El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-03-12


Ny Dear Mrs .ThurstOn: You may
remember that I lent you SIS with the
uuuef standing that you were to re
turn IL within two weeks 1t is nov
| over month, and / am writing TO ask
! II you viii kindly send this to me al
I once Sincerely, Helen L. Curtis"
No this would not do. It was toe
curt. me y on may remember" sounded
sarcastic. And she should mention the
exact date Of the loan She looked this
up IN her check book and found that
II was on the 18th of January. More
nlDPllng of the pen and Helen tried
Dear Mrs. Thurston: 7 am sure it is
( CLIy matter Of oversight on your part
mat you have neglected to return the
! amount lent you January u. If it is
/ convenient I should like a check this
I week A number of things have come
/ up lately that have made my little bank
! account very low. and I shall appre-
/ cate It II you viii send this very soon
J very sincerely, Helen L Curtis"
Hesltatingly she folded this note into
/ N envelope, sealed and stamped it
/ !GFen Jhen she wavered. Had she made
a. o. ing enough How had she WOrded
/ mat phrase about wanting the check
ms week! A thin paper knife slipped
easily under the not yet dried flap.
NO, no. 1t would not do. 1t was too
aPoIQgetlc, What if Mrs. Thurston
should not answer it? If she had ig-
nored sending the check, she might ig-
more TOO this polite little note.
w my, ny SUBJECT herself to that possible
n n tuL LII Why write at all? Would
II not be much simpler and quicker to
telephone?
Already ITdy her hand was on the receiver
OF her desk phone The next moment
sue nao gwen central the number.
On the Telephone.
,7,.[r-is, L.Lhurston? Just minute
uraWIed the voice Of the boy at the
switchboard, and she heard the Click
as ne connected her with Mrs Thurs
tons apartment
1t was Mrs. Thurston's maid who an
swered
Il wish to speak to Mrs Thurston."
deIen.s voice was coIdly curt
Who is it, pIease?''
rms was both irritating and dis
concerning. She had forgotten thar
she had always to give her name when
phonlnS to Mrs. Thurston
no IS It ,pleaseT' insisted the girl
MRS curtis, snapped Helen.
A moments wait, in which she was
almost certain she heard the sound OF
Whisperings.
N Mrs Thurston is not in just now.
VIII you leave any message2r
Helen felt her cheek burn against the |
COOL disk Of the receiver. Mrs Thurs
to herl
ASK her to cau me Nd as soon as
she comes in, she demanded.
with her elbows on the desk and her /
Ilushed face in her cupped hands, Helen I
fairly glared at the inoffensive teIe- 1
So Mrs. Thurston had deliberately re-
FUSED to speak to her. Evidently she !
thought her. "easy'-as Warren would |
nave EXPRESSED it Helen's lips set |
grimly. She would show Mrs. Thurs
ton her mistake.
It was u now. Mrs. Thurston was
always at home for luncheon. She
would wait until one and call her |
again. If the maid said she was still
Out-then-Helen had not quite fOrmu-
lated in her mind just what she would
do then.
With tense Impotence Helen
watched the clock It had barely I
struck one when she called up
rs Mrs. Thurston in2''
Again Helen gave her name, and in
the pause that followed strained for
the faintest whisper. She could hear
only the hum Of the wires, but the
wait was long enough for the maid
to receive instructions.
No, Mrs. Thurston has not come IN
can you tell me when she win be
ln2" icily-
But the maid, evidently at a sign {
from her mistress, had cut her off.
With flaming cheeks Helen started :
Up and walked blindly around the
room Then she came back to the
phone. This time she called the near
st messenger office to send a boy at
nee A Strong Note.
The note she wrote now she wrote
luckily without pausing to weigh
FOrds or phrases.
My dear Mrs. Thurston:
I have just called up your apartment
vice, and both times your maid said
-Ou were out, although the first time
heard a distinct whispered consuIta-
ion. know that you are not out, but
hat YOU are deliberately refusing to
peak to me.
OF course the only possible reason
or this is the S25 I lent you, and which
GU have failed to pay back. If you
id not have the money, you could at
sast have written. But to let almost
TO months go by without a word Of /
SplanatiOn and then deliberately re-
use to speak to me over the phone
as made me most indignant. I am
-riting this to ask you to return the
LOney at once.
I understand Of course that this ends i
IT friendship, as neither of US could
2 comfortable after such an incident
Very truly yours, Helen Curtis"
She gave this to the messenger with
riot instructions TO wait for an an
yer.
1t was an endless three-uuarters of
hour before the boy returned
she said there weren't no answer"
announced, indifferently.
Who said that2 I told you not to
ve 1t to the maid, but to the lady her
yes ma'am, that's who pave #
The girl let me in and then the
ere weren't no answer"
Are you sure it was Mrs. Thurs
~ Was she tail, with dark hair
d.. reluctantly, rather good look
Yes, ma'am. that's her." twirIinr his
p impatiently
She paid the boy and let him go. By
IS time she had worked herself m
a trembling. sick rage. It was not
en- that Helen got thoroughly an
=, but when she did it ALWAYS made
r i'll She had visions of roino
alght to Mrs. Thurston's apartment
confronting her
She Tells Warren
me rest Of the afternoon she enon+
learSlng various such scenes Ri
ST she would tell Warren. For once
thought Of his fiery temDer TIoe
n1ortlng. 1t would be soofbi1o- 70
re him wax it on a fierce rage -
S. Thurston. Perhaps he vouId coz a
NJ her! She gloated over the fbone5L+
MIS-. Ihurston cOwed by VVarre521is
thing Indignation Sii D
ne TACT that she did not want We,
10 know she had lent this none
now almost forgotten. She coI,IS
aly wait until he came
memo what's up" NOTING bo-
he'd tense excitement the mon,n io+
entered. ilOLiieHI