The Colorado statesman., 1919-08-23

rick tempered she would have missed
| being the heroine of story that
starts in San Francisco and ends in
Tie South Pacific.
She regretted it five minutes after
she uttered the words that sent Arthur
| Westridge away from her home, and
| she would have called after him and
| pleaded with him to return If he had
not walked so swiftly down the street
and If she had been able to thrust her
pride into the background. While she
| hesitated he disappeared from view.
He'll never come back" she told
herself, and she went to her room and
| slut herself in. When friend called
the next morning to take her D.otorlng
lnza had a severe headache and could
not see her.
1t all started over notning-noth-
ing when the results were considered.
Arthur was kept busy late one eve
ming at the office of the Trans-Pacific
ship office where he worked. and was
half an hour behind time when he
called to take InZa to the theater
That was bad enough, Inza thought,
but when 1t developed that he had
failed to get tickets and she had to
wait in the foyer while he stood in
line before the box office, she felt that
the limit had been reached.
When he had bought the tickets she
made him tear them up and take her
straight home, where warm verbal
battle, in which he took no part, oc-
Cured. 1t terminated when she took
the engagement ring from her finger
and handed it to him with the words
Don't ever show up here again. The
idea of humiliating me as you did this
EVENING" 1t shows how much you care
for me. Good by"
Arthur went, because he had tenn
per of his own and was afraid he
would unleash it if he remained. He
felt she was unreasonable, because he
nad told her he was detained by busi-
ness, but he complied with her wishes,
Or what she stated to be her wishes,
and left her.
A week passed and Inza heard moth
ng from Arthur. BY this time she
was worrying. Her love for him
could not be questioned, but there was
| her pride to consider. When that week
terminated, however, with silence on
he part of her erstwhile fiance. she
crushed her pride ruthlessly under her
heel and called up the office where he
worked. 1t took lot of bravery for
her to ask for that number, but she
did 1t.
Mr.. Westridge is not employed here
any MORE" she was told over the wire.
He resigned his office position week
ago and took berth as a sailor or
the steamer John Richard, which start
eu the next day for Australia"
iLZu was aghast AT this intelligence.
| why" she faltered, why did he do
thut?"
She knew very well why he did 1t,
| because she knew Arthur. However,
she listened to the reply:
said he was tired of being cooped
up In an Office, and wanted to get out
IN the air and see some real life and
some foreign country"
Then a real cloud of despair settled
over the Richardson residence. lnza
lost her usually healthy appetite, and
although she had no flesh to spare she
became as thin as IA fence rail-" as
ner father put it. She held no one to
blame but herself, but that did not as
suuge the pain in her heart.
lnZa watched the mail carrier every
day from the time he came into sight
around the corner until he either passed
the Richardson home or mounted
the porch; and he never found it nee
essary to use the mail box. Inza re-
| ceived what he had to offer, and
always there was a feeling of deep
disappointment gripping her when she
entered the house.
| The big crash came a month later,
the crash that crumbled her spirit and
| sent her over the very brink of hope
into the chasm through which flowed
the river of sorrow. 1t was "A headline
that stared up at her from news
paper:
Steamer Richard Sinks in Storm ;
All Aboard Lost"
1t happened in the south seas, so
the story went. The British steamer
rhurston answered the Richards wire
less S. O. S., and arrived on the scene
Just in time to see the distressed YES
sci 20 beneath the waves. That part
of the ocean was searched as diligently
as possible with the storm in progress,
but not a survivor could be found.
Inza broke down completely and the
doctor warned that severe illness was
ahead for her unless she experienced
n radical change. Her father offered
to finance voyage to Europe, but she
said she cared nothing for visit on
that continent.
Make it Australia, and I'll CO." she
said; and Mr.. Richardson consented to
this, proposing that her mother should
accompany her. InZa demurred. 81
want to go alone" she contended, and
her father, after a few moments of