The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1912-11-07
WI HAT A
CRACK DID,
b. SADIE OLCoTT

Bernard Ellsworth. the only son OF
wealthy parents. and Susie Ptxley
were playmates. When they grew Up
Bernard went to another field fol
awhile and during his absence CORE
sponded with Susie. Whether or no it
was absence. he discovered that he
wanted her. Her parents were in rath-
er straitened circumstances at the
time. and this caused the young man
to think that the question between
him and Susie was. should he, who
would inherit wealth. marry girl who
had not even prospects? He wanted
her badly enough to make the pecunt.
airy sacrifice. but considered that Susie.
under the circumstances, shonld feel
highly battered "
Before his return he wrote her: .
long letter which he considered con.
tanned lot Of good sense, ending with
q proposition of marriage. When the
letter was delivered Susie was out. The
postman handed 1t to a maid, who left
it on a mantel with q crack in it. and
perhaps it was the modesty natural to
a love letter-it slipped down into the
crack out Of sight. When Susie came
in the maid told her that letter had
come for her, and she was going to get
it when fate stepped in to play one Of
those tricks so common in the affairs
Of man and woman kind. There came
a ring at the telephone. followed by
summons for Susie. The summons kept
her away all night. and the next day
her little brother was taken very III.
30 that the matter slipped her mind.
When Bernard returned he did not
20 to see her. and when she learned
that he had been at home a week
without calling she was surprised. It
did not seem that there was anything
to do in the matter. She was uncon.
scious Of having done anything to Of.
fend him and. being sensitive. fan
cied that he might have met his fate
while away and thought 1t best to
break of all intimacies with other girls.
Perhaps she would meet him aud the
matter would be explained. .....
But that fate which had started the
misunderstanding kept it up. A num-
Der of times Bernard and Susie were
within hundred feet Of each other
without coming in contact. Once she
saw him crossing street. but since
he was not facing her he did not see
her or. if he did. pretended he didn't.
They were under the same roof at so.
cial gatherings twice. but the little imp
that fate set to keeping them apart
contrived that they should not be In
the same room at the same moment
Then one morning Susie took up a
newspaper to see under large headlines
notice of the failure of the Ellsworth
company. Incorporated, Of which Ber-
nard's father was president and own.
er Of the majority OF the stock.
The day after this announcement
Bernard. who was sunk in dependency
consequent upon the family misfortune.
received q letter from his old friend
Susie offering him her sympathy. One
would suppose such letter coming at
such a time would be received In the
spirit with which it was sent But
Bernard considered himself to have
at receiving no reply to his letter Of
fering himself. and the epistle he now
received seemed to be adding insult to
injury. He tossed it in q wastebas-
ket without reply. -, ~
Then fate, still bent on playing its
little game, brought about another ele'
ment to complicate matters. Susie and
1 70 rh1 h<1on
Ing his family in straitened ctrcum'
stances by trying to market inventions
succeeded in getting capital for the
production Of an electrical machine
which made every one even remotely
connected with 1t rich. Mr.. Pixley had
secured nice block of the stock in
payment for organizing the company
and it became fortune
But one thing prevented Susie from
being happy in her family's altered
fortune She would have liked t
make her old friend Bernard happy In
some pecuniary way that was rather
vague in her inexperienced mind.
Then fate. having got the matter
into as bad snari az possible ant
having turned things completely up
side down. instructed its imp to undt
everything that had been done. Thu
house the Pixleys lived In was verJ
much run down and It was decided Il
make the necessary repairs and Inn
provements. One morning when me
chanics were tearing everything Il
pieces q workman who had just pulle(
down a mantel handed Susie q letter
She recognized Bernard Ellsworth
handwriting and at once opened II
Since it was q long epistle she took I