Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1919-03-14
ALittleJ journey
By WALTER ]. DELANEY
Copyright. 1918. Western Newspaper uniOn.>

Copyright. 1918. Western Newspaper UniOn.l
81 shall be home by nine o'clock at
the latest, Mildred. This is Marvin'S
evening, isn't it? So he will keep you
company till I come"
ooh, shall not be lonesome" spoke
Mildred Lane to her mother, who was
bound on a days visit to her sister in
q town a few miles distant.
"And don't forget to go over to Rus
sells and attend to the birds and air
out the house WELL"
The Russells were near neighbors,
living in a mansionlike structure just
across lots from the humble Lane
home. They were absent on a two
weeks pleasure trip and left Mildred
and her mother to look after the place
while they were away. The service
would be well paid for, which meant
something to the Lanes, who were re-
Stricted in money way.
Blythe and cheerful, as was usual
with her, Mildred tripped across the
lawn. singing from sheer happiness as
she thought of the young man to
whom she was to be married within q
year, Marvin Ward. She let herself
into the Russell house, opened up the
doors to watt the sweet morning
breeze through, attended to canarieS
and then went upstairs, airing the
rooms there. Then with a species OF
awe and admiration always present
during these visits, she entered the
boudoir of stately Miss Adele Russell,
the acknowledged beauty and social
queen of the district.
The room was artistically decorated
and furnished. Mildred surveyed her
self in the great long mirror, wonder
ingly admired the toilet articles on a
dressing table and with longing eye
glanced at a bracelet set with bril-
liants carelessly left open to view ON
a pincushion. Then with great long
ing sigh Mildred opened the door of q
wardrobe to view half a dozen suits,
capes and wraps belonging to the for
tunate daughter of the family. She
could not resist trying on a pretty
jacket, and it was a rare pleasure to
survey herself in the mirror in this
rich and fashionable attire. Her eyes
Sparkled and her breath came quick
as she fluttered awesomely:
"Oh, if I dared! What a day it
would be to see the world and play
the grand lady! Dare I. Who would
know?" and a tempting spirit sent her
hurrying back home where she Sc
savings. She locked up the house,
sped back to the Russell home and
within an hour was arrayed in an ex-
Quisite suit. She wore the bracelet;
she had even delved into powder,
rouge, and so down the list Of cos
metics, dabbing the pretty face that
needed no fairer adornment than the
pearly tints nature had given her. Her
attire fitted her exquisitely, and she
felt like some fairy going forth into a
new world to dazzle and win acclaim.
Mildred planned to take the electric
car to Alton, a small city ten miles
away. She wore a doubled veil for
fear she would be recognized while in
her home town or it's vicinity. When
she reached the city, however, she re-
moved the veil. 1t was like treading
on air to promenade the principal
street. Naturally her grace and beau
ty, even with the latter married by cos
metics, attracted attention, and the
adulation enticed her. She refreshed
herself with soda water and ice
cream, she mingled with ladies Of
fashion in leading dry goods store,
inspected silks and velvets, looked
over the stock of jewelry store, all
the time acting the grand lady and ap-
parently accepted as such.
Mildred followed some seeming la
dies Of consequence into a stylish res
taurant. She dawdled with a bill or
fare, made languid selection and left
the table almost frightened. The bin
took the balance of her little savings
fund except just enough to pay her
fare half way home. On her way to
the electric car an insolent, over
dressed young man rudely accosted
her, and breathless and affronted Nil
dred reached the car. Five miles from
home she left it with a good long
tramp before her.
1t was getting on toward dusk an
she reached a lonely path fringing q
ravine almost a mile from her home
town. At its loneliest part a roughly
dressed man stepped directly in her
path.
II want that!" he growled out, made
dash for the bracelet on her wrist
and wrenched it loose. 1t fell to the
ground. He stopped over to recover
It. Mildred was country bred and
strong. She gave him push that sent
him rolling down a fffty-foot incline
seized the bracelet and fed like the
wind.
"Oh, never again" she shuddere3
as she restored garb and jewelry b
their place In the Russell home.
"And no more of that hfdeOma