The Washington herald., 1914-01-01
Daily Short Story
BETTY'S BROUGHAM.
by DOROTHY DOUGLAS.

tNpkoiASAis AsA1I
David Graham had lost many night:
OF sleep ponderinE over the decision OF 6
suitable and useful gift for Celeste.
The brief advertisement in the mornin.
paper. which his roaming eyes caught
was almost as an inspiration from III,
sky.
Electric brougham for sale. Newl,
upholstered in grey. Most suitable fol
lady. Immediate sale, $3.50; B. Lane
COS, Hamilton street"
The very thing" commented Graham
with a relieved smile. And since IL Is a
lady's brougham 1t will no doubt have
all the e .uipment necessary. I will &C
up Today and have a look at it,
He reflected that before the presenta-
tion of the gift to Celeste at Christmas,
she would have consented to become his
wife. Graham intended to ask her the
momentous question on the first propi-
Hous occasion.
Late in the afternoon he went to the
address mentioned in the advertisement
If the brougham should prove satisfac-
tory, Graham intended to have II sent
TO his garage and left there until the
Christmas holidays.
Upon reaching 0o9 he was surprised that
one who owned an electric brougham
would live in so poor a cottage.
Reduced circumstances" he concluded
and dropped the grotesque knocker that
seemed oddly out of place on the shabby
door.
The girl who answered was pale. slim
and unspeakably wistfuI. Graham was
suddenly aware of an ache in his throat
He did not know exactly why.
Il have come in regard to this" Gra-
ham said. and held out the slip from the
morning paper
Won't you come imp the girl sug-
gested in voice from which all the glad
ness had gone.
Graham went inside and stood awk-
wardly. scarcely knowing how to con-
unue his strange errand. He realized
then that in the girls entire makeup
there was no hint of color. that she was
suffering a loss that had wrung every
drop of happiness from her life. Graham
was not used to sadness. 1t affected
him perhaps the more pOignantly.
"My-brOugham is in the garage at
the corner of the street" she told him
IF you care to look at it before"
She could not go on. and the smile
that struggled in her lips was more
heartbreaking than a burst of tears
would have been.
Il do want TO see it," Graham said
quickly. He was fearful of snatching
the frail figure in his arms to try to
comfort her. Stranger though he was,
his arms ached with purely sympa-
thetic longing to give some kind of
solace to this lone sufferer. The feel
Ing was not that which prompted him
to take Celeste in his arms. Il am
looking for just such a one as you de-
scribe"
He went out and followed the direc-
tiOn of her glance. The small brough-
am he found there was an exquisite
example of luxury. Every modern
equipment for a dainty woman's COM
fort was there. Graham realized that
only the hands of love could have pro-
vided so dainty an equipage. It would
send Celeste into raptures of delight.
When the canvas covering had been
put back carefully on the brougham
Graham returned to Betty Lane
She received him with eyes that
strOve to conceal their apprehension.
That she was making a valient ef-
fort to hide her emotion was evident
to Graham. She feared his answer. yet
she knew that her treasure must go.
She was conscious of a feeling of
safety. Something told her that her
little machine would not be roughly
handled If Graham should purchase II.
Two thousand is not too much for
it," he told her. TT is in every way
suita BILE for my needs 1t is a gift for
a lady" he added. thinking she might
he interested in the fate of her car.
"It is breaking my heart-to dis
pose of it." Betty found herself tell
ing him. My father"-her voice trem-
hIed. perilously near to breaking-"my
father gave it to me; it was his first
gift after he had made his money. We
struggled for years-he and l." She