The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-06-01
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Ian Cupids Special Delivery
NJ l0lusE OLIVER.

III UAu biidA PA'At va INV 49,
nch knife: the depth Of the sea and
tops Of the highest mountains, the
toFrOrs Of the frozen north and the
tier agony OF the desert
But there Is one thing left we
all learn how love conquered ma
Betty Barstow was a very pretty
b, but spoiled. It was too bad. or
y was born with a wonderful VIII,
ID with proper guidance would have
oftainly been a power or good, an
My child with a rich father and
practically all the money she wanted
3 spend.
But the more she had, the less she
anted what she did have, and the
ore she wanted the unattainable.
Perhaps that was why she merely
ughed at Jerome Gilbert, young
DoTintendent in her fathers mill,
ben he fell foolishly, desperately pit
buy n love with her.
Betty" he pied, mo one ever loved
. ] DO. You see It's the only thing
I've for. Other people have been in
Ne, or thought they were, but il was
thing 20 this. Can't you feel IL?
1n't you see Il, that can't live with
% you2 You'll find It out some day,
Wy cant you give me little hope?'
Betty laughed. Eventually, why
ot n0W?" she quoted from an adyer.
|Soment. You see she'd heard the
me thing before from a dozen suit.
1fl. They all said practically the
1mo thing. But she had plans Of her
w. Some day. when the war Is over.
be was going to marry, a Lieutenant.
olOnol. or q brigadier-general, or per.
aD8 Q colonel, or even a general, who
"a distinguished himself in action. u
you'd be so stupid to marry or even
u botrOth ones self now TO someone
NO would have TO go and fight, and
hen perhaps be killed and leave one
widow; or wounded and have 10 be
1titod and pampered all the rest Of
DID lie 70 make up for It, and spend
90 bis time for the next fifty years
Explaining Just how It happened.
Jerome colored. you're cruel,
Betty. You don't mean It, know,
but & hurts Nwfully. l can't stand It
any longer. I'm going to enlist and
] hope ! get killed"
But Betty had heard that before
TOO, and Il worried her not.
I'm n love with you, don't you know
why?
You don't seem to care when l
sigh,
Maybe Il ! went away,
You'd change your mind some
day"
But Jerome-JerrS they called him
-solSed his hat and departed.
He did enlist in the aviation corps.
That was the next thing Betty heard
|of him, and he was gone without say.
ms goodbye.
Then she grew thoughtful. Per.
taps she had been a little unkind. She
really hadn't intended to go so far.
She had only meant to tease him a
little and make It up the next time he
came. As the days went on without
my word from him, she became in.
dIgnant, then furious. And if a Wo
nan is properly furious with a man,
look out; it's an indication that she
rares entirely more than a mere bat.
ng average just what that man
does.
He doesn't deserve any credit for
going," she said to her father one
morning. "He went because-because
ne was cross about something, | be.
lleye."
= don't think So" returned her
Parent "He confided to me a couple
Of months ago that as soon as we had
certain important work done in the
mill be thought he would CO."
OIL" Betty's eyes filed with tears
Of humiliation and she left the break
fast table hurriedly. Here she had
been feeling as guilty as a murderer
and flattering herself he was risking
bic life from sheer disappointment at
not getting her. After all he hadn't
meant q word Of It! Then she was
'moro indignant than ever.
For the first time in her life Betty
Had q rebuff, and with characteristic
wiltulness, fell In love with the unat.
talnable. And then she discovered
that she had really been in love with
Jerry al along. Why else, had she
always pressed his flowers, and saw.
ed his letters, and put his books in
Q shelf by themselves, when the 9th.
.r5 had gone the way OF many things
Betty took for granted?
Then her mind being serious for
the hrSt time in her life, she began
% think earnestly OF the war and of
what she could do to help. She went
M Tor Red Cross work for awhile. and
pork tirelesSly in the Womans Motor
Corps.
But there we're others who could
ID her work and she wasn't satisfied
she wanted something distinctive.
something that others would not or
could not do.
Then one day she read how carrier
pigeons were needed in France, and
how difficult It was to get people 10
train them. And instantly she decl.
Ied that that was her work.
she went out TO their house in the
country, with only the care,aker and
.ls-Wilo for company, and started out
With twelve birds.
% vas interesting work and kept
be- busy. She would take the birds
q hort distance away from the fIrm
No drsl IN her motor car, and let them
1g back. Then gradually she in.
creased the distance, letting tie birds
I'D alone. At last 1t got impossible
I1r her 70 take them herself as the
distance grew greater, and she would
.1In them 10 friends in different cities
.o release.