Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1920-09-29
THE S 0 S.
By CRAWFORD LUTTRELL.

ing girls as the glad old earth well
comes spring, but it was quite evil
dent, after the first week OF her So
journ in the house of Captain An.
struthers, that his sister Helen was
going to have a sorry time of 1t. She
was pretty enough in her way, but that
elusive something that makes or mars
a girls success with men held no prom
Use for the captains uneasy wife,
Anne. What was she going to do with
her sister-in-law for a whole month";
Men came, perfunctorily, at her bid
ding. They ate her dinners, nibbled
her cakes and drank her tea, but they
returned the courtesies with the air
of men paying just and honest debts
when they could make far happier use
Of the money. None of them on leav.
ing fingered a little to grasp her hand
and whisper. "She's some little peach.
your visitor! Say a good word for
me! How about dinner with me to-
morrow night, and could you squeeze
in a horseback ride for the next after
noon?"
Something had to be done and done
quickly.
Anne thought over the list Of pos
sibilitles, Her heart gave little con-
yulsive gasp at thought Of sending an
S. o. S. TO the colonel, and yet she
looked forward happily to the oppor-
tunities that II would offer TO exhibit
kapEgfg fr al
to the man whom she had refused to
marry Tom Anstruthers. There was
always little glow OF feminine salts
faction when she reflected that he
was a bachelor because Of her. His
eyes were inscrutable. unfathomable.
They looked at her as If they were
still seeing the pretty, innocent young
girl she had been when, visiting the
post years before, she had chosen a
husband because he was the best
looking officer there, the best dancer
and the most adept at making love.
Well. she had paid for her failure to
discriminate, but nobody knew how
much she had paid. Outwardly she
was the toast Of the officers mess,
beautiful as q star and Just as cold,
men found who ventured to make up
for Anstruther's obvious lack Of at
tention.
She had never asked a favor of Col
onel Kent, but the time had come when
she felt that the end justified the
means. She could not have Toms
quiet little sister 20 back home with
tale Of unhappiness to tell. The girl
had looked forward to the visit for
years. Anne knew. She remembered
how II had been when she was young.
So Anne wrote a little perfumed note
and asked the colonel TO call at tea
time the next day. She planned to
have a few others In so that she could
take the colonel aside and explain Just
what was wanted without having
Helen suspect anything.
She longed to wear a blue georgette
frock deliberately embroidered in steel
beads but the colonel had often men
toned his fondness for her in that col
or in the acknowledgement days of
youth, so she resolutely pushed aside
the alluring little garment and select
ed drab gray TO which only her sap
phires gave color.
OF course they had met almost ev.
cry day in the year. but he never went
to Anne's house unless he was invit-
ed there, and Anne only asked him
when there were many other guests.
Lately she had seen little of him. He
was beginning to plead that middle
aged officers ought to turn over social
| affairs TO the younger fellows and let
them have their fling.
When the few people whom she had
| asked had all been served, Anne left
| the gay little tea table and casually
moved over to sit beside the colonel.
"Tm so glad that you came" she
said. II want to ask a big favor Of
you"
Granted" he answered. smiling IN
scrutably. before you ask. as you must
have known II would be"
Captain Anstruther's little sister is
visiting me for a month. For some
reason, not known TO me, she is not
proving very popular. My sixth sense
tells me that"
| "Woman's intuition"
"She is young. as you can see, so
young that her heart and her eyes are
still filed with dreams / want her
10 be gay and happy while she is here.
Already she is beginning TO feel that
the men are not rushing her as she
had hoped they would. Can you help
me? VIII you help me 10 make her
visit here all that want II to be?"
A little wistful smile played about
his full lips and etched with bold
stroke the fine lines that were already
showing at the corners of his brown
eyes. ITS big task to put up to a
man whose own dreams have never
come true. but I'll do my best. What.
ever you say goes, you know. I told
you that same thing, fifteen years AFRO"
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