The Washington herald., 1913-11-09

take my place in the honk wagon
alongside of Beauty Phillips, when I'm
busy throwing harpoon into the
wheat pit"
Did you write that letter yet% she
J demanded.
"Yes," he answered shortly.
Its about time TO write another
one, isn't it?'
NO" he replied, dehantly. "Pm not
going to write any moro"
She looked at him and shook her
head, but she said nothing, and her
very silence angered him
What's the use?" he hotly went on,
and she OWNED that, aftersall, his an
ger was more at himself than at her.
"Why should l hide the facts from
myself any longer. I've grown away
from Prosperity.
Il should say you had" she agreed.
IF Prosperity could know how you've
changed for the worse, il wouldn't
recognize you on the street"
It's not my world any more he
continued, paying no attention to her
interruption, nor the people are not
of my world"
All this was an apparently set speech
of defense.
$50 you limited before" she re-
minded him; but that doesn't keep
you from writing to the girl
He hesitated moment.
"But her letters do he finally said.
Il got one from her yesterday. 1t
was about nothing but the new coat
of paint on the Baptist church, and
about there being an epidemic OF
measles in the town, and about"
That's about far enough" she told
him, furiously angry Awful drivel.
isn't it? / can see the little fool out
there now, sitting down to write about
such trifiing things in her ignorance.
Red hair | think you said she had, and
red cheeks, and you called her Reddy.
Coarse, ignorant, country person, no
doubt. Well, l don't blame you for
shaking her. now that you have got
up among the real people, real ladies
like Beauty Phillips and her crowd,
and real gentlemen of the sort that
loaf around the hotel bars on Broad
way. You're right to cut her dead
right now. Why. she might some time
come to New York, and If she should
happen to meet you on Broadway when
you were with some of your swell
friends. and should not to you, you'd
be disgraced for life III bet she'd
be a scream on Broadway, with her
funny clothes and her funny little hat
and her red complexion"
!, "That'fl be about all" he said, as
he jumped up and unwound his dog
chain; and his face had turned sud-
denly pale My ideas have changed
somewhat about things back in Pros
perity, but / can't stand for having
that girl roasted, even in a joke"
1t was over a month before he came
in again, and the Manicure Girl had
missed him. Now she saw at once
that something was wrong. He was
nervous and distracted, though he
tried to be his old fiippant self With
the shrewd eyes of Miss Williams upon
him he kept thinking OF enc thing
while he talked of another, asked
questions without listening to the an
! swers, then asked the same questions
again.
How much did you lose? she final
" asked him.
He stared at her in wonder.
How did you know? Where did
you hear?" he slowly questioned.
You've been telling me ever since
YOU came in" she said.
81 expect | have" he admitted.
well, they got to me in humps and
gobs. For the past month think l
was about the only bull IN a bear
market. ! went down the creased in
cline so fast it smoked from the fric-
ton. The first of this week / had
to sell both automobiles"
81. can see the headlight and the
giimmer studded watch going mex"
! She commented, with a shake of her
head. 81 suppose they've about got
all that automobile money by now.
Suppose again" he retorted. They
did get nearly all of it at first, but
the market changed at last, and I've
made a little money since. II I'd close
odt now I'd have at least three thou
sand"
"Teil me where it Is and I'll go get
it for YOU" offered the Manicure Girl,
hastily. you take that money and
go right back to Prosperity. Indiana |;
buy the village dry goods emporium !;
marry that girl; settle. down and get
fat. Then this experience will have
done you good
He shook his head.
81 can never go back there" he said !;
~neverl That's not my world, l tell
you. I'll make back the money lost.
I've learned a, few tricks in the last
couple of weeks"
"Oh, New Yorkswill educate YOU"
she owned; but, you know, college
graduates don't amount to much
"Never mind" he insisted. "Pve
played this game to win before, and
can do it again. Watch me"
'sYou'd better send at least one thou
sand dollars of that money to the
girl back home to plant under the
cellar stairs she suggested.
She watched him narrowly, and then
she smiled to herself. The mention
of the girl IN Prosperity did not seem
to annoy him this time
THAT much money wouldn't scare
her, at any rate, he said, smiling.
"She's rather well-to-do for a country
town. She's an orphan and lives with
her married sister. But don't you
worry about that thousand. / can use
that to elegant advantage myself
The next time she saw him was on
the street. He tried to pass on by
with a nod, but she called 10 him and
he came back reluctantly.
whats the matter with you% she
demanded. "You look like a yester-
days scent bunch of soup vege-
tables.