The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-02-27
WHAT'S IN A GOWN?
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.

Leonard saw the gown for the first
time in the Van Tyle's drawing room.
His artistic senses were stimulated to
a degree quite foreign TO them, Tor
Leonard was not of an artistic nature.
He was the more surprised, then. that
a gown worn by perfectly strange
woman should so excite his admra-
ton.
Therefore. in view of the strange
emotion awakened within him, he
went Immediately to his hostess ana
craved an introduction TO the girl IN
the pink dress.
His hostess raised rebuking eye
brows at him.
Pink, My dear Eric. that is new
dawn, not pink" She let fall the
last word as if it were a word erased
from the latest dictionary for society.
"All right, new dawn" laughed
Eric. rejoicing that he was mere
man and not expected to know pink
from any other color. He followed
his hostess until she had piloted him
and left him at anchor beside Elise
Waterman, who had turned with a
delighted smile at his approach. and
Eric knew the girl outmatched her
new dawn gown both in beauty and
the effect on his senses in general.
Eric fell in love with her He was
a struggling journalist, with scarcely
enough of worldly goods to hold him
securely in the world of success. Yet
his precipitate fall into the realm OF
love was none the less violent.
When he danced a few minutes
later with Elise and felt his hand
touch the back of the new dawn
gown and realized that the girl her.
self was within it Eric vowed that
he would write the points off his pen
in an effort to make himself worthy
to win Elise Waterman for his own.
Before the idea for the great play
came to him, Eric saw as much as
possible of Elise. He tried, without
putting it into words, to convey to
her the knowledge that she was the
mistress of his heart, and that one
day he would tell her so. 1t seemed
difficult. and yet Eric felt occasion
ally that Elise was sending queer
little telepathic messages Of rather
delightful import into his inner con-
seriousness. The knowledge only in
spired him the more, and his senses
reeled in anticipation of the day
upon which his tongue could express
the love he bore her.
When the great idea came to him
for the play that was to make him
famous Eric made the one false step
in his career. He went off into the
seclusion of the country to concen-
trate and left no address behind
him.
When Elise Waterman read his
brief note of farewell a feeling of
depression swept over her. She felt
suddenly very lonely, and knew that
she would not be really happy until
Eric Leonard returned to her side.
She wished that he had at least
trusted her with his address.
So the days wore on and Eric
Leonard created the parts of a great
play in the five months he worked in
his enforced seclusion. More than
little dragged and tired from strenu-
Gus tension of nerves and energy. he
made his way back to living beings
and the city Of friends.
He had no premonition, no hint of
the tragedy that was awaiting him
in town. Elise Watterman's father
had been found guilty of embezzle-
ment, had been sentenced, but escaped
punishment by shot. Elise. feeling
the disgrace keenly, had disappeared
from the face of the earth. At least
Eric Leonard found his search for
her in vain. His misery did not, how
ever. prevent managers from reading
his play and accepting 1t with flatter-
ing alacrity. The play was strong and
the public welcomed 1t after many sue
cessive failures had been withdrawn.
1t was the sudden sight of the new
dawn gown in a secondhand clothing
shop that finally gave Elise back to
him.
Fortunately for Eric's purpose the
clothing man had bought much from
the wardrobe of Elise and knew her
address. Having obtained it and pur-
chased the frock Eric went his way.
He found his dawn girl bending
over the bit of fine embroidery by
which she was beginning her life as
a working girl. She was dressed In
simple black and her hair shone like
a sunrise above the somber clouds.
Her smile when she looked up at her
visitor and realized all that his pres
ence meant was wonderful to behold.
Eric drew a quick breath, then stepped
forward and crushed her in his arms.
The proud golden head dropped
against his shoulder.
Elise" Eric whispered brokenly.
for he was trembling with the JOY Of
knowing that she was safe within
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