Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-23
THE GIRL WHO
SMILED THROUGH
BY Marion Rubincam.
Copyright. George Matthew Adams.
A LETTER FROM LOIS.

Chapter %.
.sBut | don't believe il. | can't believe
;tr' Clara said one evening. She had run
over" as she expressed it, on an unimport-
ant errand Her real reason, OF course,
was to see Alice Clara worried lot about
her friend these days. :,
''But YOU saw the paper last week,
Mrs. Fairbanks said. at had paragraph
about it. that he had gone and had no
intention of coming back.
IL know" Clara said miserably. Il
saw IL and thought there was mistake.
So telephoned the Farm and asked them.
They said he'd gone, that he had gotten
down some Young chap named Saunders
from the city to take his place man
he knew in college
The two women sat quietly. They
were in the little living rooms Beyond the
closed door, Alice was clearing away the
sumner dishes The sounds of clInking
knives and forks and the rattle OF dishes
came To them through the door. lt was
an unusually warm evening.
Il thought he couldn't be spared from
his work Mrs Fairbanks said. "Ahce
seemed to think hcnearly ran that Farm
out there"
"Hc was assistant to the head" Clara
said. 'He could not have been spared,
except for the fact that things were Just
beginning. II it had been mid-season, or II
they had big classes, rs they expect to
later. perhaps they would not have let
hom GO"
well, he's gone, Mrs. Fairbanks
said bv way of answer.
.sYo1 take it rather calmly, Clara
said looking AT the older woman curious
IL ut seems to me that il had daugh-
ter | loved as much as you do Alice, and
shn had heen i'm love with man who went
ofT very mvsteriously to marry another
girI-after he had been IN love with
nv daughter Clara paused to clarity
her thought well, it seems to me |
would be rather resentful.
II am" Mrs Fairbanks said, | don {
see how any man could prefer another
airI To Alice That is a man of sense.
David seemed sensible. suppose though,
like all the others, he fell In love with PAIR
of blue ewes and pink complexion.
Clara smiled at this.
1--WE lived So long | accept everything
calmly" the little old lady went on:
II used to think my husband would
never look at another woman after
he married me- | used to bc pretty IN
those days. and ! had more style than
Alice has. had To work, OF course, nut
| had little time to fix up. Ana was
nrettv-not as pretty rs Alice, she hasten
ed to add Loyalty, =.
ANYWAY, after five years. when Ahce
was about three years old new fanny
novad into town-and first thing ! knew
my husband was head over heels IN love
with the oldest daughter-she was my
own age, but not married and had no
more sense than LOIS.
l.,I-.,I ci1nhflN GP4n0atlyp0
but only slightly After All. it's hard to
takc the love affairs OF an Older genera
tion seriously
Il made him move away To another
town before ANYTHING came of II. Mrs.
Fairbanks concluded. "But they re all
alike. men are
Alice came into the room, wiping
her rcd. wet hands on her apron.
I'm all through, she announced.
''Hello. Clara. Want TO have me walk
to the post Office with you?
81 went there on my way over here,
Clara answered al brought over two
letters" she handed them to Alice.
This is an ad from a seed house IN
Chicago" she said She looked at the
other one.
This is in Lois handwriting, she
said in low voice. ITS POSTWAR kcd
Lake Placid Do you imagine LOIS has
left New York when David She tore
open the envelope slowly
We'll. | must be going Clara rose
hastily The air IN the little room was
suddenly tense.
mo. don't. Alice said 81 haven't
hid any secrets from you, and | want you
TO hear this. whatever 1t IT. She probably
telling me when she expects To marry.
Her cheeks were getting winter and
winter as she pulled the paper from It's
envelope. Ii was creamy white and stiff,
and slightly scented with perfume that
Lois herself frequently had used The odor
was nauseating TO the three women.
Dear Auntie and Alice she read
SLOWLY. You have both been SO nice TO
me. ! wanted to tell you of my present
happiness. David and | were married
Yesterday. We're spending our honeymoon
in this heavenly resort. and rs 1t s past
the season. there aren't very many people
about to bother us.
Il want to thank YOU for the lovely
visit YOU gave me, and your sympathy
in my bereavement. If only mother were
alive to wish me happiness, my Joy would
be complete. But ] must not let anything
spoil the perfection Of my honeymoon.
| know YOU both will wish me all the hap
piness in the world. If ] never see you
again, / shall always remain
"Afiectionately,
LOIS
Alice laid the letter on the table with
out a single word and went upstairs.
Tomorrow Refuge in Work.