Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1921-12-02
Miss Mayhew's
Column
BY CALVIN HENDRICKS.

|
Miss Alice Kent was the brightest
newspaper woman on any of the met
ropolitan dallles. Everybody admit
ted that, and besides, Mclaughlin, who
was on the copy desk, told her that
he had heard the city editor say so.
Perhaps he was preJudlced In her ia
vor but his words came to her spirit
as balm and nectar at period when
life seemed like black tunnel stretch
Ing away until Miss Mayhem came
back.
1t was not that Miss Kent had be-
come dstrustful of her powers, or
base, No, there was deeper rea-
son. Miss Agnes Mayhem, who gave
advice to distracted lovers In two
half-columns every afternoon, had
been called home to Ohio on account
Of her mothers Illness, and the worst
Of it was that she had just got to the
bottom Of her basket. Those lovers
who had, presumably, been waiting
through many dreary days to find the
answers which should solve their own
peculiar and unparalleled problems,
had all been answered.
Miss Mayhem took her work Sc
riously.
That was why Miss Kent felt dis
consulate. She had been taken Off
her reporters job and set to answer
ing the imbecilities Of Cupd's vic
Tins. She let the letters accumulate,
and by the third day she had quite
batch of them. The first that she
took in hand ran as follows:
"My Dear Miss Mayhem:
"You have given so much good adj
vice to others that perhaps you will
help me. young gentleman is very
fond of me, like | am of him. We
love each other dearly. There is only
one vice he has. After he takes me
to the theater he wants me to kiss
him gOod-by after he takes me home.
My friends tell me that l ought not
to let him kiss me as we are not en-
gagged. What ought I to do?"
This time Miss Kent could not 20
wrong, for one of her predecessors
forms exactly covered this common
situation. Miss Mayhem was adaman-
tine where proprlety was concerned.
"No lady,, she wrote, twill ever
offer her lips to man under any cir
cumStances, unless she Is engaged to
him. You must tell your friend firm
ly but politely that you cannot per-
nit such conduct"
After she had put this letter aside
Miss Kent was quite thoughtful for
long time. The paper was crowded
that day and there was only room for
one more answer. 1t was as follows:
Dear Miss Mayhem:
81 am blonde and | have been go
Ing with a young gentleman for a
year. We love each other dearly. He
has never asked me to marry him.
Would II be wrong for me to tell him
I love him? I am nineteen and am
considered rather good-lOoking."
Something Of Miss Mayhew's
adamantine resolution nerved Miss
Kent's right hand.
mo woman ever tells man that
she loves him until he has asked her
to marry him. she wrote.
81 wonder" she reflected as she
laid her pen aside, whether Miss
Mayhem was writing from experience
when she penned Form 4"
Her task was over at last and she
rose up and went to the wardrobe for
her hat
at is good discipline to be sponsor
for all the love-struck idiots in town."
she reflected.
81 beg your pardon?' inquired Mr..
Mclaughlin. He was passing out
toward the corridor and had stopped
to watch her pinnlng her hat to her
hair 1t was nice hat and nice
hair
81 beg your pardon?" he repeated.
"Did you say something, Miss Kentf'
20, dear no, I was Just solloquiz-
ing" she answered giving her hat a
final pat to stralghten 1t.
Mclaughlin paused irresolutely.
"You look quite tagged" he said.
"Say, Miss Kent, won't you'll mean
would you mind having dinner with
me tonight, somewhere? And then
maybe we can take in a show after
ward-yes"
81 don't know that I ought to- Miss
Kent answered. but her smile was dis.
tinctly affirmative. SO they set out for
Scandinavian restaurant. They
sat down at table which had been
made for two exclusively, and there
the lights and the music and the
merry conversation of the other diners
made Miss Kent forget all about Miss
Mayhem and her miserable CORE
spondentS.
And then they fell to chatting and
fingered over the meal so long that
neither knew whether the fish hat
been served or whether 1t was the
salad they were waiting for.
When at last Mclaughlin left Miss
Kent at the door Of her apartment he
hesitated, and, as he looked bach
over his shoulder at her, fumblinl
with the key which somehow would
not fit the lock of the door, he sud
, denly came back again and took hel
in his arms and kissed her.
To her amazement, all she did was
to put her arms round his neck ant
say:
CO. Richard, love you with all m,
heart"
And then, grinnlng, out of its cor