Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-10-11

>sANAAA NJ SAS AhSoA 1i\AS NsVtA W -
we'll fitting business coat. the mingled
elation and dread over the commission.
But there had been no hesitancy, no
question OF acceptance, when the ma
ture of the commission was made
known. The young man was game" |
He would do. Not even am eyelash had
flickered at the hint of danger. The
chief felt he would be faithful even i'm
the face of possible death.
Gordon's MAJ anne rushing into the !
station Just after he reached there him
self. Clarkson was already there with
the ticket. Gordon had time to scrib-
BILE a message to Julia Bentley, whose
moment. Then it occurred to him TO
clear his overcoat pockets of any let
ters or other telltale articles and stow
them in his suit case. He might have
to leave his o%vercoat behind him. SO
it would be we'll to nave no clues for
! anyone to follow.
Having arranged these matters, and
prepared a few letters with notes for
his stenographer, to he mailed back to
her from Philadelphia, he reread Julia
Bentley's note. When every angular
line OF her tall script was imprinted on
his memory ne tore the %perfumed note
into tiny pieces and dropped them from
the car window.
The question was. did he or did he
not want to ask Julia Bentley to be-
come his wife? He had no doubt as
to what her answer would be. Julia
had made it pretty plain to him that
she would rather have him thar any
OF her other admirers; though she did
like to keep them all attendant upon
her. Well, that was her right SO long
as she was unmarried. He had no
fault to find with her. She was a fine
girl. and everybody liked her. Also.
she was OF a good family. and with a
modest fortune in her own right. Icv-
erybody was taking it for granted that
they liked each other. 1t was time he
was married and had a real home. he
supposed. whatever that was-that
seemed to have so great a charm for
all his friends. To his eyes, it had as
vet taken on no alluring mirage effect.
He had never known u real home. more
than his quiet bachelor apartments
were to him now. where his man or
dered everything ass he vas told. and the
had money enough from his inheritance
to make things more han comfortable.
and he was deeply Interested in the
profession he had chosen.
Still, If he was ever going 10 marry.
1t was high time OF course. But did
make it seem pleasant to think of her
In his rooms when he came home at
night tired; she YOU always be
wanting to go to her endless theater
parties and receptions and dances; al
ways be demanding his attention. She
was bright and handsome and we'll
dressed. but he had never made love to
her. He could not quite imagine him.
self doing so. How did men make love,
anyway? Could one call 1t low When
followed one another idly through
his brain as the landscape whirled past
him. If he had stayed At home he would
have spent the evening With Julia. as
she requested in her note. and there
would probably have been a quiet half
hnl1r qftn,. nfhov co11arp haJ ~o~n ,,hn~
he would have stayed as he. had been
doing OF late, and tried to find out
whether he really cared for her or not.
Suppose. for instance. they were mar
ried. and she sat beside him now. Would
any glad thrill fill his heart as h
looked at her beautiful face and realized
that h WAS his? He tried to look over
toward the next chair mi imagine that
the tired, fat old lady with the double
chin n the youthful purple hat was
Julia. but that would not york. He
whirled his chair about and tried 1t OIL
an empty chair. That went better; but
still no thrill Of Joy lifted him out OF his
sordid self. He could not help thinking
about little trying details. The way
Julia looked when she was vexed. Did
n mind that In the woman one loved?
The way she ordered her coachman
about. Would she ever speak so to her
. husband? She had a charming smile,
but her frown was-well-unbecoming
to say the least.
He tried 10 keep up the fallacy Of her
presence. He bought q magazine that he
knew she liked, and read a story to her
Gin imagination). He could easily tell
} how her black eyes would snap at GER
tain phrases h disliked. He knew Jus,
what her would be, upon the
he.oine's conduct. 1t was an old disput-
ed point between them. He knew how
she would criticize the hero. and some
how he felt himself in the hero's place
every time she did 1t. The story had no,
been q success, and ne felt a WEAKNESS
as he laid the magazine aside at the
call for dinner from the dining car.
Before he had finished his luncheon
he had begun to feel that though Julia
might think now that she would like tc
marry him, h truth about It was tina
! h would not enjoy the actual life to.
gether any better than he would. Were
all marriages like thatc Did people lose
the glamour and just settle down to en-
J dure each others faults and make the
, most Of each others pleasant side, anG
] not have anything more! Or was he get
ting cynical? Had he lived alone toe
!. long. az his friends sometimes told him
and 60 was losing the ability really Il
love anybody but himself? He knit hi.
crows. n got up whistling to 20 out
: and see why h train had stopped se
/. long in this little country settlement.
J 1t was just beyond Princeton, ant
, they were not far now from New York
! It would be most annoying to be de.
!. layed SO near to his destination. HI
!! was anxious to get things in train FOL
his evening Of hard work.. It was nee.
essary to find out how the land lay Al
! soon ~ possible.
1t appeared that there was q wrecked
freight ahead Of them. and there woult
be delay. No ons knew just how long;
It would depend on how soon "a,