The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-06-15
The DAILY
SHORT STORY
Al;t.... the Vanip.
). sy,H. LOUIS aayRoLD.
Copyright, 1920, by the Mcclure
Eeysuape- Syndicate.

have 10 worry about Tom.
and Toms sister julia !o!dea ne.
hands in her lap. "Next year ne WILL
be working"
II suppose So" said her mother re.
rrctfully. true, one did wonder what
Tom would be UP TO next whenever
ID was home, but j: was pleasant hav-
Ing him around the house, telling
stories about his college lie, ,plcE..
irg out, with one finger, the latest
popular hits on the piano, derud!ng
the pantry shelves Of everything edi-
Whenever Tom came home to Whit
neville, things simply hummed. HIS
freshman year he had decided 70 paint
Tie barn. and paint 1t he did after
nearly killing himself by q fall from
the ridgeDo!e and falling to match
the north side with the south side as
10 color. .....
home a classmate with him and what
with straw rides, picnlcs and porch
parties Whltneyville developed al
most enough OF social calendar 70
fill a Sunday society column;
Last year-well, last year his am
.bition had been greater. He had fall
IN Il, love with and wanted tc>n1afry
q, the spo. a girl In the next town.
4 young slip Of q thing with brown
eyes and golden hair and dtmple IN
i,nr chin who answered to the name Of
Elise Darlington.
Somehow or other between them,
his mother and sister had managed
10 min this absurdly youthful romance
Is It seemed to them, in the bud. anu
rom had returned to college a SAD
der. wiser, but unmarried man. sad,
der because OF temporarily thwated
plans: wiser because-well, just Wis
"a, wen say. ALL.
this year? o.,
him. said Julia bitterly, thereby yoic;-
ing the very fear in her mothers
mind. And both OF them knew tnat
4 Tom Branford did not succumb 70
Alice Haynes vampishness 1t WouIal
Sc because he had more strength OF
character than the rest Of the WHIT
NEVILLE youth or else because ne was
ireyocably attached to another.
Alice Haynes was not exactly q
newcomer to Whitneyville. She was
a, old-timer who had gone away to
etudy art and had come back IN q
new character. That Is, she returned
an artist-of sorts. She dressed IKE
one, In stenciled smocks. talked the
lingo, and lived in studio.
Yes, she had taken over old man
Woodbridge's barn replaced the horse
stall partitions with beaver board.
hung. the walls with rep instead OF
harness, and imported by truck from
New York a collection Of rugs, sam
overs, easels and ash trays which
would have done credit to a locality
where such things we're better ap-
4 once settled, she began to enter
in-sister artists over week-ends;,
4 musical comedy star, a Russian viol
mist and his literary wife-in short,
SO many people that Whitneyyllle
soon lost track Of their numerous
comings and goings.
Gradually, however, the young
men OF the town managed an intro
duction to her, then dropped in 10
cali. and finally got the habit OF go
inr often. One day Some faeetiotls
town wit spoke Of her as the Vamp,
and from that moment her STOCK
dropped below par with the women
folks. The epithet may or may not
nave been true. What was induoi-
taby true, however, was the fact that
former popular young women we're
z NOW forced to sit Of a Sunday aiteI-
moor, on their lonely verandas twlrl-
M their thumbs and wondering VINO
invented vamps, anyway.
mo this disturbed social atmos-
nhere dropped Tom Branford, now :
Fradnate and his own master, with
I :nrcmising Job at his disposal inc
first az September. And he had not
been in Whltneyyille week before
IN spite Of the efforts Of his motheI
and Iulia, he had not only discovered
tha yanap but had become one OF the
most regular frequenters Of the SUI
~ sHe's lost his appetite!' amented
Mrs. Bradford one morning, viewing
IA array Of cup custars prepared to
TEMPT It back again.
( aMore likely he's fed up with Rus,
IA lea and Dutch cheeses and-ano
s gjaee fruits" said Julia shortly.
SWhat he can see in that woman!
n wish we had not put our 100
down SO strongly about Miss Caring.
,t1i" yentured her mother. y 0en !
really object to her. 1t was Just that
INN was SO young" To Mrs. Bran
ford the visions Of last year, which AZ
ia time seemed so dreadtul"Visions
AZ Tom marrying young slip OF a
thing and setting up an establishment
~ ia own--now appeared aitogeth-
ar heavenly beside pictures OF Tom
iounging n the society Of long haired
Meets and drinking tea poured by inc
hands 81 short haired women.
81 have an idea" began julia
.,..i.. .t,t n ;cn,t nm late. Let's tell
Tom that we have changed our minds
about thinking he was too young 70
Se married, and suggest that he IN
vita Miss Darlington here for a visit.
She Vouldn': come unless they were
engaged, aid II he still cares he
MIGHT persuade her to be engaged,
and there's an end to Alice the Vamp.'
Mrs. Bradford looked hopeful;
Then an expression Of doubt ciouded
her face. Would Tom haunt the home
of one girl II still in love with anotn-
er? 'lf only it isn't too late'" sae
breathed.
That night when Tom sneaked IN,
sonne time nearer u than IL, he
fnund to his surprise both his mother
end his sister awaiting his return
1fsnally the task OF sitting up Tor
Tomr was assumed by them alter
nate]y. It was a form Of attention,
moreover, which greatly annoyed
Tom. who had no desire to be sat up
for like a young high school girl.
80 .on{1ht hig' face Wnrn An eH.
nression Of such radiant happiness
hat nothing could have chilled It;
sMother-Juiia!' he cried. Con
pratulate me! She has said Yes J!
the hearts Of the two women con
geaied within them. Too late! Too