Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-04
THE GIRL WHO
HAD NO CHANCE
Ry Marian Rubincam.
Chapter XXXVI.

BY Marian Rubincam.
Copyright. 1919, by tho Mcclure News
paper Syndicate. New York CITY.
Chapter XXXVI.
A long description of the apartment
followed In Myra's letter; and further
activities of Emily, now in town and al
lowed out only for an hour day. Myra
evidently had no intention of returning
to the little home city.
al can't, you know because Tim wants
me to be near him | suppose / must
tell it sometime, and | may as well do 1t
now. Tim and are engaged
1t came to her just like that, and Ruth,
reading the letter, suddenly went cold all
over. Her fear of something like this had
been so great that she took Myra's
letter up to her room, to be alone when
she read it.
So it was truel So Myra had firted
with himl So the almost inevitable result
Of their proplnqulty was this
Ruth never finished reading that let
ter. 1t was cruel pain even 20 look at it..
Davs later she found it where she had hasti-
" stuffed it into her desk drawer and she
took il downstairs and burnt it in the
kitchen stove, stirring the black ashes
until they mixed with the red Goals and
could not be seen any longer.
Mvra and Tim engaged The top of
her head felt cold, her hands were wet
and like ice, and for some time she could
not think clearly. Mvrs and Tim her
Tim, the tall strong, impetuous boy who
had swept her into his arms, who had
kissed her and who had declared he would
never love anyone elsel
And TO MvTal In the old days MyTa
had not liked him much; at least, she
had given no evidences of more than casual
friendship before Ruth. And1im had not
liked Myra at all. He had even said
She went TO her little treasure box"
where she had kept all his letters. She
wanted 10 see wat he had said, earlier.
But much might happen over the win
ter. Her own letter could not have been
interesting All winter she had stayed home
and worked. She never had anything to
tell. except her steadily increasing love and
perhaps he had tired of that. Certainly
Myra In her cozy, luxurious apartment,
with her splendid dresses and her numerous
engagements, would have proved much
moro fascinating than hersef.-poor,
dull, little keeper of lodging house!
But she did not read the letters over
again, not that day, nor ever, Several
times she tried, but the hurt was too great,
and one dsy some time afterwards, she
took the whole box, and without opening
il, burnt it and its contents. But for long
time she could not bear the sight even of
it, and never used the bureau drawer she
kept it In.
But why didn't Tim wrise7 If it were
true, he should say something They
were not actually engaged, but surely 1t
WIS understood. For he was to go to the
city and send for her when he could af-
ford 70 marry. II he could not afford to
marry her. he could not afford to marry
Myral Some comfort came from thstr-at
least the engagement was unsettled 10
that extent.
II only she could have gone to the cityl
Tim would have been near her and Myra
would not have
Have what? Perhaps they really were
in love Perhaps Myra truly cared and
II was not Irritation. Perhaps Tim really
wanted Myra, not h ersef!
Ruth could not stand the four walls of
the room. They imprisoned her. She put
on her hat and started out. She did not
want to 60 through any part OF the town
where she would meet her friends, for
her face might betray her feelings. Be
Gdes, she could not bear the sight Of any
one she knew.
and found herself over In the factory dis
trict. The houses were mere novels
even the best Of them were depressing In
their ugliness.
She walked along dirt streets lined with
two-story brick houses, with lights burning
inside (since il was getting dark and dirty
little children swarming outside along
such pavements as existed.
How dreary It was Spring came beau
tifully In her part of the town, with
green gross and flowers. Here il came as
mud muddles and it stirred up an odor OF /
food rotting instead OF the delicacy Of /
blooming flowers She began watching i
the children. Their faces were often psle; +
some of them looked like little old men /
and women. Some were plainly suffering |
rom rckets, many were bow-legged from /
being allowed 70 walk before they were /
strong enough. Wages were low and work I
scarce thst year, as Ruth knew
Her walk did not cheer her, and when /
( was dark she turned back with feel /
ng of relief 81 getting out of 50 gloomy 8
place What life for those people. Why
,ouldn't they have decent homes and
little beauty, even if they were poor? They
night improve on what they had, but |
many did not possess initiative. Perhaps
they were given start
Out Of such vague thoughts great
ieAl wAs TO come. But Ruth, wasted little
'ympethy on the poor that night. It was
Tim and Myra and herself that occupied
Ter.
Everything was gone. Her chance to
Fork-would she, too, have to enter 8
actory? Her chance TO love-her chance
o livei Everything was gone, and
'head was only long and lonely struggle
NTH poverty, ID a small town where moth
ng happened. If she could only have gone
o the city last winter
She entered the library at home to
ind her Aunt Sarah there with her family.
There was much laughter and excitement.
"And she wants TO send you away for
. trip" Mrs. O'Niel cried ruth, heres s
Tour chance TO go to New York;
And they stared in amazement when
he girl suddenly burst into hysterical
obs and left the room.
New York-now