The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1917-02-01
WHOM THE GODS SEND
sy susAN {. cLAeETr.


really couldn't leave with Christmas
work plllng up, but your letter made
me think there was dire necessity.
expected to find YOU IN. Instead, you
look as II you had been glimpsing para
diseE There was a touch OF wIstful-
ness ln the voice and some exaspera-
ton.
"Ihat IS Just what has happened,
Pauline. ! nm glimpsing it every min
ute every hour Of the day. Ny heart
is singing, for am going to have a
home"
"a homer You have one. What on
earth do you meanT
'.Ihat IS true. but / have always
wanted one Of my very own, where my
wishes would come first after those of
the only man.
MY dear, Betty, you cannot make
me believe you have found man in
this God-forsaken spotf"
Il did not find him. He came. To
be perfectly frank think he subcon-
sciously retained a memory Of a girl,
a m0Onlit sea and northern lights. But
for my happiness. consciously, or other
wise he came. Romance comes near
est TO being the real thing on board
slow-going steamer than anywhere else
in the world l was not looking for
romance, however. AS you know, /
was sick, unhappy. ] had no heart TO
talk, but somehow the tan Scotchman
managed to interest me. He rested me.
I enjoyed every moment Of that rest
and accepted him as one whom the
gods had sent for my diversion"
Il have never heard you speak Of
him."
Betty laughed. Il forgot al about
him. Yet for a time after my return
l was keenly alive to his personality.
We had taken many little trips to-
gether after we landed and came to
know each other fairly well, but home
duties soon absorbed me and memories
grew faint until at last they disap-
peared entirely. Then all at once they
came hack to me-"
"The morning 1t all came back | had
been SO oyerburdened with work that
my soul had risen to revolt at the
thought I would never be able TO get
away from the household drudgery.
/ Suddenly my inner consciousness took
series Of someraaults and found my
self standing upon the deck Of that old
steamer as she plowed through the
mQonlit sea toward the northern lights.
"When / took my mental gymnastics
] was coming through the orchard and
then and there stopped short at the
sight 0f once familiar figure. Walk
ing UP the driveway toward the house
was the very man who had come into
my thoughts the minute before. What
would you call that? TclepathyT
1T would seem SO. l suppose you
were glad to see him?n
Il was not" The reply was emphatic.
Il was provoked. He should have let
me know he was coming. A girl may
be fairly free from vanity, but even
then she dislikes to be caught in
huge kitchen apron with her face red
and wet from the heat. Before / quite
realized it both my hands were held
close ia his and he was looking down
at me in a way that / found slight
" embarrassing, and this was his
greeting:
~ thought ! was never going to
have the time to come to you
1T was an absurd thing for him TO
say. had not invited him to come
here and consequently was a little at
sea as to his meaning, but before /
could ask him what he meant, to my
utter bewildermens he told me he had
come South to marry me. He seemed |
60 have taken it for granted that ]
would be ready to say yes whenever
he had the time to ask the question.
"lsa'f ii odd, Pauline, how everything |
WORTH while hinges upon little word |
of four letters. With It the poorest |
man and woman are rich, without it |
the richest is the poorest OF Gods crea- /
tlons. That it should come to me some
day | frankly acknowledge ] have
hoped but that 1t should ccme in the /
form Of an awkward home,v. deter
mined man was not to my liking, for !
he is homely.
"But he was my first lover. That |
fact threw a glamour over me. Yet |
there was no lovemaklng. at least. not
the kind Of lovemaking l had read
about And with the glamour l felt
Indignation that he should think ]
would be ready at his first word. But
Indignation faded into amazement at
the thing that was happening TO me- I
felt my world turning upside down at
this sudden coming Of love
However later on, when was sit
ting quietly in my room / was tortured
by doubt. Could love come all in
moment2 i had never before had a
lover Was / moved by his earnestness
or was it something that had to be.
asked myself these questions until I
became desperate with the fear that ]
had been mistaken. was afraid to 20
down to him. opened and shut my
door, opened It again and heard his
voice asking one Of the children where
I was.
Ellis voice set my fears forever NJ