The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1918-06-20
dollar bills. presumably her pi.
for q week Tho +t,o,,,.t,A e q.

su'szaua. .zusa4.Esasa
dollar bills, presumably her pi.
for a week. The thought of fl
wife OF such habits-for Bowden -.
tually did think of her as q not ian.
possible Mrs. Pain-was not the I'm
mediate problem. The immediete
problem was financing membership in
the Founders club. The idea of mar
rylng woman who could thus casu-
ally draw large bank roll from the
teller's window had no special attrac-
ton for Bowden. His Yankee inherit
lance included the ambition to support
his own wife on his own earnings
STILL he did not let that trifle disturb
his peace of mind, but went about it in
quite calculating manner the next
day to have his name proposed at the
Founders club by a friend who be-
longed. Needless to say, no one OPP
posed his admission. He was perfectly
eligible, and unattached, gOod-looking
bachelors were at a premium. Then
began the really hard part of the meme
bership-that of securing an introduc-
ton to Martha. BOwden attended ev-
cry evening function at the club, and
as many afternoon ones as he could
manage to, without actually giving up
his business career. The three hum
dred and fifty-ive dollars that he had
estimated would cover his expenses for
the first year of course fell far below
OFT Ivy I'M =
tickets to the various benefit entertain
ments held at the clubrooms, nor did
it include meals and refreshments
there, nor tips. And all the time that
Bowden was spending his money there
were no signs of Martha.
One day he dropped in the clubrooms
on his way from his office-as a mat
ter of fact to try to recover an IlIn-
brella he had left there at the last eve-
ming entertainment. 1t was dark in
the entrance hall where the check boys
sat, and it was not until he became ac-
custOmed to the subdued light that he
recognized Martha sitting there. She
was alone, and she was lingering the
pages of a small note book. Bowden
found it imperative for him to take
seat on the other side of the hall to
look over some notes in his own pocket.
From time to time he looked up at
Martha. She was the same delightful
girl and there was the same air of per-
feet grooming about her. He would
never have noticed the blemish in the
grooming, had it not been for her quick
effort to cover up the wrists of both
her hands at the same time. Then he
saw that over each was fastened, and
kept in place by metal paper clip,
large sheet of copy paper, such as his
own stenographer used to keep from
getting Office CRIME on fresh blouse.
Martha had removed her cuffs in haste,
but Bowden caught the movement
Then the check boy, who was at the
telephone, spoiled Martha's little game
of pretension. Here's message for
Mrs. Snodgrass' secretary" he said,
and Martha had to take it. In her
confusion at doing so she let fall the
little notebook that she had been fin
gering. Bowden seized it, and on the
absurd pretext of wishing to see to
whom it belonged, he read the name OF
Martha TufIle. 1t was absurd that he
did not restore it to her until she had
left the clubhouse and he had followed
her half a block down the street.
81 have seen you before" he said.
And she did not deny that she had also
noticed the coincidence of the FREQUENT
meeting. "And thought you belonged
to the Founders club"
II pretended / did," she said, shat
first day. wanted you to think did,
and now you'll dislike me because I've
posed to be something was not"
"And l have been pretending, too"
he said. 1--WE been pretending that I
could afford to belong to this club.
when couldn't 1 wanted to know you
and I wanted you to- think that had
as much money as the other men who
belong"
"Then we're both pretending" she
said.
"But if we hadn't pretended" he
said, 1--WE would never have met" 1t
seemed as they walked along In the
spring dusk, that they had always
known each other, and Bowden Pain
was already feeling relief at the
thought that his annual dues and other
! incidentals would not have to be paiu
for next year. He also looked with
more specific interest at the objective
Of his savings. He took the girl be-
| side him into his confidence. "And 1t
is better-and more like the Pains
not to marry a woman with money.
You knew from the first how 1t was to
| be-"
And Martha's low answer in the
| deepening dusk satisfied him.
Belief in AmuIets.