The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-12-27
THE DAILY
HORT STORY
The Gil on the wal.
BY r. RAY BAKER.
(Copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure
~ = NTsr,,ronaT CVndicatel


dark eyes follower Am uDod. -
room: the ruby lips smiled at him
continuously.
oliver was in love with the girl, He
had always admired dark-ey dark
hatred girls, and this one satisfied his
requirements as to an ideal. He knew
he would marry her II he could.
oliver was rising rapidly in the real
) estate business, and In year OF wv"
would be Ia more than coinfortaDle
7 financial circumstances. He nee9eu
wife for an incentive, and, be3lues'
he was lonely; for in the Big CITY ne
had few companions aside from husl-
/ ness associates.
III / could find the right girl, I'd
8 marry her-if she'd let me" Oliver
mad often said, but the right one never
seemed to come along, Moreover, he
was one Of the backward kind when
It came to young women, and ne
doubted his ability to bring himself
to the point of proposing. Women
frightened him; they made him SELL
oliver Randall never had girl
except back in the old home town OF
PIainwell, where he used to aspire to
he hand Of Irene Earle. Now Oliver
away from the old home for year
and a half, laughed at Irene, with her
red hair and freckles.
But the girl on the wall-olver
loved her deeply; at least he thought
he loved her, and thought has a lot
to do with 1t. He had never talked
with her, had not even seen her out
side the office. She had been present
ed to him by the mail carrier, and she
came rolled in a cardboard tube. She
was a picture on a calendar, adVertls"
ing Island insurance.
It was not yet time for the girl on
the wall to assume her duties OF
keeping Oliver posted regarding the
dates. 1t was two weeks before the
( calendar went into effect, but Oliver
could not bear to keep the girl rolled
in the tube or shut in the darkness
OF desk drawer.
So she was put to work fourteen
days ahead of time, so that Oliver
could feast his eyes on her while he
worked. She inspired him.
II must find that girl" he decided,
and he conferred with an acquaintance
who had something to do with the
printing business, in order to ascer-
tain whether it was physically pos
sible to satisfy his desires. If the girl
was only the child Of an artists brain
his chances would be slim.
The friends verdict was encourag-
ing.
"She's a real girl all right" he said.
"This is a halB-tone engraving made
from an actual photograph"
Then Oliver got to scrutinizing fem
mine faces that passed him on, the
streets and looking through cafe win
lows, and scanning the countenances
Of store clerks and movie theatre
audiences and elevator girls.
4. OF course, the quest was hopeless,
but it furnished diversion for a young
man who had nothing to do when he
was not at the office. The only real
way to learn the whereabouts Of the
original Of the girl on the wall was
10 correspond with the makers Of the
calendar, and he could not quite bring
himself to display so much inQuisi-
z tiveness.
Press of business kept Oliver in
the city during the Christmas holt
days, but he made arrangements for
spending December 81 and January
in the old home town. 1t would be
his first visit since leaving the place,
and while 1t held few attractions as a
town, due to the fact that he had out
grown it, he wanted to see his par
erts, who had always lived there and
who no doubt would complete their
lives there.
He arrived on the morning of the
S1st andAwas met by his parents in a
modest automobile, in which he was
conveyed to the house where he was
born and grew up.
It seemed rather good to look into
the little room that used to be his and
still was his, in fact, for his mother
kept the bed ready for his occupancy
and had never touched any of his be-
longings except to. clean them-not
even a pile of read from cover-to-
cover, out-of-date magazines.
In the afternoon Oliver went out for
awalk, DESTROYS of renewing acquant-
anceships. He thought he knew every
body that lived in Plainwell, and con-
sequently was surprised at the num-
Der of new faces. However, the town
itself seemed to have undergone few
changes.
Hello, Oliver" he heard voice
behind him call as he walked along
the main street. Don't you recognize
your friends?"
He turned and saw two girls stand
ing on the walk behind him. For a
moment he surveyed them, or rather
one Of them, who had wreaths OF rich
red hair flowing down over set Of
black furs. From behind black muff
the face peered, and it was rather
Toguish face, albeit covered with
hankness and freckles.
"Irene!" he exclaimed, going to her
and grasping a dainty little hand.
Irene, you certainly are looking fine
She was one girl he was. not afraid
Dt.
He talked with her several minutes,
and somehow the girl on the wall
seemed forgotten. 1T certainly did
seem good to see and converse with
y Irene again. He had forgotten about
her; but he was sure she had not been
so attractive in the days when he used
to live in PlainwelT and call her his
girl. He so far forgot the calendar
girl that he asked Irene If he could
call on her that evening and she agreed
With alacrity.
While walking home after meeting
her on the street, Oliver suddenly
nan4 to. as It were. He realized how