Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1917-11-01
The Key Word
By FEE LANYoN
By F.E. LANYoN

Ill II
s- y!
Copyright, 1917, Western Newspaper union.)
He's a dreamer said Boyd Wins
boro. -
He's a darling!" irrepressibly sup
plemented his sister, and her practical.
hard-headed brother stopped short in
their promenade about the home gar
den with a severe expression on his
face.
But resolute, open-minded Annabelle
was not one whit abashed.
Don't think I'm in love with him.,
and 'gushy,'" laughed this pretty, vi
vacious maiden. II only express the
sentiment of our crowd of girls. Grant
Driscon is thorough gentleman,
obliging, unobtrusive, poetical'
"Driscoll is poetical, all right !"
growled Boyd Winshoro.
Gracious to his Interiors loyal and
helpful to his equals and -Oh, brother &
he has done SO much to alleviate the
poverty and sufferings of the poor and
deserving we came across in our settle
ment charity work"
''Humph! Good thing he has rich
uncle who owns the truck plant where
we both work-that is, I do.
oh! don't stare so ghoulishly. You
have no sentiment" and Annabelle
fiounced away with the parting shot:
"Grant-that is, Mr.. Driscoll- yet
make some great discovery that will
revolutionize the world. He told me
SOL
"Ha hal" laughed Boyd, derisively.
He came home wrathily the follow
ing Saturday afternoon. At the gate
he met his sister.
where have you zbeen?" he de-
manded.
"Over at the Driscoll place, with
Grants" confessed Annabelle, openly.
"Oh Boyd he has the dearest little
workshop you ever saw. It's pavilion
modelled over. So it's more a labora
tory than workshop. You see, he is
making some great experiments, but
1 promised not to say word" added
Annabelle hastily, placing her fingers
across her smiling lips. :.
For the. first time Boyd noticed that
Annabelle's hands were grimed and,
/ stained.
what does that untidiness meant
he challenged.
sAcid,' voiced Annabelle, distinctly
and proudly. as though a positive merit
was disclosed. 1--WE been helping
Grant!''
! The ensuing Saturday afternoon the
previous program was repeated. Anna
belle came home full of suppressed ex-
element, with alternating spells of
/ deep abstraction. Boyd watched her
covertly as she moved about the sit
ting room after tea. He noticed her
\ scrawling with a pencil on the blank
margin of paper. Then she stood
thoughtfully at the steamed-up win
i dows. Her dainty fingers placed fur
Their script upon the surface of pane.
When she had left the room Boyd
curiously inspected the newspaper. 1t
bore single word, scrawled out half
a dozen times. The window pane bore
the same puzzling inscription Efila-
tenn
II say, SIS observed Boyd to An
nabelle that evening. springing the
trap, "how's 'efilaten' getting aiong?"
Annabelle stared in. dismay,
"Where did you get the word7" she
cried quickly.
1T isn't word-it's two words, !"
replied Boyd, cody, metal life.' Come,
Annabelle, what is all this mystery?.
/ Annabelle looked bewildered, then
as If she was ready to cry.
"Oh, BROTHER" she half sobbed,
you've been spying into my secrets"
Not 1" dissented Boyd, strenuously.
Il ran across the word incidentally.
have half mind to believe that EFF
latem' is the key to this marvellous
discovery Grant Driscoll is working
on"
YES, it is" said Annabelle, and
you are mean and unmanly if you SO
much as try to even think how and
why" and forthwith she fled from the
room.
Somehow there was an anxious con-
straint on the part of Annabelle for a
j full month after that, and Boyd real
lied certain barrier arisen between
4 them. He attributed this, however, to
the absence of Grant, who was away
on two weeks vacation.
4 Annabelle frightened up when Grant
returned. One evening she came up
4 to Boyd, to put her arms about her
brothers neck, and kissed him.
"Oh, brother';, she cried, almost
Historically. II am SO happy! Grant
has succeeded. They have made tests
In the city, and his uncle says his dis.
coyery is one of immense value to the
plant and has offered him fifty thou
sand dollars for the formula"
4 "Of what7" projected Boyd, devoured
4 with curiosity.
4 "Eflatem."
q And what is efilatem? ?"
Il UTuct xx,hof ~ ~ cnollc ha nj, ,x,o rd.--ro OF.