Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1921-01-07

TO the public taste Of midinettes, show
room girls. and dress-nlodels. and per-
haps you think they mirror the llfs.
Why, Madge, the taunts that those
girls fling indifferently at virtue and
at vice are so vile that they couldn't
be repeated even among half-decent
men. And the other way, the private
door for the private secretary. That's
rood Of burned bridges. Every
man, decent or indecent, feels queer
sinking Of the heart when he hears Of
a woman taking IT," He looked at her
shrewdly. "And vet you may do IT,"
he said, half to himself. "If you are
one Of the hungry women, God help
you, for they all walk bllndfolded."
"They don't walk" said Madge,
flushing. and her eyes cleaning
strangely. That's just the point: they
rush, whirl. and"
"And crash" finished Bobby.
That's the very word" said Madge.
IF you'll only keep on the way you've
started. I'd love to talk to you all
night"
mo chance OF that" said Bobby.
straight-llpped. I'm through, and I'm
going" He turned toward the door.
"Not without kissing me good-by,
Bobby" cried Madge.
He looked over his shoulder with a
polite but lmpersonal smile.
I'm not much on kissing strange
women" he said lightly. at would
take me years to learn to kiss you
again."
He left the room and the house.
With his top-hat pushed back on his
head, the ends of his muller flying
loose. his overcoat half unbuttoned,
he swung up the deserted lower
reaches Of the Avenue. punctuating
his thoughts with the solid rap Of his
stick on the pavement. II might be
supposed that he was thinking and
mourning over the sudden demise Of
the Miss Van Teller he had thought
he had known for many years, but
such was not the case.
Mr.. Randolph was not built on
| mourning lines; at the moment under
review, he was thinking about himself
and the strange fate that had made
him foster-child of fortune. He pro-
| ceeded TO look back ten years. Just a
decade ago he had had his one meet.
ing with the young lady whose disap
pearance had brought him an unstable
affluence. II had taken place on this
very avenue and less than forty short
blocks away. He had reason to re
member the encounter, for 1t hat
brought into sudden conjunction 9
lovely Persian cat, a lovely wire-hairet
terrier. lovely child, and himself
The cat had dashed from proud
front door to cross Forty-somethint
street under the nose Of a taxi-cab
the dog had flown In yapping pursuit.
and. in the act. yanked his young mis-
tress OFF her pins. He. Mr.. Randolph
had seized one of her flying feet
hauled her and the terrier back I,
safety. and no sooner placed her up
right and smoothed down her absurd.
short skirts than he, she, and especial
ly 1t, the dog. became the center an,
circumference OF an animated pin
wheel.
Her mistaken determination to hol
to the leash, whatever happened
brought disaster. The said leasl
wound three times round her ankle
and those of Mr.. Randolph, brlngln
them both down kerplunk and facln
each other. "My, what bumpw sh
had cried, in startled tones, and the
thrown back her curly head an
laughed.
Ii was so that he remembered her
child of ten or eleven summers an
no winters, merry as sunny day
dark-halred, dark-eyed. pink-cheekeC
pampered but unspoiled. She ha
risen and taken his hand. told hii
her name, thanked him, ordered
flurried nurse to thank him, shake
her finger Mt the terrier, and salt
"Good-by" and "Come on, Maggie" a
while he was still rubbing the seat {
his first long trousers.
On that day she had been Miss I'm
gene Pamela Thornton, petted darllr
of the gods and Mr.. Brewster Thor
ton, banker and widower; two month
later had come Thornton's financi
smash and, Immediately afterward,
spiritual, moral and bodily collaps
Everything that had made for life
him having been swept away. he di'
as matter OF course, and was burie
For sole inheritance, little Gen
Thornton found herself possessor al
possessed OF one Maggie O'Rourke,
nurse OF long standing, of earnest al
faithful face, and monster heart II
prisoned in pitifully thin chest.
II had taken Genies great-unc
Asa Thornton, six more months TO Il
get n quarrel of sixteen years stan
ing with his nephew, and by that tir
child and nurse had been seeped In
that lower world which can't affo
morning and afternoon editions and
too busy praying for daily bread
look for a rain Of mamma in the da
press,
In short, Maggie and her chars
traced down the ladder of reputab
disreputable and impossible lodging
had slipped ultimately from sight a
tho kan NJ manila with addresses n