and think and /
almost before he realized it, he was
several miles from the village
He started when dead ahead be
saw the well remembered form ad-
vuneiug For am instant he ala notl
believe the testimony 9f his own eyes 3
then he realized that the girl who I
ever she was was coming toward
him and that she was no phantasy of
bis imagination The moonlight. re-
.lected by the suoW-coyered fields.
threw a strong illumination aud as
She passed him Dick raised his hat
and stood aside She hurried on,
acknowledging the salute with only
he slightest inclination of her head.
Wih AN his doubts and c0uiusious
returning, Dick plodded on. de,ermin
ad thar he would seek NO further the
solution of The mystery
He had gone scarcely 80 feet when
hore came the pattering of a small /
loot ON the crisp snow and @ low.
'hokei voice called his name
tio turned quickly to face che girl
Who stood before him. breathless and Il
lhashed i.
"a couldn't lot YOU $50 again. She 1,
aid with flaming cheeks. Dick, what I,
nn You think of meg
"I can only believe that there IS
ome grave reason for this secrecy !
aid Dick 4 have no right 30 Ge-
uand explanations
But } want yOu 60 know, insisted
he girl II don't know what YOU can
hiuk of mother and me. buried in
his lOrsaken spCi under avn assumed
anne We've done nothing THAI we
re ashamed of But mother is asham-
i. I'D confess that We have no money
nl So she Invented this tioriua
rip. ana Linda who used 90 De my
iaid. sends out the letters We mail
% hCr from St Augustine and remau ,
% us tho letters that come TO u7
here
And that is why you have been
o slow in answering my letters
r.ed Dick. new hope rising in MS :
reast. and YOU have no money
'Nol enough 20 keep the tow
0use going for the season. The
lace is rented. as y1u know, ana 30 A.,
. announced that We are living very =
uiety Ia florida on account OF ms i