Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1916-02-02

1.-THE NEEDED ED. { spur
BY, MORRIS. GRAHAM.

;4tE41F.pEss.FS.'s.s. .s9.'s4s.4.4.FF.F.s.ss : :
f. Five dollars looks mighty big when
Fat fellows only earning eighteen a
week. Ted figured it out after lunch
until even Uncle Chris commented on
his abstraction at the Office. Where
upon Ted sat up and took notice, for
Uncle Chris was absolute Judge and
arbiter temporarily over his actions.
He heard from Sigma Lawrence that
Amy was back. Sigma corresponded
with her regularly and was well aware
that Ted paid far more attention to
her comings and goings than he did to
the sun, moon and stars all put to-
gether.
= She'll be here for at least month,
80 you'd better be making hay, Ted
dy," Sigma had advised. Make hay
when he only had sure thing Of
eighteen per. He wanted a good
whacking salary now, big enough so
he could go to old ]. C. Burnham and
tell him he wanted to marry Amy and
could take care of her.
Deep in his own musings, Ted stared
before him on his desk stool behind
one of the bank windows and failed to
notice Putney until he had spoken
twice. Putney, just at that minute,
looked to Ted's troubled vision like
the perfect pattern of the sort Of q
man he wanted to be himself. Putney
was partner in the best automobile
concern in town.
"Hello, Ted!" he called genially,
laying down his bank book, deposit
slip and nice full pad Of yellow
backs. "Just slip those away FOR me,
will You Going to the Dorrance
dance tonight"
|; Maybe he was. Ted said rather
gloomily. He wasn't sure. Then all
the morning he meditated, finally de.
Gliding to take the plunge and go.
When he went out to lunch, he took
the five he had decided to squander,
went over to the best florists in town
and ordered the roses.
Amy was slim and dark, with eyes
Of warmest, deepest brown and skin
like Jasmine flower. So he chose
the little, close, dark red "Jacks" for
her, and had them sent with his card.
And just as he watched them being
placed in the box he heard Putney's 8
voice behind him order orchids
twenty-five dollars worth of lavender
orchids.
II That night he went to the Dor.
rances' dance. Polly Dorrance was
specially nice to him, but he watched
for Amy. She would wear orchids,
and he would want to die on the spot,
yet some deadly spell held him And
all at once he saw her. Put was
| dancing with her. Just as they passed
where he sat with Polly she looked at
fShim and smiled.
Polly" he said hurriedly, "was she
wearing red roses or orchids. did you
,see?!"
4, Jacks" said Polly, placidly.
"Why"
But Ted had excused himself and
was moving away in dream. He
found himself inexplicably beaming
on people and getting ecstatically in
everybody's way until he found her.
Putney stood talking to her, and she
asked him to go and dance with poor
Polly, left all alone.
"You wore them," Ted said under
his breath. amy, you darling!"
"Somebodyll hear you-hush! OF
course wore them. I-why, I'm very
fond of Jack roses, you know"
'"He sent you orchids"
"They were beautiful" she flushed
ever 80 slightly-"but like roses
best"
Ted drew her away from the hall.
room. He knew the Dorrance house,
knew there was window seat under
the big stained-glass window in the
side hall, and he led her there out Of
sight.
"You know and know" he told her
In his funny. frank, boyish way, "that
I'm up against 1t with Uncle Chris.
I've got to make good or 1 don't get q
sou out Of him. But I'm making good
he says, and I just want to say this
much: I've loved you ever since we
went to High together, and it's the big.
gest hope of my life that some day
maybe I'll be making enough to ask
you to marry me"
Amy's lashes hid her eyes. She fin.
gered the close dusky petals of the
little red roses.
"I'm not asking you to promise even
to wait for me-" he began. Its Put.
ney's race SO far"
"Putney's race is over" Amy inter.
posed gently. "I--I never did prefer
orchids. He knows it now, Ted, you'll