Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-08-01

larger salary than she had ever dreamt
Of getting. and which she dared not re-
fuse; and yet how could go to a
strange place, among strange faces.
without a word. a sign of leave-taking
from Robert?
At last she dispatched a tiMid little
/ note, telling him she was leaving Lon
don. n begging for an answer by re-
turn. Poor Robert was delfrOus when
it arrived, and so, all forlorn and with
bear, the girl set out.
ON three weeks later Robert, pale
as a ghost and singularly gaunt, drove
UP in a hanson to the house where
Maisie had lodged. Only that morning
he had been given his correspondence,
defiance OF everything and everybody.
had driven off to answer. If not too late.
Maisie's farewell note.
He found the place deserted n
empty. The landlady had moved. so
the neighbors said, shortly after the
Young lady left.
And, Notwithstanding all his efforts,
no trace could he discove either of the
landlady or Maisie. The tide of life
had swept past him, leaving him
stranded on the b~each-alone.
A year since Maisie had left Lon
don, and already Time, the universal
4 uetlSI, Ildu WOIhGQ WOuucIS. True, SIG
still occasionally experienced a faint
tremor at the postman's knock. and
sometimes INDUCED In day dreams of
a happy reunion with Robert. But such
wistful longings did not affect her ma
terially, and gradually she grew more
c%onteEted than she had ever been. Her
employment was congenial-she was
secretary to II of the heads of the
firm-and free from the fear of con-
slant faultfinding.
h was the only woman in the
building, and inasmuch as she was ex-
tremely pretty and ~singularly sweet
hammered it is not surprising that all
the employees. from the senior clerk to
the smallest Office boy, We're her sim
cele admirers. More than one had
shown an inclination to develop into
something nearer and dearer, but she
felt chary of ever embarking on the
troublous sea of love; besides, she
could never care for any maj save n
Sometimes the thought flashed across
her that perhaps her letter had miscar-
ried-such things had happened. Once,
when the longing to see or hear from
hint was Christmas time, n she
was terribly lonesome-mastered her.
she penned a note couched i'm stiff, not
to say stilted, language, giving her adj
dress and saying she would be glad
to know how he was" A sudden rush
of tenderness made her add a post
script, which caused her, after it had
gone, tears of modification and dis
tress.
Il can never forget you," she wrote;
you are all l have" And answer there
| was none.
Fate had nee more interviewed. Rob-
ert had gone to Australia for some i'm
| portant documents necessary to prove
his identity, and the letter was sent af-
ter him, only to reach Australia the day
after he had sailed for home.
After that Maisie steeled her heart.
! There were others.
Accordingly, on. of her most devoted
admirers. a good looking young giant
of the name of Ernest Arnold. was sud-
denly raised to the seventh heaven of
delight. Once h even deigned to ac-
company his sisters, under his care, to
a fancy ball given in aid of some char
.ty.
But the young fellows hopes of a de-
lightful evening We're crushed by the
unexpected line his lady fair took up.
Maisie wore a mask and domino.
What's the name of that tall girl
In crimson. the one with that pretty lit
tie fair thing? Are they sisters" she
asked of her partner.
"Sisters-in-law,' he corrected. THE
tall one is Lady Lionel Everett-she is
chaperoning the other. Miss Daisy Ev-
erett.''
rs Sir Lionel Everett here?, asked
Maisie, a sudden desire to see Roberts
rival possessing her.
Yes, that chap over there, dressed
as a crusader.
"By-the-bye," he went on. Its ru-
mored that Sir Lionel is about to lose
his title. Some %colonial or other has
turned up. and it's been suggested that
ne should marry Miss Everett and SO
keep the money in the family"
Maisie looked eagerly toward the
group. 7.
Daisy, fair as a lily, dressed as Elaine.
a tall, splendidly dressed Toreador
bending over her. while Lady Everett
chatted to a monk.
Something about the Spanish cavalier
seemed curiously familiar to Maisie,
n she longed to hear his voice.
A desperate determination took pos
session of the girl. She dropped her
fan at the Toreador's feet.
He stopped and picked 1t up hazard
ing a fiowery speech in a grandiloquent
style.
Maisie's heart beat fast.
You should suit your compliments to
your costume. or vice versa she said
softly.
rs my tongue so very rough and
ready?" he asked.
Not always she answered. Some
times it is subtle. Sweet. hen cruel.
w%ounding when most 1t caresses."
He started forward, but with a little
knocking laugh she glided away.
For IN rest Of the evening the
toreador sought for the yellow domino
in every corner. until at the stroke of IL
everyone was unmarked.
He was standing in an ante-room
with Daisy Everett, facing a mirror.
AS he removed his mask. smiling adj
miringly enough at the fair Elaine be-
side him. the heavy draperies at the
door were parted. and a figure in a yell
low domino glided to the glass.
SaNR~f-S~NSe - ~10~A