The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-12-08
DINNER is WATKINS
RY KEITH KENYON.

bus and entered the lobby Of West I
marks best hotel She registered and |
a bellboy carried her suitcases up to
her room.
There she unpacked and made her
self comfortable with the deftness of
an old traveller. for Nell had been a |
travelling saleswoman for three years
and knew all the lights and shades
of one-night stops.
Jewelry was her line, and in the
compact sample case, that looked
more like closed book than anything
else, Nell Drew carried a line of sam
pies that charmed orders out of de
partment store buyers.
She hummed a tune as she dressed
She had grown into this habit through
a peculiar state of mind that had ex-
listed ever since she had told Jerry
Mason that she wasn't going to tie
herself down to any mans domestic
plant-she was going to carve out
a career for herself.
Jerry had sighed. Its bit tough
he admitted. I've been dreaming for
months past how you'd meet me al
the front door and say, Jerry, dear.
dinners waiting for you!'
Nonsense" laughed Nell, but the
laugh was a shaky one, and jerry
was stupid or he would have heard
the Quaver in her voice; but he had
accepted it as her ultimatum and had
gone away. And Nell had decided
upon her career and was making a
success of it.
Tonight she was passing through
the usual ordeal and she hurried
through her toilet so as to go down
to the dining room where the light
and the clatter would put to flight any
| impertinent longings for domestic
life.
Westmark was a large middle west
ern city and the Westmark hotel was
an excellent hostelry. 1t was IA
yorite stopping place for motorists,
and Nell was not SURPRISED to find the
dining room we'll filed.
| Nell sat down, noting with little
| purr of satisfaction that the table ap-
| pointments were above criticism. A
tall vase of pink carnations was in
the middle Of the damask cloth and a
| pink-shaded candle stood at either
end
She could discern a black coat
sleeve and large masculine hand pick.
ing up a soup spoon. The rest OF
her yis-a-vis was hidden behind the
| flowers. Just as she picked up the
menu and chose her soup, the hand
across the table reached forward and
removed the vase of flowers.
Even flowers should not stand be
tween old friends" said a familiar
voice.
jerry" Her hand went across the
table to meet his in a warm clasp.
What are you doing in Westmark
anyway she asked, with something
like her old air Of camaraderie.
Live here" he replied tersely.
I'm Westmark? What are you do
ing here-practicing law?"
He nodded I'm a full-hedged cor
poration lawyer now. l live at thi:
hotel"
You do? Then you're not" she
paused in slight hesitation.
mo, I'm not married" he said quiet
ly. L suppose you are succeeding
in your chosen career or you would
not look so happy"
Last year my sales topped all the
others" she boosted. "and l was the
only woman traveller on the list
Happy woman" He was crum
| bling his bread aimlessly and eating
nothing. You don't look like mas
culine sort of woman" he went o.
J bitterly q suppose, though, that yol
can talk right up to the men and ge
orders out of EN-, eh?''
J Nothing of the Sort she retorteC
t Indignantly. Most of the buyers
! approach are women, and the few mel
who select from my samples are NOR
interested in the fine values l offe
them than in my personality
: He appeared slightly relieved a
this and began to attack his salat
| with some show of appetite
/ The sound of his voice. the sigh
/ of him, the certainty that he was VI
t changed aroused fond memories in he
:. heart She was terrified at the foo
n Of emotion that swept her and lief
d her white and shaking with fear
I rear OF WnaJt sne asked nerseil
4 and her traitor heart confessed fea
e he would go away and she shout
q not see him again.
d How Insignificant seemed her tr
d umphs in the business world Her
:. was Jerry deprived of a home. Twin
at hotel, depending upon his friend
IS for table companions or perhaps som
e chance woman like herself. Suppos
II If 1t had been another woman VIII
u had occupied her seat-some charm
.e ing girl who would attract Jerry an
n with whom he would fall madly i
n love- And very likely he had sc
T, over his love for her
a The thought was maddening. Sh
a. stole a glance at him Still he wa