The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1919-07-12
THE RED UMBRELLA
BY JACK LAWToN.

lou may no" 20 10 luncheon, MISS
Barrie" she said.
And Miss Barrie, who had been
changed by fortunes wand from
merry Betty Berrie of Willowdale
INTO a serious minded companion"
closed the desk over various lavender
tinted notes, and gazed through the
window.
1T is raining" she murmured. 81
shall get q wetting"
"Nonsense" :" calculated the old
lady you will take my umbrella"
But it is such a beautiful thing"
Betty demurred-'if anything should
happen to it"
what could happen 10 an umbrella
between here and the restaurant"
her employer causticauy remarked.
So graciouSly thanking her the
companion" picked up the umbrella
Ynd went. At least "comuanion" was
The word under which Betty's posi-
tion had been designated i'm the want
columns of the city paper. which
found its way TO her village home.
When she had closed the lately
desolated home and started out upon
the path of independence, Betty found
that being companion" in her case,
meant. a combination of nurse and
secretary as we'll And doing her
very best, met with slight reward.
She wondered wistfully, as she
trudged on toward the restaurant why
II should happen that the formerly
cherished daughter of the old village
doctor should he walking wet pave
ments, with no rubbers to protect her
thin shoes, while other girls raised
no more carefully flew past in luXur1-
Gus cars These girls wore rich furs,
often their own hands controlled the
shining machines, while they laughed
back In confident happiness at others
as fortunate as they. Some were mar
ried, Betty was sure of this, from the
proud proprietary air of their mascu-
line escorts. And the new thought
came to. her that she would never
ride, proud wife in her own auto
mobile. If, indeed, she married at all
Il would be to some tOiling man
whose humble home would necessitate
the constant labor of her hands.
no" reflected Betty, every way
you look at it. lifes luxuries are not
for nee. And after all" her smile
flashed out at the thOught-"the rain
Is not raining on me, and I'm carry
Gu0 ON nvpopSIva 1Imhrollan -
1t was a beautiful umbrella. The
imperious old lady's wealthy daughter
had given it to her as a gift.
Her despondent mood had sudden
ly vanished--it was good to be young
and alive, K was good to be-Of use.
Through the gloom the restaurant
lights beckoned across the way.
Betty started to cross the road, then
drew back at the warning horn of an
auto. She realized, as a girl threw
back an apOlogetic smile, that one OF
the favored ones had almost run her
down. She must be more careful, the
alarming scream of the auto horn
seemed still to ring cOnfusedly in her
ears.
She had a glimpse of a white-faced
terror-stricken man at the wheel, and
then desperately Betty clutched the
pearl handle of the red silk umbrella,
pushing with all her strength its frail
protection against the black object
which almost crushed her.
Almost-but at that very moment
/ the brakes did their work. Painting
like a frustrated animal the autOmo-
bile stood still, while the white-faced
man opened the door, and sprang to
/ Betty's side.
'You are not hurt2" he gasped, ut
did not-hit you?"
| Without awaiting an answer, he
picked her up quickly in his arms and
seated her in the car.
Didn't you hear me sound the
/ horn?" he gently persisted.
Then out of her vast relief, Betty
laughed.
ooh! I heard horns" she said,
"everywhere. I do not blame you.
You see-Pm from the country"
The man heaved a sigh Of relief,
then he also smiled.
"And don't you know" he added
whimsically, "that it's useless to try
to stop automobiles with red signal !;
a train might stop perhaps, but not a
machine"
1T was not useless in this case"
Betty told him, then she looked down
In CONSERVATION.
at is broken" she said aghast,
"smashed to pieces. 1t was a bor-
rowed umbrella, and l never could
buy one like it."
"As for that" said the man, he was
busily writing his name and address
across a page from a note book
will be glad to replace the umbrella
That's my plain duty. When you ind
( one Just like it, send the bill to me.
And now-shaIl l drive you home"
Betty was reading with wide eyes
the mans scribbled name. 1t was a
name Of prominence which she had
often read quoted upon matters of