The midland journal., 1915-08-27
MARTHA'S MINIATURE.
Alan Fought for His Own Hap
piness-And Won.
BY CATHERINE cooPE.

6y CAtFT6NiNE COOPEs
lCopyright. 1915. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.) >
Alan Dobie sighed heavily as he
hung up the telephone. He had rung
up his fiancee's studio, only to find
out from the maid that Martha was
out and would not return until din
ner time.
(Which means" Alan told himself
half bitterly, that my sweetheart is
at the matinee worshiping at the
shrine of her IDOL
For many weeks Alan had been
aware of the fact that Martha had
been drifting away from him. She
did not love him in the deep, true
sense of the word or she could not
have fallen a victim to the undoubt-
ed charm of John Ward, the fas-
cinating actor of the day.
Alan's love for Martha was as un-
dying as the day itself, and II, hurt
him to realize that the girl whom
he had expected to call his wife and
for whom all his future had been.
planned was finding her happiness
elsewhere than in his love. Martha
had fiirted from time to time during
their brief engagement, but never be-
fore did Alan feel that his position
in her affections had been jeopar-
dized. Now, however, it seemed that
Martha had really been lost to him.
So completely absorbed was
Martha in the worship of John Ward
that she had painted most
beautiful miniature of the actor
from magazine photograph and
wore it almost every hour of the
day. The exquisite little locket lay
against her heart, a constant source
of pain to Alan Dobie. Martha did
not know that Alan had stolen a
glance into the locket during a
chance moment, nor that he wished
with all his heart that she could
meet the actor. Perhaps the dis
illusionment would follow, and il
not then certainly his fate would be
sealed in regard to Martha's affec-
tions.
But a meeting did not come about
even in the atmosphere of the
studio. Martha worshiped in secret
and in secret Alan grieved. He felt,
as time wore on and there seemed no
lessening of the interest his sweet
heart was showing regarding the act
or, that he must do something to
precipitate an outcome to the situa-
tion.
Alan had never from<the beginning
taken the position of adviser to Mar
tina, nor had he felt called upon to die
tate her actions. Perhaps had he been
more strict, in sense, Martha's affec-
tions would have been secure She
might have feared to arouse jealousy
In the bosom of her easy-going Alan.
AS it was she went her way flirting
where she chose and only feeling a
certain sense OF security about Alan
and her future. She did not trouble
especially to weigh her emotions nor
to speculate as to what another day
might bring forth.
Through genuine talent Martha had
made for herself an enviable position
among miniature painters. Had she
been mere nobody in the intellee-
tual world Alan would have considered
himself capable Of guiding her, but
she had won success entirely unaided
and he felt it unnecessary to advise
her. much as he thought she needed it.
Alan realized, with a sinking of
the heart, that Martha's interest in
John Ward was developing rather
than waning. A crisis was surely at
hand. Alan was not the man to marry
a girl who only half loved him. He
must either break with Martha or win
her entire self.
It was during one of Marthas popu-
lar Sunday afternoon teas that she
first discovered the loss of her priced
locket with the miniature of John
Ward in it. Her heart pounded
against her side when she discovered
that it was gone, and in Imagination
she saw herself taunted by her secret
admiration for an actor All of her
friends would learn of her infatuation,
for no one could fail to know that the
miniature was her own. Her famous
touch was not to be denied. For once
in her life Martha shrank from the
fame that was hers and the disclos-
ures following in the wake of the find
ing of her locket
Instinctively she realized that Alan
Dobie would not want to take up his
life path with a girl who wore an
other mans picture. She shrank, too,
from his scorn and for second
blamed John Ward for. the entirely
unconscious part he was playing in
her life maneuvers.
Martha refrained from making in.
Quiry about her locket, but after her
guests had departed made minute
search in every remote corner of the
studio. The locket, however, was lost
and with 1t had gone Martha's peace
of mind. The fear gripped her that
1t might fall into the hands of John
NVard ond Movk1,a,e3t ~ .,~,.,,t1