The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1918-02-27
Cinderella's
Diary
o0
By HlLDA MORRIS
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sl...;sht. 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa
lCop'' per Syndicate.)

"
-. che looked tired. John Arnold, sit
w. l,ua onnosite her in the street Cur, no.
.,usa her closed eyes and general dir
W. !. fatigue, She was eighteen or nine
. =, years old, he decided, or perhaps
. @ She had a lovely oval face
. . with waves Of bright hair, and
.hs looked like a lady In spite of her
.ather shabby, inexpensive clothes.
There was something very attractive
about her.
1okn did not realize that he was
caring at the girl until she opened her
.ves She opened them suddenly, as
she had felt his gaze through her
.,ospd lids And she looked directly
= him, 1t was very impersonal
look casual and little questioning,
perhaps, yet it did very curious thing
to.John Arnold. 1t made him feel very
youpg or very happy, or very glad of
something; he could not analyze the
feeling exactly, but at least it was diff
1erent from anything he had ever ex-
nerienced before. Perhaps it was be-
rause the girls eyes were so luminous
a gray, and so deeply fringed with
black They were very unusual eyes.
They closed again, however, almost at
once. 1t was as though she had given
him glimpse of something too pre-
,cous to be wasted. The car jolted on
and the girl still sat with her curling
lashes resting on her pale cheek. She
was evidently very tired.
"Aschoolgirl, perhaps, or else she is
taking course in a business college"
John decided, noting her pile of books.
~They work hard, too, those girls. She
looks as If she needed country air and
good long rest"
The car emptied itself, street by
street, until there were few people left
besides John and the girl Of the curl
Ing lashes. AS matter of fact John
had passed his street, but for some
reason he had forgotten to get off. The
tired-looking girl still sat with her eyes
closed, resting. But at length she
reused herself with a start and got
of hurriedly at noisy street lined
with high apartments. John could see
her fastening along in the chill dusk,
the collar of her thin coat held high
about her throat.
It was not until they had gone on
some distance that he noticed the
book. It lay directly at his feet, a
cloth covered Record" such as people
use In Offices. It was one of those
books the girl had carried. John had
particularly noticed its businesslike
appearance. He picked it up curiously,
and opened to the front page. A school
notebook. no doubt, or Office accounts.
Perhaps 1t might contain the girls ad-
dress, SO that he could return it.
The first page, however. dispelled
this theory. Across it was printed, in
careful hand:
Dorothy May Douglas. Her Diary"
" course John Arnold should not
nave read the diary, vet it's neat pages
looked so alluring, and. after all, he
tnought, it might contain the address.
Sne would want 1t returned; people
10 not like to lose such precious things
~ diaries. So that evening after din
ner John settled down In his comfort
aOle bachelor living room and guiltily
scanned the pages OF the little book.
Monday-A hard day Mt the Office.
MSS Coleman is SO difficult to please.
"hen l get to be head Of an Office
, ~, Shall try to make them like me.
~ De nice to girls that have head
acnes and I'll never, never speak so
slarpiy that I make them want to cry.
w. well, l hope I'll never be head of
aa ONCE. I'd rather have cottage
WIN white muslin curtains and red ge-
idnlums in the window and keep Il cat.
= iuesday-Stupid day at the office.
put saw the loveliest silk dress in a
sure window as l was coming home.
:. was just exactly what 1 would
,uoose' blue with gold embroidery. If
we're Cinderella I'd write to my fairy
sOumother and tell her to bring me a
Iess Just like that for the ball. Per-
=. uapS ! am a sort Of Cinderella, but
,a aele isn't any fairy godmother or any
!, "ednesday-It was. dreadfully cold
~ Tue Office today. Miss Coleman likes
.s ..e ccld. And now there isn't enough
'n sa. IN my room tonight, either. l
a.. ,su l were Cinderella; at least she
~su fire to sit ib7."
:. ~ spite of the warnings Of his con-
~ as gentleman. John skinned
Sa psr pages, all pathetic with sordid
lnglngs. ~ VIII" e"''
,.,. h invited to party" read the
os, . 'ost page of all. "A really truly
ssV' 1t ISN'T ball like Cinderella's,
r,u no prince has invited ME, but it
n.. W a very grand affair. It's at
!. -" cotton Curtis house, a dance she
M s'Ang for her daughter. don't
nal Why she invited me. She and
y. We're scheol friends, but there
~ s asA miles between us now, miles
r.. inherent circumstances, mean! !
mn. lever met the daughter, but I'm |
NM sne wouldn't care for me. I'm not |