Saint Mary's beacon., 1916-06-29
4 MATTER Of TEETH
y HELM MERRITT.

AfNA~4 AA&8NIAA& WHA WM IA - MNANNAs
When a woman. having attained
the age OF forty-nve, unmarried and
uncourted, suddenly begins 10 receive
marked attentions from an eligible
man. she may be pardcned for getting
. little bit excited.
And Miss ArabelIa's life mad con-
tAined so little love. 30 little personal
interest, that the fact that someone
thought enough Of her to show her
little attentions. bring her little gifts
and defer 10 her tfmidIy expressed
opinions seemed 10 bring the dawn OF
3 new existence.
Mr.. Jenkins had come unostenta.
tiously into bis place at Miss Cross
boarding house two months before. AT
flrst. he had attended strictly to his
own affairs, but as be was a gentle.
man Of leisure. this soon grew mo-
notonous. Then. IN casting about for
human companionship. he passed over
the younger women and the girls and
began to cultivate an acquaintance
with Miss ArabeIla First II was just
short conversations In the parlor OF
evenings. Then II blossomed into
offerings OF new magazine, bunch
Of vioiets. or box OF candy. From
this was short step 70 an invitation
70 90 occasionally 70 the picture show
In the evening or for q walk In the
nearby park on Sunday afternoon.
And now II was June. and the day
after tomorrow would be Mr.. jenkins
birthday. And he had Invited Miss
Arabella. with an air which there was
no mistaklng TO motor with him 10
the beach for an evening dinner. The
middle-aged wooey had not yet dc.
ciared himself, but Arabella was NOR.
ally certain that she would come back
from the beach trip an engaged won.
an. Her heart--even az forty.nve-
thrilled at the prospect.
Alas for human hopes. On the very
morning OF the birthday. after Miss
Arabella had tinidiy presented the gsfi
she worked for her admlrer with her
own fair hands. she bites into a piece
OF hard candy taken from boz which
Mr.. Jenkins had brought her the eve
ming before, and snapi went the plate
OF her upper teeth. They we're beausi
ful. but dsceitful teeth. Without them,
Miss ArAbella looked every one Of her
forty-iye years.
Misa Arabelia was In despair But
she did not ponder long over the situ
alton. Stealing out Of the house un
seen. she FASTENED TO the dentist who
had made the teeth. He agreed to send
the teeth before be closed up that
night. Miss Arabeila went back 10
Miss Cross.
Miss Arabelia put In the afternoon
watching the clock and praying that
ths dentist would not fall her. Al
$3.50. the automobile would bo az the
door.
Al SIX o'clock, In shs tasty naw gown
and hat reserved for the occasion. abe
heard knock. She opened the door
Just enough TO permit the dentists
boy TO thrust In 9 small boa. Then
Misc Arabella breathed again. She
hastily undid tho paper. opened the
boK. took out ths taeth almost
collapsed on tho spot.
They were not her toethl They be.
longed 70 q much larger mouth svf.
IDENTIFY than Miss ATabolia'a. She
gnzed At them horror-stricken. Then
she burst into tears.
Strange 70 aay. ia Mr.. jenkins room
q similar scene minus ths weeping
and plus few haraher words than
Mr. Jenkina usually used--was being
enacted. That very morning, Mr.. Jen.
kius had broken on q front tooth. lie
had persuaded without difficulty
Ibis dentist TO repair the damage aud
deliver tho teeth that night.
But they were not his teeth.
Mr.. jenkins gave himself up 10 dea.
pair. And Just at that moment tho
chambermaid knocked aG his door and
handed him q note.
II wes from Miss ArRbella. In terms
Of the utmost regret e announced that
the writer, for reasons she could not
explain would be unable 70 help him
celebrate HIS birthday that evening,
Mr.. Jenkins spent = sisepless night,
and the next morning be slipped out
early TO tho dentist with something
little short OF murder In his heart.
With the little boz which had caused
all bis troubles elAsDsd In his hand.
Mr. jenkins was laying down the law
At 9 great rats when the door behind
him opened. He turned--and confront.
cd Miss Arabella.
A little box. the exact counterpart
OF the one he held, was clasped IN her
neatly gl0yed hand She gave ono
despairing looL q, Mr.. Jenkins Then.
faint for want OF the food shs had
miased at dinner and breakfast. she
sank heIpiessly into chair.
Explanations followed, Of course.
Miss Arabella and Mr.. jenkins walked
home together, both with their wen.
hitting teeth In placa The dinner was
then and there declared postponed un.
I'll the coming evening
And that evening. when the bright
moon revealed an automobile speeding
over the road cityward. Il also dis
closed, On the back seat, masculine
arm around feminine waist and q
feminine head on a masculine shoui.
der
And suddenly Mr, Jenkins said
fondly;
| How foolish We werei Knowing
We were going TO live together all our
lives, what did It NATTER"
Misa Arnbella did not reply. For
the first time IN all her starved and
atnnted forty-flve years, che was
Iearning what II meant to be really
happy.
| Copyright. BY the Mcclure Newspaper
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