Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-23
The SoUaetized Romance of
81 and /"

1.-The sovietized novel. according to Fores
Ware in the New York Evening Post, has ap
peared. 1t is called Il and l." instead of "Ivar
and Anna" its original title, because Of the boil
shevist ruling substituting numerals for Chris
tian names. Here are excerpts set out by Mr.
Ware.l,
He was alone, waiting, waiting in the
shadow of the. old eucalyptus tree, where they
had spent so many happy hours. Would she
never come? He had seen the Stephanovisk
the evening for a ride in the motor. What
could be keeping ~ A thousand sovietized
thoughts tormented him. She had always been
so punctual God, how the minutes dragged!
Presently the old clock in the kitchen struck
the half-hour. A figure glided swiftly down the
path. 1t was 4.
"One," she murmured.
NAY. It's but 7:30 though it seems like !, =
he replied-for even in moments like this
would have his little joke.
my one and only L." she breathed as he
drew her to him. "No one shall ever take 4
from l."
No words of hers had ever so snitten his
mathematically sensitized soul.
"You are right" he concurred. ut can't be
done, but"-and a look of pain o'erspread his
strong, handsome faee-.would to heaven one
might say so much for from ar
She glanced at him questioningly.
"You mean"
THAT the laws of simple arithmetic are
against us, dear Tomorrow leave for Brest-
Litoysk and points east. Il is so ordered"
is lost?"
"Once l is won, dear" consoled our hero,
for he was ever ready with qup and jest
She missed it, however,.
Listen" he soothed. Think not that / go
for naught,. 4. Loyalty to the cause compels |
calm, be true, be patient. Await me here and I
shall come after you, 4, little after a."
So saying he bounded lightly over the gar
den wall, tossing kiss to the lonely figure be-
side the eucalyptus tree. Little did he realize
that at that very moment he was l minus A.
behind was only minus | and therefore. in a
much better position, arithmeticaly,. to figure
out the future.
The telephone conversation between the
hero and heroine when the former, after many
years returns to take his in hand
Nervously he whipped out Russian
cigaret and lit the foolish end How he longed
for the music of her voice, sweetest music in
the world to him!
Hello, dear-riew
Oh, ecstacy, her voice at last!
"Ah there you are, light of my life" he cried,
feigning an air of easy nonchalance that i'll be-
came him. =
"And who are your" she inquired
THAT you must tell me. Guess"
Il can't guess" Il
TRY" he pleaded.
"Seven?" she ventured.
No, come again"
"Eleven?"
"T Mnqay no as@ aFifteeu2" mo" "rwen-
ty-one?" Heavens. mop well, then, e."
Say a." shouted our hero ARE you kidding
me? This is J. your l, your one and only /.
Don't you remember"
"One?" she repeated mechanically. "Ones
Pm afraid there's been some mistake. Let me
see. No. dos't know Of single on the
list.
Come, now. a." he persisted "1et's cut out
the fooling. You remember l, of course you
do. You can't have forgotten your teeny -weeny,
ummy, yummy SO soon.'
I'm sorry, but there certainly has been
some mistake" she replied coldly. And with
-Four. four, four" he walled, but only the
operator heard
"444 is busy, sir" she said
Sitting alone at home one evening, her fingers
wandering idly over the noisy keys of the fam
like all others in their set, simply had to have
an adding machine to keep track of their social
acquaintance under the new systematic fair
As fair forehnger alighted for the first time
and by the merest chance upon the fatal | key.
Immediately the instrument registered-and
uHCIc uIOppCu iiltO HcT ldp d ICCOTu sip Will
this strange device:
She gazed at it in Amusement Then slowly
the memory of those dear dead days beneath
the old eucalyptus tree stole in upon her and
she saw it all. She had got his number. Rush
ing out into the night she dispatched this tele-
gram to the man she loved:
"Come /, come ALL (Signed) A."
1t was to l shot-but then life for had
ever been but game of chance, and what, after
all, had to live for but for 4?
So he Cancelled all other social engagements
and reached her side that very evening.
"You know, DEAR" he told her tenderly,
there's only one in this world for l."