The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-06-20
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
eAdvice to the Lovelorn."
~ VINCENT G. PERRY.
(CopyFight, 1918, by the Mcclure
Nowananpr Syndicate

-ue UuA just uStV9b tHD VNyA
u rose perfume on anybody's
hair. am afraid it is going
% cause uS TO break our engage
mont. / love him dearly, too. What
would you advise? Broken Hearted -
Bob Clarke read the letter over and
showed a piece Of copy paper into his
tyDoWTiteF. In less than a half minute
ho had written a paragraph Of advice
% "BrOken. Hearted" and pinned II TO
her letter, ready for the printers.
There was a heap OF letters before him
and he dealt with the ones on top.
They we're all along the same line
There was a similarity in he pen.
names, too. Broken Hearted Doubt.
tul" and Anxious" we're the most pop
ulaF ones.
When Bod had answered more than
~ thought the editor would let go
through, he sat back in his chair and
looked at the pile of unanswered ones
that would have to go init the waste
that would have TO go into the waste
person IN love in the city wrote TO
nJOan" for advice. II they had known
that Joan was a man-and a very
young one, tOo-perhaps there would
not have been so many letters. There
had been q girl on the staff who had
started the column. but she had long
since departed, so the work was wish
"a on Bob. He didn't mind It. though.
IL Afforded him a lot Of amusement, in
fact. He had never known how good
Be vas at giving advice until he had
conducted the advice to the Love.
ioIn" EOlumn. How many couples he
had made happy or unhappy he didn't
know, but this day he sat back and
wondered about it.
Lovers quarrels had always seemed
. Joke TO Bob, until he had had one
% his own. It was no Joke. OF course,
it was more serious than any quarrel
any one had ever written about he
thought. There didn't seem to be any
way out Of II, either. Cleo had posi-
lively refused 10 listen TO reason. II
was her fault from start to finish. She
had had no right to blame him, and he
had told her so. He had allowed her
% blame him for anything In the
past and he wasn't going TO allow her
10 do Il any more. Why was she so
stnbbO-n about Il? She had always
been reasonable before.
He paced up and down 10 think y
over and then sat down again. He had
the room to himself. 80 he was able to
think q out undisturbed. When he got
into q quleter frame OF mind he could
see that he was just trihe to blame.
The more thought he gave it, the more
he could see Just where the blame lay.
cleo had been right. II was all his
fault He would tell her It was, any
way, for he couldn't stand the lonely
feeling he had any longer.
It appeared quite a simple thing to
call Cleo up and put matters on a
firm basis again, but when she banged
the receiver IN his ear ha saw that
the quarrel had Just begun. For
week his feelings was in too injured
state to permit him to even think
81 taking TO Cleo again. but the lonely
feeling got the best Of him at length,
He wished there was some one to tell
him how to go about 1t to fix things up,
Then the idea came to him. Why not
follow some Of his own advice? He
thought. He had his column on file for
year back and he went through them
40 locate a case like his own. lie did
md one that was very much like his
The glrl in the case had been just as
stubborn as Cleo and had banged down
4 receiver Just as Cleo had done. Re
colveFs seemed to be popular weapon
IN lovers Quarrels. The young man
Who had written the letter had signed
himself "Pining Away" Bob didn't
feel quite as detected as that but he
could sympathize with the young fel'
low lust the same. He wondered what
he had seen in that letter to laugh ov'
az when Il had come in. lie read his
answer and noted each instruction.
BE bold; don't let her see that you
are doWn-hearted; 90 to her home and
demand admittance; show her that
YOU mean business, and she will be
sure 10 forgive you" he had said.
That answer didn't seem to lit his
case at all. But II "Pining Away had
been successful, he didn't see why he
couldn't be, by carrying out the same
Man. Il wouldn't hurt to try, at any
rate. Cleo couldn't do anything worse
.fhan close the door in his face, ana
ntrhaps someone else would answer
ne door. Her family favored him.
That was some consolation.
cleo didn't slam the door in Bob's
face, but after she had snubbed his
oFery effort to talk to her, for fifteen
minutes, be wished she had.
why won't you be reasonable,
CioO2" he pleaded At labt.
sRoasOnable!" she exclaimed. Have
I mot been reasonable. II you really had
loved me you would be-"
Il was the longest speech she had
made, and Bob felt encouraged,
nBut ! have apologized, dear, and
l1kon al the blame" he said. Wont
ro1 Be your old self again? Why did
YOU allow me to come here If you
rsfen't going to speak to me-"
u don't want you to take the blame
ma I didn't want you to come here. II
on really thought you were to blame
.od wouldn't acknowledge it-men new.
a.. You Just say that because you
rrt forglVing me. don't want to be
lofrlVen. have done nothing to be
l8f9lVcn for"
There vas an entirely new argument
|rf Bob. He had always been OF the
- IA hrHN