Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1917-03-22

the house She wore his ring on .
fine chain around her neck. and grew
prettier every day.
X. had postponed his leaving until
fall. Sidney had been inslstent, and
Harriet had topped the argument In
her buslnessllke way. III you insist
ON being an idiot and adopting the Ro.
senfeld family" she said. 'wait until
September. The season for boarders
doesn't begin until fall"
So X. waited for ''the season." and
ate his heart out for Sidney in the In
terval.
Johnny Rosenfeld stlll lay In his
ward, inert from the waist down. K.
was his most frequent visitor. Az q
matter Of fact. he was watching the
boy closely, at Max Wilson's request.
TELL me when I'm to do t." said VII
son. "and when the time comes, for
Gods sake, stand by me. Come to the
operation. He's got 30 much confidence
that I'll help him that / don't dare 70
fall
Luckily for sidney, her three months
service In the operating room kept her
and Carlotta apart. For Carlotta was
now not merely Jealous. She found
herself neglected. ignored II ate her
like q fever.
But sho did not yet suspect an en-
gagement. II had been her theory that
Wilson would not marry easily-that,
In u sense. he would have TO be CO.
creed into marriage. She thought mere
ly that Sidney was playing q game like
her own, with different weapons. So
she planned her battle. ignorant that
she had lost already.
Her method was simple enough. A
new inferno had come into the house,
and was going through the process Of
learning that from a senior at the medl-
cal school to q half.baked Junior In
terne Is long step back. He had to
endure the good-humored contempt Of
the older men, the patronlzing instruc-
tons Of nurses as to rules.
Carlotta alone treated him with def
erence. His uneasy rounds in Carlotta's
precinct took on the state and form of
stan visirations. She flattered, cajoled,
looked up to him.
After q time It dawned on Wilson
that this junior cub was getting more
attention than himself; that, wherever
he happened to be, somewhere In the
offing would be Carlotta and the Lamb,
the latter cycling her with worship. Her
indifference had only plqued him. The
cnthronlng Of a successor CALLED him.
Between them, the Lamb suffered
lulghtlly-was subject 10 frequent
.bawlIng ou:." us he termed 1t, In the
operating room as he assisted the an.
esthetlst. He took his troubles to Car
lotta, who soothed him In the corridor
i'm plain sight Of her quarry, Of course
by putting q sympathetic hand on
his sleeve.
Then, one day, Wilson was goaded
to speech.
'For the love Of heaven, Carlotta,"
he said impatiently, stop making love
to that wretched boy. He wriggles like
worm II you look at him."
Il like him. He is thoroughly genu-
inc. l respect him, and he respects
me-"
Its rather q silly game, you know.
Do you think / don't understands
Perhaps You do. IL don't really
care a lot about him, Max. But I've
been downhearted. He cheers me mp"
Her attraction for him was almost
gone-not quite. He felt rather sorry
for her.
I'm sorry. Then you are not angry
with me-"
"Angry? No." She lifted her eyes
to his, and for once she was not acting.
" knew It would end, Of course. ]
have lost IA lover. ! expected that.
But wanted to keep friend"
1t was the right note. Why. after all,
should he not be her friendH He had
treated her cruelty, hideously. If she
still desired his friendship, there was
no dislOyalty to Sidney in giving 1t. And
Carlotta was very careful. Not once
again did she allow him to see what lay
in her eyes. She told him Of her wOr-
ries.
The Lamb was lowering near, hot
eyes on them both. 1t was no place to
talk.
Sidney would be at lecture that
night. The evening doomed tempingly
free.
Suppose you meet me at the old cor
ner," he said carelessly, eyes on the
Lamb, who was forgetting that he was
only O junior inferno and was glaring
ferOciously. "We'n run out into the
country and talk things over"
She demurred, with her heart beating
whats the use Of going back to
that? It's over, isn't lit"
Her objection made her determined
When at last she had yielded, and he
made his way down to the smoking
room, it was with the feeling that be
had won victory.
.
X. had been uneasy all that day; his |
ledgers irritated him. He had been
sleeping badly since Sidney's announce
nent of her engagement. At Eve O'Clock,