The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-11-30
THE LOCKET
BY MILDRED WHITE.

an station to her nome. MOllle nad
not yet learned to call home, the hum
BILE house which sheltered her; but
it was the place where she spent the
hours when not engaged in Doctor
Brimson's Office.
Mollie-Ellen wished wistfully that
she might know the joy of giving COM
fort and courage to one brave Ameri-
can soldier. Her throat frightened at
the thought of her own uselessness,
the only n who needed her, had gone.
And thus she came to the golden locket
glintlng from the roadway. 1t was an
ordinary round locket, but when she
opened 1t searching for a clew of own
ership, a soldiers face confronted her,
a fine face with steady honest eyes.
ITO Jane" she read on the inner
cover, from her Bob" The locket's
long chain was unbroken, so it must
have slipped %unclasped from James"
neck. 1t had been "her Bob's" gift, no
doubt, before he had left for France.
Mollie-Ellen glanced up and down the
road, no vehicle, no passerby was In
sight. She clasped the chain about her
own throat as she hurried on; she
would advertise the locket in the morn
ing's paper. Even the small amount
paid for advertising, would mean add
ed economy to Mollie-Ellen.
She found that she would only be
able to insert the advertisement occa-
sionally. But though she unselfshly
persisted, no claimant responded. Mol
lie-Ellen took to wearing the ornament.
hoping that it might be recognized and
returned to its proper wne but
"Bob's Jane" was evidently not in Mol
lie-Ellen's proximity. The locket she
concluded must have dropped from
some touring car. So each night as
the lonely girl placed it in her jewel
case, she smiled into the soldiers
eyes.
Goodnight, Bob" she would whis-
per. 1t was really wonderful how COM
%panionable a photograph could be-
come. Mollie-Ellen read sympathy in
the eyes when she was tired, and she
could see humor lowering about the
lines of the soldiers mouth over some
remembered incident of her day. Then
Mollie-Ellen made a discovery-after
all she did own a soldier and she
must work in his behalf at the Red
Cross rooms, must send knitted things
across the sea, for would not this la
Dor help one another? That he was
James Bob" mattered not at all,
neither he nor Jane should know of
her rival. So Mollie-Ellen spent her
spare hours in the house devoted to
Red Cross work, and there overriding
Mollie-Ellen's aloofness, a fashion
able and beautiful worker sought her
out. She blushed with pleasure at
Miss Stuyvesant's praise.
You are so conscientious in your
duty" that person remarked, perhaps
like myself, you have a personal in
centive? My brother is now in train
ing" And just as Mollie-Ellen was
about to deny the implication, the
golden locket few open, and quick as
she was in closing it, Miss ~Stuyvesant
had glimpsed for an instant a soldiers
cap.
$50 / was right" she laughed, "your
brother?"
mo" Mollie-Ellen began confused
ly. her companions interruption left
her sentence unfinished.
MY brother is near here in camp,
so we are fortunate in seeing him
often. Why" she broke OFF, "there he
is nov coming toward US. He is 60
ing TO drive me home"
A., NFnIls1 INlI1Nfr 1Nar&JaA Uazn Aoll
upon the advancing soldier, she longed
to hide her own burning face, for the
man was actually Bob" himself,
James Bob" of the golden locket. He
looked down upon Mollie-Ellen, &C
knowledging his sisters introduction,
as though he we're aware of those
goodnight condolences.
"Y&u must let us take you home"
Miss ~Stuyvesant insisted, and as the
three few along In the big automobile
Mollie Ellen dreamed of brighter days.
Days passed and Miss Stuyvesant
kindly continued the drives as q mat
ter of course and Mollie-Ellen knew
that she could return the locket to its
owner through Bob Stuyvesant's care.
But there would be the Illuminating
fact of having worn all this time the
picture of a man she had not even
known.
Bob ~Stuyvesans as she met him
again, was ~preoccupied, his steady
gray eyes were clouded, rejecting trou-
bled thought.
"Good-by," she said, you have
been very kind. Mr.. Stuyvesant, but /
shall not be able to see you again be-
fore you sail"
81 suppose" burst out Bob Stuyves'
ant in unexpected heat, "the fellow
you veal around in your locket is the
reason for-thati Sis told me about
him, so l ought to have kept away in
the first plac but" he laughed short
ly. 81 couldn't" he said.
"Wait!" cried Mollie-Ellen breath
IO~1l, zha ron into tba h1pCa nahum.