Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-07-24
csgysishA b. Haspsr ana brsthsss
CHAPTER XII.
BY REX BEACH
IT, lfeo Trail" y The Spo1ses"
\ Dnart a Dc Sslset." &C. :
u Woman with 4 Nllsslon.

within few hours after O'Rellly's
return to New York he telephoned to
Felipe Alvarado, explaining briefly the
disastrous failure Of his Cuban trip.
II feared a. much" the doctor told
MIN. 'sYou was lucky to escape with
your life.~
.'well, I'm going back. Won't you In
tercede for me with the juhta? They're
constantly sending parties"
"Um-m! not quite 90 often as that"
Alvarado was silent for a moment !;
then he said: 'Dine with me tonight
and wen talk It over. I'm eager for
news Of my brothers and-there Is
/; some one I wish you to meet She Is
interested In our cause"
!" 'She'9 A woman"
Yes, and an unusual woman. She
has contributed literally TO our cause.
I would like You to meet her"
every well; but I've only one suit Of
clothes, and It looks % Il "a slept In
II"
..oh. bother the ciothesr laughed
the physician. ~T've given most Of my
own 70 my destitute countymen.
Don't expect too much ito eat either;
every EXTRA dollar. you know, soss
the sams way % my extra truu-
issrA L win be . sort Of patriotic
poverty party Como at seven,
please"
That evening O,Reilly anticipated
his dinner engagement by few mo-
|ments In order TO have q word alone
with Alvafado.
This lady who II coming here to-
might has influence with Enrique5," Al
fvarado told him, 'sYou remember I
told you that abe has contributed lib
tetally. She might help you"
Orally had met women with ideals,
with purpoSss, with avocauons, and
his opinion Of them was low. Women
who had 'H'lssions" were always tire
some. hs had discovered. This one, It
Iappearod was unusual only In that abe
had adopted q particularly exacting
fofm of charitable work. Nursins.
evea - . r1ch woman's divs1sion,
must b anything but agreeable.
l0'Reilly p1etred this Evans person In
his Hind-a largA plain, elderly crea-i
tuke S0oeed with Impractical ideas
!of upliffmg the massesl She would
undo lltsdly bore him stir with stories
lot her work; she would reproech him
with neglect Of his duties to the suf-
fering. Johnnie was too poor to DO
charitable and too deeply enyrossed
It ths moment with his own troubles
70 care anythinS whatever about the
smaseeA" And abe was 4 ..miss..
That meant that she wore thick glasses
md probably kept CATS.
i a ringing laugh from the cramped5
hallway interrupted these reflections; !
then . moment later Doctor Alvarado,
was Introducing O'Reilly to young
woman 30 completely out Of the pic
ture. - utterly the opposite Of his
pfec0nceived notions, that he was mo-
mentax1Iy at Z loss. Johnnie found
himself looking into pair Of frank
gray syeA and felt his hand seized by
! firm, almost masculine grasp. Miss
Evans, according to his FIRST daszllng
Impression. was about the most fetch
Ing creature he had ever seen and
about the last person by whom any
young man could be bored. The girl
and She was girl-had brought into
the room m electric vitality, breezi-
mess hard to describe. Altogether she
WAS such vision Of healthy, unaffect-
ed and slnartly gotten-up young wom-
hnhood that o'Reilly could only stam-
mer his acknowledgment of the intro
duction, inwardly beratlng himself for
his awkwardnezA
!. Alvarado placed IN afectionate
hand upon Miss Evans shoulder.
20 Reilly, this girl has done more for
Cuba than any OF US. She has spent
a small fortune for medical supplies,"
said he.
I .Those poor men must i've on qui-
nine, the girl exclaimed. anyone
who can bear to take the stuff ought
ito have all he wants. I've perfect
passion for giving pills"
OReilly liked this girl. He had liked
her the instant she favored him with
her friendly smile, and SO, trusting
fatu0usly to his masculine powers of
observation, he tried to analyze her.
He could not guess her age. for an ex.
spensive ladies' tailor can battle the
,ihost discriminating eye. Certainly,
however, she was not old-he had an
Idea that she would tell him her exact
nge II he asked her. While he could.
not call her beautiful, she was some
thing Immensely better-she was alive,
human, interesting, and interested.
The fact that she did not take her
mission" over-seriously proved that;
she was also sensible beyond most
women. Yes, that was It. Miss No
rine Evans was q perfectly sensible,i
unspoiled young person, who showed
the admirable effects Of clean living
and clean thinking coupled with nor.
NAL, sturdy constitution. OReilIy told
himself that here was 1 girl who could,
pour tea, nurse q DICK man, or throw
a baseball.
And she was % good as her prumise.i
She did not interrupt when, during
dinner, Alvarado led Johnnie to talk
about his latest experience In Cuba,
but, on the contrary, her unflau.ine in
terest induced O'Reilly to address his
talk more often to her than to the doc
tor. He soon discovered that she I'M
Sderstood the Cuban situation as well
rs or better than he, and that her SYM
pathieS were keen She was genuinely