The Washington herald., 1913-11-23


cer-I-" Brian blushed. You know
darn well how little i care for anything
on earth but you. I want you to
Take. those backT' commanded Betsy
sharply Of the girl who appeared with
another pair OF gloves. She rose and
faced poor Brian, who. though taller
seemed to dwindle before her majestic
smallness.
"wen hope you draw the prize!' she
drawled. swishing out OF the store.
Gee. she did hand 1t to your grinned
the girl behind the counter.
Hand what?' inquired Brian in
dazed fashion
This" said the girl sweetly, holding
up one Of the rejected gloves
1t was $50 on the morning OF Friday
the 18th Uncle Steve Bottle. backing
in his reputation as the oldest man in
the world, leaned over his own fence and
addressed to a. member OF the Healthy
View Colony his best-worn anecdote be-
ginning, Il well rec'Iect when 1 was
boy back to Trenton ninety-eight years
ago. when the screen door closed with
nap, and Betsy Spencer, humming 20
You Bee-ootiful Dolr' more than US
ually on the key, came forth arrayed
ike the morning in a suit or white
serge with a little white hat TO match.
oAA OH1AidlAu bNECCIlLl6 Nd5e
determination, she sauntered down the
road toward the trolley.
Betsy had gone to town ostensibly to
shop, but she got on in front OF the
Grand Hotel. intent to speak home truths
to the Irresistible Lottie.
Fortunately. the jailer-maid was shirk-
ing her duty at the actress door when
Betsy knocked.
Come i'm said a choking voice, and
Betsy could hear distinctly the sound
OF sobs as she opened the door into
shell-pink boudoir, at the farther end of
which she beheld a grotesque sight A
very plain girl in a very fancy kimono,
her green-streaked blonde hair down her
back. sat before a mirror. daubing colors
on her face from a makeup box that
reposed on the dressing-table before her.
AS she daubed she sobbed, plentiful
tears cutting irregular channels through
the rouge on her high cheek bones.
Are you Lottie de Vere?' cried Betsy,
In a tone that was very like joy.
"Yes-boo-hoo-th-th-th my SIS
stage name, dearie." blubbered the
blonde, attempting to erase her tears
with copious applications OF rice pow
der.
Betsy sighed ecstaticaIly.
Then you're not" she began, but
checked herself.
mo. I'm not pretty. IL that's what
you're driving at said the other girl.
rising dehantly. I'm lime-juice tablet
of the first water-you're on. But, thank
Gawd - huh-huh-huh - somebody loves
me-"
''who?'' inquired Betsy weakly, sitting
on the bed
"M-m-my h-h-husband"" sobbed Lot
tie
OH Betsy's brow smoothed again
II thought you came to San Bruno to get
a husband"
so I did. dearie,' said the homely
Niobe, powdering the bridge of her nose
And that's what makes me cry. I'm SO
happy because Clarence has came back,
but just crazy broken-hearted because
I can't earn that lovely house. Y see,
dearie. when l came here l was divorced
or thought 1 was That's why took
up Mr.. Blaney's matrimonial proposition.
But this morning there came a telegram
from Clarence-he's my Misunderstanding
that a fresh judge had refused our de-
cree. So Clarence has changed his mind
and wants to be a good boy" Lottie sud-
denly seized from the corner OF the mir
ror a photograph showing A fiat-headed
youth. and on this she planted three
detonating kisses Gee she exclaimed,
its grand to be loved"
That lottery drawing is to come OF
in an hour" said Betsy. How are you
going to arrange about that?''
oh, dearie. 1 can't possibly appear
now. Y know. they're gettin' awful
strict about bigamy. Ny brother Fred
was arrested just last week for marryin'
three Of 'em in Seattle.
But they've made all sorts OF arrange
ments. You've given your word" Betsy
persisted.
This won't be the first contract I've
jumped the last minute" quoth Lottie
lightly. Now. honey. there's no use
gettin' peeved because l won't make the
goat O. myself to please yer best feIler."
II don't know what you mean" snap
ped Betsy.
"A blind toad could tell you was stuck
on Mr.. Blaney," said the homeliest of
the de Veres.
Betsy stood before the makeup box
and fingered the pencils absent-minded-
ly. Idly she wondered how she would
look with a great red Cupid's bow
slashed across her mouth.
Hell be terribly disappointed she
said. mostly to herself.
The prize house on the prize lot at
Utopia Addition was built for show,
mostly OF shoddy material. sacrificing the
domestic VIRTUES for theatrical charms.
Obrey O'Malley, being a practical con-
tractor, had stolen the plans from Los
Angeles architect. and had followed them
out quite specifically. The structure
had been given the gargantuan look
peculiar to the Mission style, being made
of lath-and-plaster to initiate concrete,
and surrounded by inordinately swollen
pillars, imparting to the place the gen.
eral appearance of some white, prehis-
y, Snfarinp from
Square-sawed. chocolate
brown furniture adorned the interior
on Navajo blankets of a par
ticularIy savage pattern. bearing the
quaint crar-mark of Grand Rapids.
Mich. 1t was built to give away, and
looked it.
Brian Boru Blaney. who drove over
with Obrey O'Malley on the morning of
the lottery drawing, beheld a vast throng
gathered from all sides, a-foot. a-horse-
back, a-gasoline.
Behold the Greeks besieging Troy"
remarked Mr.. O'Malley, who was fond of
his classics, all for a face-the face
that launched 1000 ships"
The face that STOPPED 1000 clocks"
Brian bitterly.
He was. in fact. in no mood for epic
poetry that morning. The prosaic pres
ent offered sufficient problems to claim
his entire attention. He had heard some !
rne in the crowd murnur, "A cheap !
looking shackr' in reference to the prize |
house. And, viewed in the dispassionate |
light of day, the structure was an osten- |
Iatious freak The house, then, was |
to the mob-what would |
hey say when the prize beauty's start |
ling LONELINESS was revealed to them? |
Ice rolled down the Little Boosters spine. |