The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1918-10-24
MABEL'S MISSION
BY CARRIE eREENwAY.

r toNlnSlon WAS ctSduiuE up the ueSk.
The upstairs girl. answering his ring
for a larger waste basket. almost fell
down the back stairs In her hurry TO
spread. the news.
/ Covington had come to board ar
the Bradley's three years before. and
since then no one could recall having
seen the top of the desk. A little
space in front. just large enough TO
write upon. was kept fairly clear, but
for the rest Coyingtop- seemed To take
n pride in the confusion he maintain
ed and boosted that he could find any
thing he wanted at moments no.
tiee.
At the Office his desk was scrupu-
lousy neat. but the roll top in his sit
ting room, used for his personal cor
reSpondence, was piled high with pa
pers and books.
/ It might have continued so for an
other three years. but Covington was
restless. He found the evening pa
pers duh, the theatrical advertise
ments made no appeal TO him, and
books were intolerable.
/ III At>llE>N kOt4AuAn- 4LOun4 AAlC
room his attention was attracted by
the desk. and sinking into the chair
he began TO clean up. Here. ar least.
was novel occupation, and soon he
was busily engaged in reading over
old letters and disearding those OF
no further interest.
Mabels letters, of course. he kept
Ia, Ia no tt.ffh ha
Yale lock. Wen. perhaps it would be
well TO clear those out. too. Romance
was dead. He had written her the pro-
posal he seemed unable to make In per-
son, and had added: II shall not write
again until your answer comes" That
had been a fortnight ago.
His eyes caught line In an adj
yertisement In a theatrical paper that
formed part of the litter OF his desk.
Consider silence polite negative"
II ran That was what he was doing.
Mabel had not even taken the trouble
TO answer.
He viciously thrust the paper into
the basket and caught up letter. IL
was that check for his tailor. He had
been positive he had mailed that; the
subsequent argument had resulted In
transfer Of his patronage. yet here
was the check still inside. He was
rather glad that he had commenced
the cleaning up process
There was another envelope under
the pile Of consular reports. He drew
IL out and his face blanched. II was
the letter 70 Mabel. Ia some fash
ion IL had slipped into the tangis on
the desk. He remembered he had 4
written a number Of other letters az /
the same time. When he had done he :
snapped a rubber band about them and .
had given them 70 one 0f the fellows 1
70 take out
What could she think Of him7 He 4
had ceased his customary visits and i
had not even written. He slipped out
of his house e0at and into his dinner
jacket There vas q teleph0ns In the
soger hail. Perhaps Nabel had DOT
gone our.
II was her mother who answered.
rather frigidly, With 8 eerfain note
" disaDprOFai "a her voice. Aabei Eas
Ia. but she was ili and had gone 20
her room she aid nor fiink thar she
could see Ar. C0FinEf0u.
Euf f0FinFJOn was persistent ADD iD
Ths en9 ~ eained pefnissioa ~ eaii
i3e found her pale wien nerg9us Lines
.u her face. Sue tried ~ laugh a. ~
lpt ~ souiG nof haze a. ~.
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