The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-09-13
TIE LCcKfT
BY MILDRED WHITE.
.s,SIesss1e VsteeIe IeoNe ~

MOllle-ElIen 1Ollnu the EIHllug llAlilS
in the rond which led from the suburb
an station to her home, Mollie had
not set learned to call home, the hum
BILE house which sheltered her; but
It was the pli1.e where she spent the
hours when not engaged in Doctor
Brlmson's office,
Mollle-Ellen wished Wistfully that
she might know the joy Of giving COM
fort and courage to one brave Alnerl-
can soldier Her throat tighlened ut
the thought Of her own uselessness,
the only one who needed her, had gone.
And thus She came to the golden loellet
glinting from the roadway. II was an
ordinary round locket, but when she
opened Il searching for clew of own
ershlp, soldiers face confronted her,
a fine face with steady honest eyes.
"To Jane" she read ON the inner
cover, "from her Bob The lockets
long chain was unbrollen, so it must
have Fhe.asped from James"
neck. 1t had been cher Boh'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 on1 she
would advertise the locllet in the MORN
ings paper. Even the small amount
paid for adyertising 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
lle-Elon took to wearing the ornament,
hoping that 1t might be recognized and
returned to its proper owner, but
"Bob's Jane" was evidently not in Mol
lie-Ellens proximity. The locket she
concluded must have dropped from
some touring cnr. So each night as
the lonely girl placed 1t IN her jewel
case she smiled into the soldiers
eyes.
"Good-night, 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
AI0lHe-Ellen made a dscovery-after
all she did own 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
"Jane's Bob" mattered not at all,
neither he nor Jane should know of
her rival. SO Mollie-Ellen spent her
spare hours 10 the hOu@ devoted to
Red Cross work, and there overruling
Mollie-Ellen's aloofness, fashion
able and beautiful worker sought her
out. She blushcd with pleasure at
Miss Stuyvesant# praise.
'You are 50 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 MS Mollie-Ellen was
about to deny the Implication, the
golden loeket flew open, and quick as
she was in closing it, Miss Stuyvesant
had gimpsed for an instant a soldiers
cap.
brother?'
mo" Mollie-Ellen began confused
ly, her companions interruption left
her sentence unfinished.
"1Iy brother is near here in camp,
so we are fortunate in seeing him
often. Why" she broke off, "thcre he
Is now coming toward us. He is go-
ing to drive me home"
AS Mollie-Ellen's startled gaze fell
upon the advancing soldier she longed
to hide her own burning face, for the
man was actually "Bob," himself,
"Jane's Bob Of the golden locket He
looked down upon Mollie-Ellen, ac-
knowledging his sisters introdHcTT0R,
as though he were aware of those
goodnight condolences.
"You must let us take you home"
Miss Stuyyesant insisted, and as the
three flew along in the big automobile
AfQllie Ellen dreamed Of brighter days.
Days passed and Miss Stuyyesant
kindly continued the drives as a mat
ter of course and Mollie-E ElleF knew
that she could return the locSet to its
owner through Bob Stuyvesants care.
But there would he the humiliatiSlg
fact Of having worn all this time the
picture Of a man she had not even
known.
Bob Stuyvesant, as she met him
again, was preoccupied, his steady
gray eyes were cleuded, rejecting trou-
bed thought.
"Good-by." she said, ''you have
been very kind, Mr.. stuyvesant, but I
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 wear around in your locket is the
for-thatl Sis told me about
him, so l ought to have kept away in
the first plac but" he laughed short
ly. Il couldn't" he said.
"Wait! !" cried Mollie-Ellen breath
lessly, she ran into the house return
ing with the locket. Desperately she
snapped it open before him. Il found
it." she murmured. "and Jane did not
answer my advertisement. You had
better take it back to her, you are
II u.