El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-04-30
MarriedLife the Third Year
Helen Finds that Alice Is Carrying
on a Clandestine Cor
respOndence.
By Mabel Herbert Urner --
6y Mabel Herbert UrneI

HNH WHERE are the good scis-
sors? can't cut with
theser' Helen threw down
her sewing and again searched through
her work basket
Helen, after finding them in Alice's
room, went back and took up her sew
ing, cutting evenly with the sharper
scissors the material the duller pair
had only "chewed-
Dear" as she thoughtfully threaded
a needle Il don't know what to think
about all the letters Alice writes Ev-
cry day since she came she's spent
hours writing to some one
Well, what Of it," snapped War
rem What business is i Of ours how
many letters she writes?"
It's Only to One Person
But it's only TO one person! 1t isn't
as if she were writing home or
to a lot of school girls-she's writing
to some man.
How do You know it's a mani"
why, no girl is going TO write a 20
page letter to another girl and write
one every day. And, besides, there's a
mans picture in her Iocket-I saw her
looking at it yesterday And. some
how feel it's somebody her folks don
approve Of or don't know anything
'Fiddlesticks. You're always mag
lining something Why shouldn't a girl
of IS write to a man if she wants to %
Helen SeWe0 on IN SlLence5 put IN
spite of Warren's lack of interest and
apprehension, her thoughts kept re-
vOlving about the many page letters.
Things Were Not Right.
Intuitiyely she knew that things
were not right, and the fact that Alice
was here under their protection gave
here a haunting sense Of responsibility.
The next day the noon delivery
brought Helen a letter from Alice s
mother. Alice was shampOOing her
hair in the bathroom, and Helen called
to her cheerily as she opened II.
Better hurry up! Here's letter
from your mother"
But as soon as she glanced at the
letter, she realized it was one that
Alice could not see
Dear Helen
Alice and for US all in letting her visit
you at this time, that I hesitate to
worry you further. But I have just
fOund that Alice has been both dis
Obeying and deceiving me.
Last fall she met somewhere a man
who travels for a Cincinnati motor car
company. He called to see her several
much older and not at all the type Of
man I would wish Alice to know. we
discouraged and then forbade his visits.
Then found she was writing him.
We stopped this-Or thought We did.
But when I received her letter yester-
day-On the back of one of the sheets
she had begun a letter to him It was
only a few lines. and she has written
to me on the other side without no
Uclng Il
Now we are afraid that this man,
knowing she is in New York, will go
there to see her. He is capable OF
doing anything. SO I am writing to
beg you not to let her see him under
any circumstances, and above all, not
to let her go out alone
I thought our flooded, ruined home
was sufficient trouble, but now It
seems that we must meet this also.
Anxiously,
Your Aunt Emma
"A letter from mamma?'' asked Alice
coming in, shaking her wet hair over
her tOwel-cOVered shoulders.
A Business Letter.
But it's only a business letter" fall
tered Helen. Nothing that would in
terest you
frankly unbelieving. What business
could mother write about that
couldn't see2"
well, its a personal letter then
one that I don't wish to show you" and
Helen turned away with an air OF
finality.
Il know what mother wrote YOU
eXcitediy- I know why YOU won't let
me see that letter. She's afraid I'm