The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1920-02-13

been in the once mre mao sma,.o
her carefully. She had made note Of
ner slangy talk, her vapid manner.
isms.
AS first step. Elsie called ut the
store where she had just bought a
simple little evening gown. Think
II too extreme at the neck. she Or
dered 1t altered. This alteration she
cancelled. Next she went up to the
top floor.
Here. to the jangling Of a thin-ton-
ed piano. young man. through a meg
aphone. improvised from sheet music,
proclaimed in syncopated measure:
Just take II from me,
just take II from ME.
You can't shimmy all night,
On a cup Of tea.
This musical gem and others of n
like nature she bought. and when she
ieft the store she had also acquired
lip stick, an eye pencil and. to these,
she added package of cigarettes.
Come right in, Phil" Elsie gushed
as she met him at the door. 81 have
got some Of the SWEETEST new music
you'll just love II to DEATH"
Perplexed, Phil followed into the
parlor. to encounter the scent of
smoke. Elsies brother had followed
instructions. The room reeked of
cigarettes. Deliberately Elsie took a
half-smoked cigarette from off the key.
board and tossed 1t into the fire, slip
ping the partly-used package into the
bodice Of her dress.
Vivaciously she ran through the mu-
sic, dispensing the interludes with
slangy comment, thanks, too, to her
brothers coaching. On and on she
prattled, but Phil Darts usual quiet
mood became ominous. Suddenly it
dawned upon Elsie. 1t was still the
other woman-the real vampire-he
did not care for this pitiful little inn
itation. She had failed. Oh, the bit
terness Of ito lose him to such q
woman. Oh, the awfulness Of her
trying to hold him in this shameless
manner-and still failing.
She could not help it; her face went
down into her hands.
"Elsie, you are crying" He was
at her side.
Sobbingly she blurted out the whole
thing. a.t .ae.
"Why, you dear, silly, little goose"
he said quite softly, don't you know
men don't love women of that type?
They do attract us-just as poster
printed in red ink attracts you. But
you wouldn't choose the poster to
bring home and hang on your wall
instead Of beautiful water color,
would you?"
Now, please go up and wash that
paint off your face and come right
back. because there Is something
wanted to say-and l just can't say
it to a painted lady,"
Elsie did 60 upstairs. She came
back with a silk scarf thrown about
her shoulders and her face all pink
with the glow Of health.
And Phil delivered his little speech.
It was pretty speech, too. And why
shouldn't it be? Hadn't he been think
ing much else? 1t had to do-this
speech-with the month of June, and
1t touched on the housing problem and
1t discussed the relative joys to be
derived from trip on the great lakes
as compared with one to Washington
and down the Potomac. In all her
life Elsie had never heard such
speech-nO, never.
isn't it just too wonderfulT In
the. white quietness Of her bed she
whispered this question to ring held
close to her cool cheek. And from its
point of vantage-third finger, left
hand-a solitary white diamond
caught a vagrant moOnbeam, and in
the marvellous photography of love
flashed back the answer: wonder
full, wonderful !"