South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-05-07
WHAT DICKY SAID.

whining hound. He must be nice
specimen, this Cousin Jack. He
didn't tell you he cared oh. the
venom Dicky threw into tho word
when YOU were free and ne had
his chance, but waited until he
knew you were safely married, and
then pulled this 1 have loved you
madly and secretly stuff"
stop. picky," My voice was firm
enough now ] know that his anger
/ against Jack would be directed
/ against me in "a few more minutes.
but I could not remain silent and
let him say such words or even think
such thoughts of Jack. honorable,
/ high minded Jack
You are utterly mistaken" [
said raising my eyes and meeting
/ his astonished ones steadily. Jack
/ Beckett would have cut off his right
I hand sooner than 70 have told me
he cared for me if he had known L
was married"
The anger which smOuldered in
, Dicky's eyes blazed up again.
And may / ask why he didn't
know YOU were married." he asked
icily.
Because / didn't tell him until
after we had had our dinner"
! oh" The little mOnosyllable
might have been volumes, so elo-
quent il was very considerable Of
you, am sure. But unless Cousin
/ Jack is a blithering idiot. may
4. III -.
wedding and engagement rings and
thus was not so ignorant OF the
truth as he would like to make it
appear"
II had come--the moment
dreaded, when I should have to tell
Dicky the one foolish wrong thing
I had done during the morning
felt my nerves CULVER all over my
body as ! braced myself to tell him
the truth and meet the scene which
! / knew must follow.
If j had been almost any other
woman, / would have gone cOaxing
~ to Dicly. caressed him and plead
ed my case so successfully that he
would not have minded the revela-
ton With one part of my brain
realized that l could soothe Dickys
temper and avoid the scenes which
upset me so if l could only bring
myself 70 the clinging vine attitude
so many women adopt successfully.
But il is impossible for me to
make any advances to Dicky to at
tempt TO caress him-especially if
he is angry at me- So, instead of
Explaining first the reason for my
action Of the morning, l ruthlessly
bIurted out the bare, simple truth.
"He did not see my rings because
7 took them off when I removed my
gloves and put them in my mesh
bag. I might as we'll tell you all
the rest now. after we had finished
our dinner, and my cousin had told
me about his caring. 7 was very
much upset, for I did not dream"
"Oh, Of course not" interjected
Dicky contemptuously Taking off
your rings showed that"
ct began TO cry" went on,
loathing myself for telling all this.
but determined to go through with
the whole thing, "and Jack called a
taxi and we went up 10 Central
park He wanted to give me time
to control myself on the way l
told him I was married. Then he
realized that I must have taken off
my rings He told me l ought to
put them on, and when 7 looked in
my bag for them they were gone"
What stuff is this" Dicky in
terrupted You have your rings
on this minute"
Yes. I know returned. but
II did not find taam for nearly an
hour. We rushed back to the res
Itaurant. and Jack went in to look
for them While he was gone Mr..
Underwood passed the taxi and,
seeing me thought was on my
way to his home. Just then Jack
came down the steps and said to
me 4 can't find them anywhere. >
/ Mr.. Underwood asked us if we had
lost anything. and I answered. NO.
nothing or any consequence" for I
did not wish him 10 know about il.
But he happened TO look at my un-
gloved hand and he said, oh, / see.
nothing OF any consequence so
sneeringly."
Don't You Know"
Dicky uttered a vigorous oath
and rising. began to pace up and
down the room
Mr. Underwood went away
then" I continued, and Jack and
I started 10 find you. He said if I
had lost my rings he was going to
be the one 20 tell YOU. But when /
put on my gloves the rings rolled
out Of glove. and 7 put them on
and came on home here. and then
went over 70 Mrs Underwood's. Mr..
Underwood telephoned me here be-
fore I left saying ne would not
speak OF the loss Of the rings. but
] told him a falsehood about them"
You did What" Dicky's
voice was sharp and peremptOry.
II told him that my rings had not
been lost. that my gloves were too
tight and that I had removed them
20 put on my gloves"
Good" Dicky's voice held a
note OF relenting. That's one thing
saved any way Wonder your con-
science would let YOU tell that much
Of a lie"
His sheer reused me had been