Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-07-02
Her Victory
Copyright, The Frank A. Munsey Company.
BY LYNN Ro6Y MEEKINs

"Beautiful?" said George Wilcox to
his sister Elisabeth. ut doesn't even
begin to do her justicei"
"Oh, we who know her well forget
about her good looks, you know"
said Elisabeth airily. "She is great
deal more than pretty. She has
brains. Yes. indeed, Hello has
brains"
"Why in the world do you apply
such a diabolical name to so angelic
person? he asked.
"That easy" she explained. Her
name is Heloise, but that was too
long for her classmates; so after a
due consideration we took the first
part of it and called her hello. Some
times, for short, we hailed her as
the Telephone Girl"
you'll keep her the whole summer,
won't you?
"If can; but she says she is going
after two weeks"
For several years Elisabeth Wilcox
had been telling her family of the
beauty and charm of her classmate,
Heloise Warding, but she had never
been able to get her to the Wilcox
home for a visit. Both graduated,
and then both took the post graduate
course, so that now they were quite
in society and very much up in the
affairs of the world.
ii
When Heloise Warding entered the
Wilcox home, within a day she had
nanfiuotnI in nj
loveliness and her liveliness. The in
evitable came with a rush. George
Wilcox, staid young business man
though he was, and the working men,
ber of his fathers rich firm, did not
allow two weeks to elapse before he
spoke. He did it in blunt, manly
fashion that should have won any or
dinary woman's heart; but Heloise
Warding was an extraordinary one.
She told him how she appreciated
his compliment, how much honored
she felt and how deeply she regretted
that she could not say yes.
you have been very open and hon.
est with me-" she went on, "and |
think l ought to be as candid with
you, although fear you will not un-
derstand me-"
They were out driving. Heloise
paused moment until the horses had
crossed bridge and entered upon a
stretch of smooth road. You have
millions. All about you is wealth
until fairly gasp at the abundance
Of it. My family-well a church
mouse would be an elephant COM
pared with our fatted calf. l got my
education through the kindness of a
rich relative. Everything l have in
the way of dress and costly pleasure
is from the same excellent uncle
everything, until l feel as though 1
were a breathing exhibit of faith,
hope and charity, the greatest of
these being charity"
George Wilcox tried to say some
thing but somehow the words would
not get in proper shape.
"Now l have my education" she
continued calmly, "and l want to do
something with it, If l should be-
come your wife, all these debts of
honor which rest upon me might be
paid; but don't you see that it would
be merely transferring the conscious
ness that haunts me day and night?
You would get charity wife"
Money is the very smallest quest
ton in this matter" he said.
For you it is. For me it is so
big that it fills all space. But really
we must not quarrel about 1t. The
facts are as have said, and at pres
ent ! am immovable. And" she add
ed quickly. "Pve told you things that
your sister does not know. think
she considers me rich. Probably all
the other girls at the university had
the same idea. It's the habit of our
tribe to act as millionaires even when
the cupboard is empty; SO Pm sure l
need not ask you to keep what have
told you in confidence"
ut will be sacred, and l shall love
you all the more. And another thing,
you have not said that you will say
no. Your reply, you remember, was
that you regretted you could not say
yes. Please let the proposition stay
as 1t is. AS we say in business, let it
remain open for month or So"
"Oh, you have my answer, my eX-
PLANTATION, and my thanks" she said.
III
When Heloise reached home Robert
Day drove her from the station, but
he did not seem to interest her as he
once did. Their old place seemed
more run down than before, but it in
terested her more than ever.
Robert Day was the local lawyer
and real estate man. He was always
going to do big things with the Ward
ing estate, including the marrying of
Heloise. Meanwhile he posed as the
leading light of the neighborhood, and
was satisfied with his greatness.
What have you done for the
placer" asked Heloise.
what can you do? You can't take
it to town and put it up like butter
or cow, can your Lay always re-