The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1919-09-23
ROMANTIC EPISODE
BY J. ISABELLE BURNHAM.
is. by Mcclure Newspspe
Syndicate.)

picture as she sat on the dark sofa,
her golden head laid against II and
her dark gray eyes gazing earnestly
at the ceiling.
As she was sitting there her broth
er's little ~two-year-old girl anne into
the room. She toddled up TO Courtney
and said: "Me wife letter to papa
poor papa. way off dere in Fance."
"What have you got, Helen?' Court
ney asked her.
Helen held up a newspaper which
showed several pictures of soldiers.
Suddenly Courtney's eyes danced
~michievously and she eagerly scanned
the faces of the soldiers to find one to
whom she thought the word romance"
would fit.
She came to the name of Lieut.. Ar
hun Stanton. Then she stopped and
looked at the h~alf-fnished sweater be-
side her.
I'll finish this sweater" she said,
land there won't be any harm in writ
ing a little note for a lonely soldier"
Accordingly. after the khaki sweater
was finished she wrote a CHEEKY little
note and signed her niece's name,
Miss Helen Burke" to 1t.
Time went on. and Courtney had
very nearly forgotten about letters
and sweaters. when a letter came for
her little niece. Upon opening 1t
she found a very interesting and
grateful letter from Lieut.. Arthur
Stanton.
He thanked her for the sweater. also
for the letter, which, he said, was the
first that he had received from the
good old U. s. A.. closing by asking
her to write as often as was possible.
Courtney wrote to him. and she re-
ceived his nice letters. but all the
while she had the guilty feeling that
she was deceiving him.
A long time elapsed and tine letters
ceased. She wondered and watched
for them. Until now. she did not
know how much those letters had
meant to her. She was angry with
herself for thinking and feeling as
she did. What did she know about
him? Nothing, only what he had writ
ten her.
She o o nd other things to take
up her mind, as her brother had writ
ter that he was coming home on a
short furlough.
1t was a very warm day In June that
Courtney had just finished combing
her little niece's hair, as Helen's papa
was expected home that day. There
was a strong resemblance between the
seyenteen-year-old aunt and her little
t~wo-year-old niece.
The bell rang and Courtney jumped
up and ran u of the Nursery. she
hurried to the door, but instead of see-
Ing her brother, as she expected, she
looked into the merry brown eyes Of
a young soldier.
"Does Miss Helen Burke live hereY'
he inquired politely.
Courtney replied In the affirmative
and after asking him In she called her
little niece.
The soldier expressed no surprise at
seeing the little tot instead Of a grown
up young lady, but he introduced him
self as Lieut.. Arthur Stanton.
Courtney turned red. then white.
She didn't know whether TO cry or TO
laugh, SO she turned to the window
until she could get control OF her
self.
What would she do? Here he was
making himself right at home. paying
no more attention to her than II she
wasn't there. Oh, dcarl why did she
write hat letter. She might have
known she would get into trouble-she
always did. My, but he was a very
good-looking fellow at that. Well, the
only thing to do was to tell him the
truth.
Lieutenant Stanton, I wish to make
an apology" she said.
He raised his eyebrows and stood
up. His young figure was very erect.
as he stood with his head thrown
back, and she just couldn't help but
admire the man. His black hair waved
she always did love curly hair.
Oh, why did he look at her so close
lyl 1t made things so much harder.
"Oh, Helen" she said suddenly.
please go and get the newspaper In
aunty's desk"
AS the little one toddled away.
Courtney looked at him again. and she
thought. show could l ever have done
such a thing"
Lieutenant Stanton stood waiting In
silence for her to speak. and II there
was a twinkle of fun In his dark eyes,
she failed to see IL.
She opened her lips to speak, then
burst into ears. He let her cry a
while, then spoke very gently Miss
Burke. l think ! know what you are
about to say. Please don't apologize
for anything. / know all about it,"
She raised her head quickly and
looked at him q~uestioningly.
"You see," he said, your brother
and i were pals. 1t was he who no.