The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-03-13
REFORM OF R0XANA
BY LINCOLN ROTHBLUM.

IsoAdna was one OF those Utn-pled,
bewitching. tantalizing girls one could
not help loving. On each one of her
rosy fingertips She could recite in co.
quettish fashion the name of de
voted, withal unhappy. sutton; but too
IL must be admitted that Roxana often
found need to exercise her most win
some tricks of cajoIery to win back
me smiles her teasing tricks had
chased away.
1t was Dick. nichnamed the "Faith-
ful. who suffered the most and com
planned the least. He loved RoXana.
But perhaps nothing tried his ma
tience and good temper more than
RoXana's curiosity.
1t was to her mother that in des-
pefation he appealed "What can |
do?" he asked dejectedly. Last
night she unwrapped box | had with
me when called
"And-" prompted Roxanas moth
er.
"Oh, pshaw," bIurted Dick, iii CON
tanned some underwear had lust
bought" DICK fancied he saw Rox-
ana's eyes twinkling merrily at him.
What can | dog he repeated
RoXana's mother glanced M. Inns
twitching in a smile she could i'll sup
press. ''Ill tell you. Dick" She fi;:ally
answered in an encouraging tone,
you can either give her up-or marry
err"
III marry her."
And marry her he did
Already on this fine July morning
her honeymoon OF four sacchariipe
weeks seemed like a beautiful dream
Just that week roll of films had
been ruined by exposure to the light,
| when RoXana could no longer resist
the temptation to learn if it contained
| SIX or twelve exposures. But Dick
was big enough to realize he must not
permit this failing Of his wife to mar
the placid and unrufIled tenor OF their
existence, and he gradually ceased 10
| resent the tampering with his mail.
There was no more the unconscious
act of ripping open the envelopes as
RoXana handed him each night his
letters in exchange for a kiss.
Red summer had merged into a fall
respondent in a galaxy of yeliows and
browns and Dick trudged home from
the depot through the cooler atmos-
phere so pleasingly refreshing after
! the long hot day just over. The days
work had been particularly and de-
pressingly enervating and he looked
down the road toward his home as
he shifted the heavy satchel he car
ried from hand to hand
Wonder what's IN it," Roxana's Gu
riosity danced excitedIy high as She
saw her husband coming up the gar
den path carrying the grip,
! Making all sorts of pretty fuss
about him, Roxana finally gave verbal
vent to her thoughts. Dick what
have you in that grip?"
! But his words did not carry effec-
/ tive weight. This satchel," he said as
he laid the small valise against the
wall. contains material for a suit"
/ "Oh, do let me see" interrupted
Roxana, I'm so anxious to look it
over I'll bet it's beautiful"
NO, It isn't, and that's just why |
don't want you to look Mt it," Roxana
froWned. ITS an off-color PROPOSE
tion," Dick continued, land it's Just as
well you know nothing about it.p
Indeed! Roxana was quite dis
pleased with her husband and firmly
decided that If he was getting materi-
al for suit she ought to have been
| consulted.
There the satchel lay on the floor
against the wall, its black leather
surface seeming to aggravatingly tan
talize her with the secret it concealed.
The echo of his footsteps along the
garden walk had hardly died away
when Roxana, with no qualmS of con-
science, sat herself on the floor be-
side the valise and with haiIpin and
scissors commenced operations upon
| the lock.
Not a note of veXation escaped her
! as tools of feminine inventiveneSs
| bent beneath the unusual task allotted
them, and as she applied herself with
| patience worthier of a better purpose
Not until the debris of two pairs of
manicure scissors, one pair of tailor's
shears and an easy gross of hailpins
| lay broken and bent before her did
| results reward her efforts.
At last! The lock was pried. In
moment she would know ALL The
catch was slipped and the sides Of The
satchel flew open, revealing-a mass
of papers!
Roxana's surprise of disappointment
angered her. ooh, that Dick should
| have told me an untruth," she sohbet,.
and smarting tears sprang 10 her eyes
/ Roxana squatted Indian fashion be-
fore the bag overflowing with legal
=, looking letters and greedily read.
puzzling expression was succeed
I ed by one of deep interest, and as n
! young girl with her first romantic
novel, Roxana read on, ollivious Il
! everything save the sheets before her.
And then understanding dawnedi
| "Why-why," she gasped, Dick did
tell the truth. 1t is off-color material