The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-10-03
HE DAILY
SHORT STORY
me Lady Of the Cards.
By FLORA A. MONTY.

BY FLORA A. MONTY.
Copyright, 1919, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)
look Of quickening interest
- frightened the middle-aged
face OF Andrew Graves as long
gray envelope slipped from the pile
81 letters through which he was
lancing.
ne tore 1t open eagerly and drew
put card on which was water
color sketch Of woman's head. The
Eaintest odor Of apple blossoms
dung to the interesting trtfle.
Graves studied It intently. 1t was
the fifth he had received this
week. Beginning Monday morning,
one had arrived each day in the first
pile OF mail brought to his desk:
When the first one came he had
been but slightly concerned. The
second made him curious, and the
third had aroused deep desire to
learn their source. The face appealed
to him, rousing vaguely some dor
FAINT and disconnected memories OF his
youth.
Opening a drawer in his desk, ne
took out the ones he had received
earlier in the week. Spreading the
cards in a. row, he made them the OBJ.
feet % his most attentive consldera-
ton. The same face was sketched OH
all, but each represented different
expression and pose. No word OF any
kind accompanied them.
He settled back nj his chair and sat
in quiet thought for some moments.
The perfume rising to him recall the
early days of his boyhood, the hap
pest of which were spent in the olo
ochard at springtime, when the trees
were laden with the fragrant pink and
white blossoms. And always the lady
Of the cards seemed to be with him
romping with the group Of children
who were his companions.
HIS usually disciplined mind re-
VOTED from its training many times
throughout the day, and the hour OF
closing found him porting over the
mysterious pictures once again.
He finally glanced toward The win
dow and the evidence of coming twi'
light swept away his dreams and re-
minded him of things to be done be-
fore he could keep dinner engage
5 ment that night. He reluctantly arose,
replaced the cards in the envelopes
and laid them carefully away in the
drawer, then hurrielly left the office.
( Throughout the evening he had a
sense of disappointment. 1t was as II
he had been very near a pleasant
discovery and had suddenly drawn
back.
Before he left his hostess said: II
had hoped to have you meet an artist
this evening Mr.. Graves. She is an
unusually clever woman. At the last
moment she was detained"
= Andrew Graves frowned.
'Perhaps am fortunate, Mrs. Bow
ers. Really, since my new home Is IN
process of building, I've been poster
ed at all times of the day and night
by artists who want to do the decor
ations for that American room Oh
mine. I've taken to refusing to see
any Of them. I'll look up my OWL"
and he turned abruptly away,
AS his car was speeding homeward
there flashed into his mind an idea,
preposterous, perhaps, but insistent.
1t connected the cards in the gray
envelope with the artist who had fail
ed to appear. He leaned forward, half
yielding to an impulse to go back and
demand her name from Mrs. Bowers.
Then he decided to so on home,
secretly ashamed Of himself for al
lowing his head to be turned by a
pretty picture.
But the idea remained and kept first
place in his thoughts, with the result
that Saturday morning found him at
his desk full hour earlier than he
had been for years. Impatiently he
ran over his letters, No gray en-
velope was there! He was chagrined.
To have gone so far OFT of his usual
routine as to get down at that hour
sf.and then be fooled! He looked his
mail over again, but with the same
result.
The morning was full of trouble for
all the force Of employees. Nothing
suited, and Tommy the office boy,
dropped his jaunty bearing whenever
he carried o card to his employer.
The tenth caller had been turned
away despite the urgency of his err
rand. Tommy once more entered the
,sanctdm. Graves looked up angrily.
"Didn't tell you" he began, but
AddenIy stopped as his eyes noted
tie gray envelope the boy carried.
sWherel did you get that?" he dc.
handed.
LADY outside, sir, sent it in
"a lady! Send her in at once"
He opened the envelope the boy
anded him. The same face was on
e1card 1t enclosed, but somehow the
preston was almost triumphant,
AS he studied it the caller entered,
he started to his feet. He stared,
justifably, for there was the lady
he cards, and the scent Of apple
SONS was filing the room. She
tail and slender, and wore
of siiYery gray. There was
of pink about 1t that matched