Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-03-14
"saw it in the paper. why?"


me. At least-well, read the note,'
Hazel answered.
Barrow glanced over the mfssive
and frowned.
"What do you suppose he wanted
you for?" he asked.
'sHow should 1 know ?'' Hazel evaded.
Seems funny" he remarked slowly.
"Oh, let's forget it, Hazel came
and sat down on the couch by him. Il
don't know of any reason why he
should want to see me. 1t was GER
tainly a peculiar request for him to
make. But that's no reason why we
should let it bother us. If he's really
so badly hurt, the chances are he's out
of his head. Don't scowl at that bit
of paper so, Johnnie-boy."
Barrow laughed and kissed her, and
the subject was dropped forthwith.
Later they went out for short walk.
In an hour or so Barrow left for home.
promising to have the concert tickets
for Thursday night.
Hazel took the note out of her belt
| and read-it again when she reached
her room. Why should he want to
see her? She wondered at the mans
persistence. He had insulted her, &C
cording to her view of it-doubly in
suited her with threats and an en-
forced careSs. Perhaps he merely
| wanted to beg her pardon; she had
heard of men doing such things In
their last moments. But she could not
| conceive of Mr.. Andrew Bush being
sorry for anything he did. And so she
could not grasp the reason for that
eleventh-hOur summons. But she could
see that repetition of such incidents
might put her in a queer light. Other
| folk might begin to wonder and inquire
why Mr.. Andrew Bush took such an
interest" in her-a mere stenogra-
pher. Well, she told herself, she did
| not care-so long as Jack Barrow's
ears were not assailed by talk. She
smiled at that, for she could picture
the reception any scandal peddler
| would get from him.
The next days papers contained the
obituary of Mr.. Andrew Bush. He had
died shortly after midnight. And de-
spite the fact that she held no grudge,-
Hazel felt a sense of relief. He was
powerless to annoy or prosecute her.
and she could not escape the -convic-
ton that he would have attempted
both had he lived.
She had now been idle a matter of
days. Nearly three months were yet
| to elapse before her wedding.
| 1t seemed scarcely worth while to
look for another position. She had
enough money saved to do everything
she wanted to do. 1t was not so much
lack of money, the need to earn, as
the monotony- of idleness that irked
her. She had acquired the habit Of
work, and that is thing not lightly
shaken off. But during that day she
gathered together the different Gran
vile papers, and went carefully over
the want" columns. Knowing the
town as she did, she was enabled to
eliminate the unlikely, undesirable
places. Thus by evening she was
armed with a list of firms and individ-
uals requiring a stenographer. And
| in the morning she sailed forth.
Her quest ended with the first place
she sought. The fact of two years
service with the biggest firm in Gran
vile was ample recommendation; in
| addition to which the Office manager. 1T
| developed in their conversation, had
known her father in years gone by.
So before ten o'clock Miss Hazel Weir
was entered on the pay roll of fur
Observation-Disclosures house. 1t was
not a permanent position; one of their
girls had been taken ill and was likely
| to take up her duties again in six
weeks or two months. But that suited
Hazel all the better. She could put
in the time usefully, and have a breath
ing spell before her wedding.
Three days went by. Hazel attended
the concert with Jack the evening Of
the day Mr.. Andrew Bush received os-
tentatious burial. At ten the next
morning the telephone girl called her.
| Someone wants you on the phone,
Miss Weir" she said.
Hazel took up the dangling receiver.
"HelloI'
'aThat you, Hazelf"
She recognized the voice, half guess
ing it would be he. since no one but
Jack Barrow would be likely to ring
her up.
surely. Doesn't 1t sound like mer'
~Have you seen the morning pa
pers?"-
mo. What"
'Took 'em over. Particularly the
Gazette"
The harsh rattle Of a receiver
slammed back on its hook without
even a 'good-by" from him struck her
like d slap In the face She hung up
slowly, and went back to her work
Never since their first meeting, and
they had not been exempt from lovers
quarrels, had Jack Barrow ever spo-
ken to her like that. Even through the