New Britain herald., 1918-11-15
MY SOLDIER SWEETHEART
 Continuation of REVELATIONS OF A WIFE

cancelled checks which she had been ruffling through her fingers. "Please put down names and dates as I give them to you"
 She handed me the pencil and her tiny notebook, open at a vacant page, and for the next few moments read
 rapidly and steadily the Endorsements on those of Dicky's cancelled checks which bore the name of ''E. Ste1n.' 7 NO use bothering with the others" she said before commencing the cate gory Its in these the key to the whole business lies.'
 Her voice departed from it steady 1 jog trot only once.
 Check for Jan. 14," she intoned monotonously. Endorsed by E. Stern, l then by"
 l She hesitated for a second. l Second indorsement blurred" she muttered hurriedly as I looked up in- 1 Brown, R. Brown"
 Are you sure it isn't Rita Brown ?'' l asked quietly.
 Lillian stared at me.
 "Yes, it is,' she admitted, "but what do you know about Rita l Brown?"
 Out of the Past. "Very little, I am afraid" I ad-
 mitted My remark was the most random of shots. But had the name of Rita Brown very wildly impressed upon my mind on one occasion, and so when you"
 When I tried to cover up my own recognition of it your memry natural ly filled the gap," she commented grimly Now, if you'll just oblige me with all your knowledge, no mat ter how slight, of Rita Brown?' I told her, briefly, of the evening when the art student characterized by l Dicky as "a former East Side product who would sometime make her thou ] sands @ year as an illustrator" had accompanied the Fairfax girls to the 1 same restaurant at which the Durkees l Dicky and I had been dining. And, 1 wit hcheeks that burned again at 1 the memory of the huni1iating episode
 I retailed the history of the expensive 1 blue hat Dicky had bought for me, l and which Rita Brown had initiated so wonderfully that if it hadn't been
 for Mrs. Durkee's perspicacity, we should have thought it the original 1 And This Check" l Now, I am not sure. Lillian, but I have always had the impression that
 she used to spend @ great deal of her time in Dickys studio. l imagined l also that it was she who once called 1 me up to give mo a rather unpleasant
 message from Dicky.'
 "Unfortunately, your imagination
 was no doubt working correctly" Lil-
 liam returned gravely. "1 had hoped
 you would never hear anything o1
 this particular phase of Dickys fool
 ishness, but I see it can't be helped
 If you'll just finish these checks now
 and give me a few minutes with this
 manuscript, we'll tumble all these
 things back again, lock up and get
 back to your room, where I'll cleal
 things up for you as we'll as I can.' I waited with calmness that was
 only outward. InWardly I was seeth
 ing with impatience to know the
 things so vital to Dicky's future, te my own peace of mind, which Lillian evidntly had discovered. It seemed hours before she finished looking over the manuscript from which she jotteC down several notes. But in reality I was less than half an hour to the time when, having realistically re- stored the buIging disorder of Dicl1y'f desk, Lillian locked it, restored the paddock and chain, and with a last look to be sure no scrap of paper re
 mained to betray us, led the way back
 to my room.
 Look here, Madge," she said with
 rought kindness, as she saw the pallo1
 which I couldn't help. Don't go tc
 imaging a lot of things that aren't
 so. This is no Grace Draper affair
 Indeed I don't think Rita Brown
 cares two snaps of her finger foT l Dicky, or he for her. But she did