The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1911-05-26


She turned the copy in and hur-
ried uptown to a club meeting to
which she had been assigned, but
through the day the letter and her
answer haunted her thoughts and
she could not put them from her
bmind.
1t spoiled her sleep, too, for she
could only toss uncomfortably
through half the night and rose with
heavy spirits and lesden head in the
morning. In the hope of gaining
some relief she started to walk down
the avenue to the Office.
She had scarcely turned the cor
ner nearest her apartment than she
came to a dead halt, for coming
toward her was the man whose i'm
age had been revived so strongly by
the letter. For an instant she thought
that it was all part Of the waking
nightmare in which she had spent
the past twenty-four hours, but the
next moment Ned Darlington was
shaking her hand with a grip that
was anything but ghostly.
'T've been here a whole week." he
cried, jubilantly, 'but there were
some things to be done before l
looked you up. | was coming to
call this morning. l did not suppose
that you left for the office before ten
at least"
81 was not feeling well and |
thought that a walk might do me
good" she explained and Ned
turned and suited his pace to hers.
"Then by all means let us walk"
he agreed, gaily. dts been long
time since we used to walk together,
Agnes. | suppose that you don't
mind walking with man in a hat
like this ?"
Agnes gave a glance at the light
soft Stetson that spoke of the west.
"You look like a cowboy; but
you're not a cowboy to be ashamed
Of" she said with admiration. "You
seem to have stretched out and up,
Ned. Only your face is not changed"
Prosperity" he explained. "After
we had our last talk | came to the
conclusion that you were going to be
"a better newspaper woman than |
lever could be painter, so scraped
my dollars together and went west,
| happened to stumble against very
real mine and Pm worth a pot of
money now. Are you still sticking
to your old job and telling the love-
lorn what they want to know"
"That is only a part of the work
now" she explained. 81 can't seem
to get rid Of it."
"And you are still telling them
what you would do YOURSELF" he
asked, referring to the platform on
which Agnes had taken her stand
when the work was first given to her
and which he had declared would
never do.
81 am still giving real advice"
she said with an attempt at her old
gaiety.
"Then we'll go in here and get the
ring" he announced abruptly as
they came to halt before famous
jewelry store.
"What ring?" she asked in confu-
sion.
For answer Darlington drew from
his pocket folded paper and point
ed to the home page displayed on the
outside.
81 guess you wrote that" he said,
quietly. 81 was afraid that you
might guess that | had the question
sent in and chuck it into the waste
basket. The girl stenographer at
the hotel wrote it for me-"
Agnes glanced at the answer that
had stirred her so strongly. In a
half dozen sentences she had ad-
vised the writer that if the man
could support her it was better that
she should abandon her career than
that it should interfere with her love.
"That's advice from an expert"
Ned, exultantlN care
YOU ready to follow your own adj
vice? ?" and Agnes proved her willing
ness by following him into the store,
wondering that the happiness she
had counselPd for another had sud-
! L