Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1919-10-10
ront'' and Form
By WALTER JOSEPH DELANEY
Copyright. 1919. by Western Newspaper Uniou1

!
OF spinsterhood. and she had neve
been in love. She had been left yer.
! comfortable fortune when seventeen
which had placed her above the aver
age as to worldly possession. and per
haps the elements of wealth and so
cIal eminence frightened suitors away
OF course more than one had from
time to time shown her attention. but
their personality had not particularly
appealed to her fancy.
And now two persistent supplIants
for her favor had appeared upon the
scene. First and foremost there was
Walden Merle. She had known him
five years previous. Abruptly he had
left the village and she had really
missed him. Very recently he had re.
appeared. bronzed from travel and
bearing signs of material prosperity.
About a month before Mr.. Merle had
reappeared. there came to the hotel
at the springs a person who was Incl
dentally introduced to Miss Lull, and
who seemed more than ordinarily in
terested in her. While Merle was not
more than thirty-five his world expert
ence had aged him five years beyond
that. Per contra, while Burton Allen
was certainly on the shady side OF
forty-five, he dressed, acted and bore
himself like one In the early thirties.
Front - that's the secret of
mans success when he begins to de-
scend the SLOPE" Allen had been heard
once to remark. and proudly and with
conviction, and indeed he was a fin
ished exemplifcation of the theory he
advanced. He was all that was suave
in compartment. finically groomed. He
wore a great. blazing diamond pin he
was so circumspect as to the art Of
the manicure and the barber that he
was waxlike, in way.
Walden Merle was the reverse. Neat
as pin. he fitted his raiment, and not
Ii him, and there was a bristling vi
vacity TO his tones. and suggestion
of strength and force in the well-knit- |
ted fraLfe and the resolute features.
Form" was his ideal-the set, strict |
usages OF advanced social ethics. He
never made the blunder of becoming |
a bore Old-time usages he adopted
with never a variation. while TO Al
lens front" there was an evident
somehow braggart. the
technical form lived up to by Merle
attracted. pleased and lasted.
Twice week these two gentlemen
called on Dorothy and she could not
help but feel fiattered and compli-
nented. 1t rather touched her to re-
call that Merle had practically courted
Ter In her earlier days. This consti-
uted sort of bond between them.
An Allen evening. however. was not
without its pleasure Allen could play
ome catchy tunes on the piano, which
howed off the sparkling jewels he
vore to good advantage. Somehow,
hough, whenever Dorothy contrasted
i'm with Merle, the latter gained In
er estimation. The immaculate per-
onality of Allen made her feel pride
n his attention, but there was a GER
ain sentiment of reliance on the
terling masterful characteristics of
is rival, who reminded her somehow
( an old-time cheyalier.
One day. carrying their bathing
lits with them. Merle and Allen met
the borders of the lake just above
lie springs. Challenging hs,linage led
, a mutual agreement to make
pint up the lake about half a mile
stant, to decide which was the bet 9
II swimmer of the two. Allen looked
I'm. awkward and quite common. de-
I'D of his ordinarily opulent attire, {
Id made sure that there were no OBJ f
rivers in view. Very soon the power v
I strokes OF Merle's muscular arms C
ire him a hundred yards ahead OF his
mpetitor. Then he turned as a fran
, cry was borne to his hearing:
"Helpr
Allen had evidently decided to aban-
d the contest and had started for
e shore. II was at a marShy spot
ngled with reeds, vines and treach-
BUS roots.
In an instant Merle discerned the
mediate peril Of Allen. who was
.nzied with fear. spluttering. chok-
!, struggling wildly.
Steady. there" directed Merle, "or
III both get entangled," but Allen
ng to him hamperingly, and Merle
] on his hands double battle. 1t
S only when. through being sub
rged several times, Allen was sense
; and helpless, that Merle managed
bear him to the shore. There. over
ne, Merle sank prone to the side
the other exhausted.
t was at that moment that Dorothy
ne along In her automobile. She
ted. ran to the lake beach. and In
tie distress assisted Merle TO his
Together they lifted the half-dead