The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-12-01

"~Snub-nosedl"
"Freckledl"
"And homely as sin !"
"But we must pamper and coddle
this dear ancient lady of ours on &C
count of the shekels.'
Miss Tabitha Todd gasped. Her
hand fell away. She made a dash
for the heartless t~ell-tale photograph
and shut it off.
courageous :" she almost shrieked.
"Abominable - she added and went
to the mirror and surveyed herself.
Yes, she was snub-nosed, and yes, she
was freckled. AS to her LONELINESS
there was no question. Her faded old
eyes filled with tears and her lips puck
cred.
ut isn't that 1 am that" she breath
ed %brokenly. IT'S the heartlessness of
it, after my shekels!' Willis, whom 1
loved as an own sonl Clara, who
was to be a joint heiress! A shallow,
~faithless, undeserving pair of wretched
schemers. Well, l am warned in time,
thank goodness"
1t had all come about through her
HtDutNt Wills udlus anu Ills Mllts
Clara, whose guest she was, leaving
her alone in the house that morning.
They had treated Aunt Tabitha like
an own mother. So far her weeks
visit had attached her more than ever
to this happy-spirite,t young couple,
who, in the absence of any very ma
terial wealth, seemed to live and thrive
on love and kisses.
Miss Todd hustled from the room, to
ireappear ten minutes later ready for
the street, suitcase in hand. She pro-
lceeded to remove the wretched record
from the instrument. She replaced it
where she had accidently discovered it,
way upon the plate rail. She loved the
phonograph, but had tired of those so
often played records in the cabinet and
had resolved to try this old one to
while the time away.
"There! :" she voiced tartly. "They
shall never know how their perfidy
came to be exposed"
Then Miss Tabitha Todd scrawled
a few lines on a sheet of paper, left it
on the table and flounced from that
~treacherOus roof, on fire with indigna-
ton and resentment.
1t was four hours later when Willis
and Clara returned. Willis was first
to discover the note. what in the
name of wonder does this mean?" he
CALCULATED, inc both, petrified, read:
"Do not ever speak to me, write to
me, or even think of me again."
"Why!" gasped Clara.
"What," cried Willis. "Oh, Aunt Ia
bltha has gone crazy!' He rushed up
stairs, to find her belongings gone.
Then he hurried to the nearest tele-
graph Office and indited a wire to the
home of their missing relative.
anxious. Clara worried to death.
What has happened2" the telegram
ran, but there came no reply.
Clara wrote the next day, but the
letter, unopened and enclosed In an
other envelope, came back. Willis
called up Aunt Tabltha on the long-dis-
lance telephone, but as soon as his
voice was recognized the irate old maid
hung up the receiver.
"It's no USE" Willis told Clara final
ly. "She has taken some perverse kiak
tuu won De C|OuCllldIeu.
Miss Todd passed a desolate year in
her lonely village home. Many a time
Il longing thought to see her discarded
relatives intruded on her mind, but
she banished it resolutely. She tool
In several cats as pets, superseded
them with canine ~favorites, then II
turn with canary birds and began t.
hauoInn fa6s onH nanoptrinitinc +hot
aged and sOured her.
One day Miss Todd was compelled
to go to the city on business. She
sighed drearily as she recalled the
warm greetings a certain home haC
once held for her. She transacted hel
business and had to put in the after
Don as best she could, for there was
no home train until late afternoon.
Finally she paused to read a bill
board in front of a little bijou of {
theater. 1t announced that "the Eng
fish players" were to give a matinee
that afternoon, program "the sterling
old standard drama, She Stops t
Conquer preceded by the equally an
clent, but famous skit, The Bite,
Bit" Miss Todd entered the theater
The curtain rose. She was only in
differently interested, she fancied, bu
her mind aroused nightly as the cur
tain rolled up and a stage dressing
room was the scene. A faded, bedi
zened queen of tragedy, powdered
roughed and furbelowed, was going OIL
In her part and her ~obsequious mait
and her husband We're hypocriticall.
fiattering her as to her beauty ant
ability. But as she left them; behint
her back they derided her through ges
lures and grimaces. Then, the instan
the door closed after the actress, tn
following colloquy ensued:
"Snub-nosed