The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1916-01-12
W0MAN's Relief CORPS
BY LOUISE OLIVER.


need man, Connie, dear, don't
think I'm asking you for the tenth
time this season Just because ! am
so fond of you; such of course we all
are. But it is because you are such
darling to fill in. What would we do
without you?
Faithfully yours,
Belle"
up. s. Don't tell the story about
the famingo. simply can't laugh at
it again. | can say it backward in
my sleep. Hunt up a new supply"
( well. l like that" laughed Connie
Collins good naturedly as he laid aside
the note and resumed his grapefruit,
lone thing about Belle-shes candid"
He sighed. 80 I'm to supply again!
1t seems to me I've developed into a
regular married woman's relief corps" /"
He finished his coffee and went to
the ofice where he called up his pro
spective hostess for Friday.
Hello. Belle! / got your note.
4
tell the famingo story another-what's
that? oh. she's pretty, is she? That's
encouraging Say, Belle, have some
OF that crab meat again, will you? All
right--good for youl I'll be there
sure
When Friday night came and Con-
ME was presented to the young per-
son he was to take in to dinner, nis
first impulse was to hunt up his hos
tess and weep tears of Joy and thank
fulness upon her shoulder Miss May
welhsuch was her name-was a
vision of sweet delight.
At dinner his hostess kept nodding
and smiling at him as much as to say,
Its your reward Connie, for long
period of martyrdom."
Then gradually-so imperceptibly
that no one noticed it for while
the air, heavy with the scent of Amer.
ican Beauty roses, became pungent
blue haze began to I'LL the room and
finally an eddy of smoke trailed across
the low circle of light thrown by the
candles.
"Fire!" woman breathed con
vulsively and the guests sprang to
their feet. Bellies husband, Max
Wells, threw open the door into the
hall There was solid wall of white
smoke.
Dorothy Maywell laid a hand or
Comics arm. do you think it's up
stairs?' she whispered. 1--we goi
to go up and get some things if il
is"
you mustn't think Of that" he in
sisted kindly. Lives first, you know,
He laid his hand reassurirgly over
the one resting nervously on his arm
But I've got to. Doesn't anyone
know where it is?"
Then, before he realized what she
was doing. she dashed glass of wa
ter over a napkin, caught 1t up to hel
face and was out of the door, through
the wall of smoke and tearing up the
stairs.
Connie was at her heels, but he
could not stop her. There had beer
no time for him to protect himself
and the smoke in his eyes and lungs
strangled him, but he kept on.
Upstairs the smoke was less dense
Dorothy ran along the hall and into {
room at the right.
"You can't come In" she called
But Connie, with eyes alert for flames
paid no attention.
Hurry" he urged. Get what yo,
want. But for heavens sake hurry!'
She flew to bureau, opened 1
small top drawer, got something tina
looked like card, slid it into tn,
front of her gown and faced him. Il
I'm ready" she choked.
Comics eyes were smarting so h,
could scarcely see. But they gropet
their way along the hall, keeping al
close to the floor as possible The.
almost fell down the stairs. In an
other instant they were outside Oh
the porch just as the firemen arrived
The men rushed into the smoke
filled house. upstairs, down cellar
garretward-yet there were no flames
only dense, acrid smoke.
NO fire in the house at ALL" yelle,
someone. Its all coming out of tn
registers. Something wrong with tn
furnace"
So to the cellar they went and foun
piece. of damp carpet smolderin
in a disused furnace.
Open windows soon cleared tn
house sufficiently for the guests to re
turn to their coffee.
AS Connie placed Dorothy's chat
for her, he noticed white square O
the floor. He picked 1t up and say
his own photograph, with somethin
written on the back! In an instan
it was In his pocket. In some wa
he knew 1t was what Dorothy ha
been 30 frantic to rescue. 1t was yer
puzzling! Instinct told him, too, the
she must never know he had disco
cred it.
This was what was written on tn
photograph. and what Connie felt h
was entitled to read before he put
match m a. NJ hadtina.