The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-08-10
NO ANSWER REQUIRED
BY HELEN DERBY.

W
my opinion later about the plans he
said to the architects assistant. Il
have to consult-another person"
When he was alone Philip took out
the plans and gloated over them. He
and Rosamund had pored over them
all winter, and they had agreed that
the house would be perfect Nelson,
the architect, had almost lost his pa
thence as the young lovers ordered first
one change and then another in the
plans of the house.
And now the worm had turned The
temperamental Mr.. Nelson had de-
clared that it was an utter impossible
ity to build a fight of stairs in the
manner directed by the future Mrs.
Corning.
Now, Rosamund Delway was tenn
peramental as we'll as Oscar Nelson;
therefore, when Philip broke the news
to her over the telephone and limited
the plans as they were without fur
Their changes, Rosamund promptly in
formed him that she simply must In
sist upon changing the pantry to the
other side of the kitchen becaIse she
! had decided that the pantry space
would be larger and, facing the east
end of the house, she could have what
she had always desired-a pantry win
dow overrun with morning glories.
at would be SO cute to see them
every morning. she purred over the
wire.
'It will be cute to see Nelson's face
when you offer him that argument"
he chuckled.
81 don't intend to see him-you must
tell him, Phil"
81? Not on your life, darling And
he had followed this inelegant remark
mund flew into pretty temper and
told him he could live alone in his old
house
Thereupon she had hung up the re-
ceiver and Philip had continued to
stare at the space ahead Of him with
blank incredulity in his eyes until cen
trails acid voice had twice demanded
Number"
That is how it happened that Philip
was alone when messenger boy
brought him small, square, white
package sealed with red wax bearing
Rosamund's monogram.
Wait, boy ordered Philip, break
ing the seals, but the lad was half
way down the outer office
Philip glared at the sight of the en-
gagement ring he had given Rosa
mund. So the engagement was broken
and she wouldn't listen to reason.
She had said, mo answer required"
He locked the ring in his safe and
sat down and wrote a note to Oscar
Nelson, architect.
Dear SIR Philip licked out on the
typewriter with one finger, upon fur
Their consideration l have decided to
suspend operations upon my new house
on Elm highway Please send me an
accounting to date and I will forward
check by return mail.
Faithfully yours,
PHILIP CORNING"
And on the outside of the envelope
he wrote a line under the address,
mo answer required" At least he
would be spared Nelson's hotheaded
protests.
Then he rang for messenger boy.
Out on Elm highway, where charm
ing suburb was forming, little brown
oh IoI ho 10 ch,
and it's doors padlocked.
People who knew all about the build
ers wondered what had happened to
stop operations, until the news filtered
through various sources that the en-
gagement was broken and the little
brown house would not be occupied
this summer. So the neighbors on
Elm highway ceased to watch for the
happy lovers, although Mrs. Bruce
Wade declared she bad seen Philip
Corning stalking around the unfin-
ished house in the moonlight.
One rainy day Philip slammed his
desk cover and, struggling on rain
coat, went for tramp along Elm
highway. The steady downpour
soothed his restless spirit, and the
fresh, damp air was grateful after the
close atmosphere of the Office.
He turned into the gate and went
around to the back door. The sound
of his coming was drowned in the fall
ing shower
Someone was standing on the back
porch, peering through the glass pan
els of the kitchen door-a forlorn lit
tie figure in a raincoat, with the hood
drawn tightly over it's head
Philip recognized the figure-that
raincoat and that head he would have
known among a thousand, even had
they been concealed under bushel
basket, 80 keen are the eyes of love.
He placed his hands on her shout
ders and turned her right about, her
face close to his own-a pale, thin lit
tie face it was with wistful blue eyes
that frightened and then dimmed with
tears at sight of him.
Il as-only-looking," she fall
tered
cat our house?" asked Philip softly.
She trembled beneath his touch.
cat our house?" he repeated. "Our
house, made any old way-with the
front door in the cellar-morning-
glories on the chimney tops-the
stairs on the roof-are you looking
at our house, Rosamund?"
4o6 n