Daily public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1892-191?, 1912-09-21
UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER
OF STUBBORN MlLLlCEN1
BY HARMONY WELLER.


dropping hat and frock of palest
mauve; there was just a suggestion
OF melancholy about Millicent that on.
ly exaggerated her charm. To the
man standing near the ticket Office
she seemed the embodiment of all that
was lovely.
Millicent looked up and caught his
eyes fixed admiringly upon her and
the color famed into her checks. Her
fingers trembled slightly as she fun.
bled for her ticket
A frown sped swiftly across her
face. The ticket that she had taken
a month or SO ago was not in her
bag!
I'VE have been booked back for the
last six weeks" the man told her.
II did so want to see the play" she
Informed the man behind the window.
AS she turned to leave the foyer her
appealing eyes swept across space to
the good-looking man whose gaze had
brought the color into her cheeks.
IF you care to take this seat will
be only too happy" he said in per-
fectly impersonal tone.
Millicent hesitated a second only
then in hurried voice thanked him.
And you are not robbing yourself?"
she questioned.
"The seat will go begging if you do
not use IT," the man said and gave her
the ticket.
Millicent reached down into the
depths of her opera bag and brought
forth a two-dollar bill.
Us that right?" she asked and did
not raise her eyes.
A dull red mounted even to the
mans temples. He drew back swiftly
then as suddenly took the money.
Thank you, yes" He raised his hat
and Nlillicent went into the well-filled
theater.
A moment before the curtain arose
she knew that he had come in and
that he was sitting beside her. MILL
cent felt peculiarly aggrieved that he
had not so much as looked at her. At
the same time she knew that If he
had acted otherwise she would in all
probability have left the theater.
Il wish he were-not quite so good
looking" she found herself thinking.
The curtain went up and she became
interested in the play, But through it
all Millicent was uncomfortably con-
scious of the man beside her. Not
withstanding the fact that he was sit
ting in the next seat to her he seemed
to have put himself miles away. That
he was completely absorbed in the
drama being enacted on the stage, and
not in her, was evident to Millicent.
She found herself losing interest In
the actors and watching every move
ment Of the long, shapely hands of the
man. Occasionally she stole a sur
reptitious glance at his profile.
The success OF the play had come,
not through any hectic love affairs
with another mans wife or any great
financial crisis. 1t was merely a pref
ty, domestic drama told by we'll bal
anced, healthy-minded people. There
were no scheming politicians and no
wan eyed heroines.
The hero was big and broad-minded
and the girl he loved was sweet and
she was not Jealous nor catty when
her handsome lover danced with the
dark-eyed Suzette.
Millicent felt suddenly very small
and insignificant and unloved.
ut is only play girls who are so sim
pie minded" she argued with herself
She glanced at the man beside her.
His eyes were following the girl on
the stage and Millicent fancied there
was more than the theater-goer's ad-
miration an his face. She bit her lips
to still their trembling and turned
again toward the stage.
Girls are not like that in real life"
she told herself vehemently.
The curtain went down on the Sec
ond act. The man beside Milllcent
again went out and in her vivid imag-
ination she pictured him as buying
great clusters OF American beauties
and sending them to the stage heroine
She wished now that she had not
seen the play nor the man. Way down
In the depths OF her nature something
had stirred. Was it the play or was 1t
the man beside her whose personality
seemed to have overpowered her?
Whatever it was Millicent waited
with rapidly beating heart for his re-
turn.
The light went down and she began
to think he was not coming.
How perfectly ridiculous and silly
Of me to feel this way" She laughed
scornfully at herself and ended with
wistful eyes.
Against her will she turned toward
the back of the theater. Yes he was
standing there. A moment later he
came down and took his seat beside
her.
The last act was drawing to a close
when resolution suddenly became ap.
parent in Millicent. The color crept
slowly up to the shadows beneath her
eyes and her lips smiled
With a very gentle almost unfelt
movement she leaned nearer the big
man and slipped her hand through his
arm. A sudden hungry little jerk was
all me reward her efforts brought
forth. He did not turn his head but
Millicent watched his Jaw set. A mo-
ment later her fingers closed over the
ring that dangled from his watch
chain.
Still the man remained as If carved
in stone.