The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1916-07-13
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0y CATHERINE cRANMER.

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But think what you're shutting
yoarself away from. Nell" remon-
kins.
Please don't dwell on that" Nell's
teae indicated hnaiity.
Meaning. Of course. Q marriage
With Perry MortOn?"
Yes; ! mean just that and nothing
more"
"Yet il you are really absorbed in
this work Of decorating houses. think
what an opportunity that old Morton
country place offers. and you could
choose any sort of town house you'd
want, with no limit to what you could
spend on furnishings" Mrs. wilkins
set aside her unfinished cup OF tea
With an impatient sigh.
Get thee behind me. Mammon."
laughed Nell
"Oh, have II yCur own way. - YOU
always have things" said her sister
Nell there's no use picturing Per.
~ Morton as 4 monster just because
you don't happen to fancy him.
NO he isn't 4 monster At all. Sis:
hes merely an easy going. line-of-
least resistance sort. and his program
for life could be filed out twenty years
IN advance. But. look at sthe clock
It's time - pack the tools with which
I'm to hew out my own little des.
tiny. And Nell took the nearest
route up stairs bv way Of the back
stairway
When she came down ell ready for
the train. a maid handed her Perry
Morton's card, with this message
written on It: "Good-by. Nell Luck
to you. II bob up now and then
please try to regard me as a good
omen
When she arrived that night at her
tiny One-room andkitchenette apart.
ment she found a huge box OF pink
and white roses. feV moments
later. telegram was delivered to her
1t contained this message: Omen
number one N.Y. the rose-cO,ored
days outnumber the colorless ones two
to one. Perry
Nell worked hard. During her first
months she had occasional notes from
Perry Morton. but since he had gone
out to western ranch he had sent
her but one note and it contain med lit
tie more than his address. One day
soon after she had taken contract
for furnishing some apartments she
MO- Will nh- sr, 10
shop when she was effusivelv greeted
by young bride from her home city
"Oh. Nell! What lovely surprise!"
exclaimed the bride. mo one would
suspect you were involved in q mys-
terry"
Mystery? Why, Adelaide, what
can you mean?" asked Nell.
Just this, said the bride, with a
teasing smile. everybody at home
wonders about the mystery Of your
.,oing off to work and Perry Morton's
subsequent affair with Mrs. Mapes.
widow of his College pal and, lastly
about Perrys sudden departure for
the wild west. We cant figure out
where you got peeved at Perrv's fond
ness for the widow or whether he
went to the wilcs to forget you or to
forget the widow
Il see nothing mysterious. It
sounds Just plain silly to me-" laughed
/ Nell. She noticed on her table a
magazine addressed to her. 1t was
mailed at the publishers in New
York, and, looking through it, she
found blue pencil mark in the index
at this item: Subsequent Changes of
| Program, A Story, by p M. Orton."
It was the story of a voLng mans
awakening to his own unimportance
by hearing the girl he loved speak
lightly Of him. While it told of no
remarkable achievements attained by
the man, it showed how his mental
attitude toward life had undergone
such a change that life must hence
forth mean something deep to him.
All the next day Nell had that
story in her mind, and a hundred
times she wondered whether the name
"P NJ. Orton' was contraction of
Perry Morton's name, or merely a CO.
lnCluence, Dut as often She put lne
thought from her and tried to be in
different about it. When she reached
home that evening she found a tele-
gram from Perry with only this SEN
tence: The last omen but one, and
it will follow shortly
Half an hour later, Perry appeared
at her door.
Nell, dear" he began recklessly, as
soon as their first greeting was over
have bungled things? But | want
ed to know, and | couldn't tell you
that day l overheard you tell your
sister was an easy-going, line-cf-least-
resistance product of my environment,
whose life program had all been
printed in advance. and so on"