Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-01-27
NUMBER 4797.


the travelling men were gone and I
was gloriously alone, and at leisure,
for the first time since this branch
Office had been established.
The telephone rang. Interrupted the
first thing. and probably by some one
waiting in the pool room whose NUM-
Der we had taken said Hello, rather
CURLY.
Hello, Jim.''
You have the wrong number" I
managed to say more decently 1, was
a woman. a lady, with a deuced nice
manner
"Oh, isn't this 1892"
Yes, but
Don't Joke. Jim. know you are in
town, and knew you must be there In
fact, | just came back from Cousin
Mary's. And the fiat is so desolate
this morning, l can't bear it. Come
on down, Jim, I've forgotten it, and
I'm waiting. There is fire in the
CRATE, and-and dear, listen; I've got
story accepted, and paid Off that
you needn't be afraid to stay-every-
things pretty near all right. You',l be
right down, won't you"
Il beg your
Don't beg my forgiveness. You
have it, you know that, and don't let's
talk any more over the .phone'-her
voice was breaking pitifully.
Something often takes hold of me
so that | am not responsible for my
aetionsI can't account for it any
other way.
said. You come up here, can't
you? I'm devilish busy"--I felt pretty
sure that Jim would say that Then
l happened to think was asking her
to pool room. as far as she knew.
you see We've cleared the old bust
mes OUT
''Oh. - The gladness was delightful.
"and shall Just walk in-but you'll
be looking. won't you?"
You bet
A hundred thoughts spun in my
Uranium. The greatest of them that
she would be disappointed terribly. |
was an ass. Well. I'd find Jim, and
give him a piece Of my whrling mind.
but by JOve. maybe she would not
like it. I think I was % at that time.
A cowardly impulse told me to be
astonished at the whole proceeding,
when | saw how sensible, how unsenti-
mental and womanly she was.
l told her the truth about 1t like a
culprit. She moved toward the door,
of course
IN admit that l seem a practical
joker, or worse. but I'm not. You
wouldn't let me tell who l was
Il know was so worried. and so
sure" she said; half in anger and half
in belief.
Come back and sit down and tell
me, won't you? | know that sounds
like a benevolent old gentleman's re-
mark, doesn't it?'
laughed as kindly as an over
grown sapling can, and-she sat down.
by Jove, you know when you said
You had a story accepted, /, well, L
er-you see, | am working like Tro-
jan 10 get a feeble attempt of mine
used as a cover page. I'm going to
pay off something, too, if | get this
bloomin thing to go. You see, my
mother has little place where the
hollyhoCks and cabbages, and potatoes
she digs herself all grow together.
half garden and half flower beds, and
there's a little two-by-four porch in
front where morning glories have
grown since | was kid in dresses,
and
And you understood, didn't your"
Her face seemed the loveliest | had
ever seer as she leaned over, inter-
ested.
| handed her my card, and she told
me her name was Virginia Weston.
You see, Jim Is my twin
Your twin?" The blood went roll
licking in my veins.
She repeated IT. and for the first
time there were tears in her warm
eyes, and her mouth quivered.
Jim is as straight as a string" now,
and he and | share Virginia together
and | am her illustrator. besides
Four thousand seven hundred and
ninety-seven is my luck number, she
says.-Elelle Becker.