Williams news., 1918-01-24
Dr. Bradford's S
 Obstacle
By Anne Collins

Hl>~~~~~~~>~~~
 
 Copyright. 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa-
 per Syndicate.)
 Jane Dawson kept boarding house. Had Jane lived a generation ago her friends would have been filled with pity for her because of this. They would have nodded their heads sadly together and have said: "What a pity that a young woman of James position and family should be reduced to taking in boarders." But, being an up-to-date young woman of the twen- tieth century, Jane preferred to look upon her venture with deep interest, put her boarding house on a business basis, kept her books with accuracy and was regarded as one of the busi- ness w0nen who had won out in the neighborhood where she lived.
 '"The Dawson House." as Jane chose to call her establishment, had definite number of resident boarderS and an indefinite number of ''meal- erS," as lanes housekeeper called them. In the latter class was Doctor Bradford, who was known to the regu- lar Dawson House clientele simply as a promising young doctor who, hay ing spent the last two or three years at the front, had now taken an apart ment somewhere in nearby neighbor- hood with the intention of building up a practice.
 Doctor Bradford, it was whispered, was very much attracted to Jane. That was not so very remarkable for Jane, in spite of-or was it partly because of?-her businesslike manner and trim, severely made blue serge frockS was decidedly attractive bit of fem ininity. The remarkable thing about it was that Jane showed that she was attracted to the doctor. At least it had been noticed by the observing ones of Dawson House that the doc tor not infrequently fingered after dinner to join in hand of bridge with Jane and some favored married couple. For it was, indeed, consid- cred a favor to be invited to spend an evening in Jane's hospitable sitting room where cracking logs on the hearth and warm-shaded lamps and, most of all, Jane's indescribable smile which always was at it's best in her own private sanctum-cast a spell of cheer that was warmer than the hospitality of any other part of the house.
 Sometimes, though, this the observ- ing ones did not know, Jane and the doctor spent a leisure hour or so to- gether in bracing country walks; but apparently-apparen surely to Jane the doctor merely sought lanes friendship in her companionship. On more than one occasion of late, how ever, his manner verged on something warmer than friendship, but always he stopped himself abruptly. How ever, there is always a last time when a man is able to stif1e his desire to come to an understanding with the woman to whom he is attracted, and this last time came one evening when Jane and he were bending over a game of cribbage in James sitting room. Impulsively the doctor clapped his hands over cards and pegs and board just as Jane was about to peg out to the finish.
 "Jane," he said. i've got to tell you You know my mind is not on the game. I'm thinking only of you and have been for weeks. Jane, I'd try and make you love me enough to be my wife if thought it could ever work out-but-'
 Jane's hands that had suddenly turned cold were, with an effort at composure, trying to straighten out the pack of cards.
 'But whatT' she said after a mo- ment's silence, and then, as the doctor seemed to be unable to make an ex- planation she went on with a delib- erateness that was characteristic of Jane: 'Do you mean that there is some reason why you couldn't ask me to be your wifeF'
 'There is a reason why you might not wish to accept me-" he said.
 Jane looked across the table, her frank eyes meeting his.
 'Is it something that happened when you were in France?"
 The doctor nodded in the affirma- tive. q didn't think much about it till I got to this country. Why, Jane, even my mother told me must have been insane to do it-and 1t is because of it that she didn't want me to set tie down at home. That's why came here and took the apartment
 CT am sorry" was all Jane answered and perhaps the doctor was disap- pointed that Jane did not force a full Ter confession from him.
 Jane spent what seemed to her boarders a foolish proportion of her earnings on the furnishings of her lit tie sitting room. New pictures and books and objects of ornamentation that tempted her soon found their place in the room, though she would have hesitated some time before buy