davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
RETURNING PRODIGAL
BY w. A. McKeever

obtained only after patient hope
and longing.
Now. 1t is my purpose here to urge
the parents and friends of the army
of returning prodisals to make the
home coming a serious matter of
fact and expectation, to make the
reception programme short and SIM
pie. and then to hasten a retrieve
ment of the lost fortune of the
youth.
Put him to work at anything that
may be available. Do not waste
time looking for high wages and
light employment. Now is the time
to finish the Job of putting your
boy through his sweating system.
There is a spirit Of humility
among the ranks of business men
and industrials today which 10 fine
discipline for the soul. and / want
your boy to partake of his share OF
this peculiar feast.
Even many bankers and high
financiers are walking the floor at
night and staring vacantly by day
while they wait for the return OF
general prosperity. Practically all
have enough to eat and are secure.
No one will probably be seriously
hurt financially. but all are doing
a lot of solid thinking, a. one mer-
chant stated the matter.
Your boy must learn that we are
all largely bound UP together in
each succeeding wave of prosperity.
loss and privation. and that there
are few who go romping through
life. grabbing big wages from every
employer. spending extravagantly to
satisfy every minor within, and
Singing pie crust long the road
Forever and forever"
Indeed, he has already in this year
of grace 1921 learned the first lesson
in the foregoing course of soul
Christening. Help him to make the
experience profitable.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
When O. Girl Marries, Ann LisIe s Popular Serial

me In a puzzled way. But I feel.
somehow. as II you wouldn't be
bit disappointed II she did come
home. It's for Betty's good to stay,
Anne. So don't look so worried over
Terry's pocketbook. / guess II can
stand the strain"
81 hope So" I answered.
To save my life. however,
couldn't get any animation into my
tone. ] knew well enough that I'M
less Jim's wild goose chase" as
Virginia had called II. comes out
much better than / dared hope
Betty will have to return from the
Northwest. Practically every cent
Terry Winston owns is invested in
Jim's company. and I know Terry
would not live for q day on Ather-
ton Bryce's money.
Smiling. / turned to Virginia
Funny, even to read 4 letter OF
Betty's or to think of her. helps me.
That adorable Betty OF ours has
just given me a real inspiration"
IT suppose this 10 q secret. too?"
asked Virginia, half pleadingly.
"Yes'mr' ] returned. But you'll
be In on this secret almost before
you're ready. Now. can't you per-
suade Phoebe to let me have one were
little peep at my blessed brother7"
Go Be Continued Saturday..
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14

Yet IL 1t was to be opened at all
he must do II himself. for the man
who valeted had been sent upon an
errand, and the woman who came
in by the day had finished her work
and gone home. He had the i'm
pulse to let the bell go unanswered,
and that impulse lasted a long mo-
ment. He rose. then, slowly. went
to the door and opened 1t.
81 knew 1t was you," he said.
''Come in
"You were long time answering
the bell"
IT know IT. Sit DOWN.!
He himself withdrew to dis
lance Of some yards.
81 didn't want to see you, Diana.
am very sorrowful and ashamed.
You have had a report from Mr..
Raghornr
eyes, Frank"
Her voice was Icy cool. Her eyes
at the same time were rather warm
with interest and curiosity and
there was in their expression also
a trace of horror and Jealousy.
There was In her. though she did
not recognize II as such, the fear
that her husband was not now,
after his experience with Mrs. Her
riot, so sorry that he was to be
divorced.
II anyone had said: But don't
YOU want your poor husband to be
happy, too7' she would have an
swered valiantiy, "Of course" And
that would not have been the whole
truth. 1t would have been a sort
of magnanimous intellectual GEES
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14

But the chances were that In the
long run she would have accepted
his end Of It. That she could
keep In love with q man like
Fem for q whole year without
ever seeing him was a ridiculous
idea. She wasn't that kind of
woman. Manners felt very sure
of this.
i had . perfectly good chance"
no thought. and didn't sec II.
I didn't think had any. And now.
God help me, everything IL all
over. And Diana's done for. and
I'm done for. and Tam hasn't half
the chance she ought to have"
Diana Goes to See Manners.
During these days he received
several notes from Mrs Herriot
and answered them: but he did
not 20 to see her. Later on he
would begin to 50 her again. He
could sink no deeper into degra-
dalton. and in time she might be-
come of definite. comfort to him.
At least he would not see her I'M
I'll he had seen Diana But he
kept putting off that interview,
and in the end it was Diana who
came to see him.
Diana had no manner of push
ing a bell-button that was in
any way individual with herself.
All depended on her mood. So
that when the bell of the apart
ment sounded 1t was only Man
ner's intuition which could have
told him that 1t was his wife VINO
had rung II.
The poor, driven man had COM
mitted no great crime. and yet he
started as might a criminal at the
step of those who have como to
take him. A sudden fear of the
woman whom he had in no way
wronged possessed him; and he did
not at once 60 to open the door.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
Motion Pictures of This Serial Will
IL BE Shown at LOew's Columbia
This Week

much as lawyer mist have hia He
must work as patiently and mo-.
thodicaiiy and uninterruptedly.
wherever we have been. w..,r-
ever we did cast our lines ] nan
aged to do some sort OF work. and
1t was like pulling teeth. 6 ?
tell you. Newport with dinnrrs
and dances. And one up at seven
to get some work done, and you
sleeping till the roses OF which you
are made were all pink and fresh
again
"But you loved that sort OF LIEF"
Eyes. Who wouldn't? Gaiety
and attractive people; and money
and champagne passing round, and
bully times and swimming! 1 did
love that life. have no call to be
a painter. God never put his finger
on my shoulder and said. choose
YOU had to do something. and
painting was my best bet.
ADO you think for a moment
wouldn't rather have spent all Of
my life having a good time. frolick-
ing and laughing? OF course
would. loved Newport and Palm
Beach and all the hard riding be-
tween places; but most Of all
loved to see you having a. good time.
"But j knew II was wrong for US
to I've like that--oh, sometimes II
was all right! But II was not all
right when we didn't have the
money and had to go in hook for
our fun. And when objected you
turned cool at once. You said was
making more money every year.
why worry?
II was making more money
every year, but how? BY doing
work-oh. IT was as good as
could do. i guess, but II wasn't the
kind of work that paved the way
for better work later on. i was
in the formative period. I should
have been experimenting and str
dying. instead of swelling around
pretending that / had arrived.
And you, Diana, shouldn't have
made the mistake of giving the
best that was in you to other
things. You should have given 1t
to the work, not to me. to the
work"
CTo be continued tomorrow.)
Copyright. 1919. International Magazine
Co.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14

81 thought ia been 4 pretty good
wife to you. Frank. for time.
anyway"
MY darling" he said. moved In
his turn at remembering the won
der Of all that young passionate
girlhood she had given him. that
almost dog-like trust and adora-
ton, tho overwhelming generosi-
ties. you were everything In the
world to me. love and the heart and
soul of life: life and the breath Of
life. You were like some delicious
armful of roses without thorns: and
surely some day-oh"-hs para
phrased:
My dust would hear you and beat,
Had lain for q century dead;
Would startle and tremble under
feet,
And blossom in purple and red"
He paused and stood for quite a
long time looking at her. chin In
hand. She did not return his look.
She felt that she might lose con-
troll OF herself II she did. She
tried to nx her mind on something
quite unrelated to the matter in
hand. What she managed to think
of was not altogether unrelated
a purple-and-red dress-but 1t
steadied her. and she returned his
look.
"But a good wife to me. Diana!
That you were never. You've help
ed me wonderfully in lots of ways;
but that's not being a good wife
You helped me because you wanted
to. And the help grew less pre-
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14

ture. contradicted by all the self
centerment of her sex.
81 could not now Diana" said
her husband, TASK you to como back
to me-" He smiled with certain
wistfulness and shook his head.
yet It only needed whist has hap
pened to prove to me that have
not been altogether selfish In try
ing to keep you. My dear. for
every woman in this world there
Ia one man and not two.
One Woman for Every Man.
For every man there 10 one
woman. You were that woman to
me and I was that man to you. Be-
tween us we have made . mess of
things. and the hour has struck. 1t
is a great pity. Some Dement'S you
may think at nrst that you have
found with the new love. but In the
end you will only feel that you
have been wsnton. and that you
have been smirched.
You must divorce me now, OF
course. I see that. l should never
have consented to do what j have
done. 1t Is just as wicked as II
II had been my own beastly and
incontinent wish. l used TO think
that purity was of the heart and
soul: and that the woman. for in
stance, who had been taken against
her will was as pure as the woman
who had never been taken at all.
But was wrong. Facts are facts
and they are terrible things
But / don't know why i should de-
liver you an grafton. Won't you
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
THE RHYMING|
OPTIMIST
BY AIine Michaelia


workers. but IT isn't hard to
find all the company of
shirkers who call honest toll a
grind. With the minutes fleetly
fitting, they are stolid as a rock.
they come a little late, and they're
certain to be surly when they've
work that cannot wait. They dis
like to take dedication and to sell
things is a bore, for they're plan
ming on vacation, when they'll
lest a little more. You'd think
life must prosecute them from the
doleful way they speak; any Job
arranged to suit them would have
Ave days rest each week. Every
bit Of effort tires them and they
long to get away, so the calen-
dar inspires them and they watch
IL day by day. On the father of
our nation they keep tab with
watchful eye, for his birthday
means vacation and they won't let
that get by. Not one holiday is
sighted, for of these alone they
think; they have every feast day
sighted. and they mark It in red
ink. So their jobs have short
durations. for nobody wants them
near: they cram forty-eight vaca-
tlons into every fiscal year. They
were never known to hurry. they
count working as a crime; they've
a motto. 81 should worry" and
they use 1t overtime But when
ever IL is pay day you will find
them on the ground: they are al
ways In their heyday when the
cash Ia going round. Yet these
very fellows greet you. long about
this time OF year, with Say, don't
this weather beat your Gee. I'm
glad vacations near"
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
FOR Lev E.
AyreS
By Ruby M.

pened in a little while, Peter! I'm
married. and you're engaged. and
to two people whom we thought
cared for each other. Isn't
II a funny world, PeterT"
81 think it's rather a nice world"
Peter said soberly. Here we are
shall come in, BONNER
"Oh, do--of course.
They went up the winding drive
together; a light from window
shone out into the darkness; Eva
crossed the hall and pushed the
library door wide. Philip was there
alone; he did. not look particularly
pleased when he saw his brother
in-law.
Peters got some news" Eva
said. She looked at her husband
with hard, bright eyes
Peters engaged to Kitty Airing
ton" she said.
There was a sharp silence; Philip
looked dumbfounded. then
"Rotw he said, shortly.
The blank amazement in his face
was comicaL Eva began to laugh
Historically.
ITS true" she said. isn't II,
Peter? Tell him yourself"
ITS quite true" Peter said sulk-
lily. "And you're not very polite"
he added offendedly.
Philip pulled himself together
with an effort.
81 beg your pardon. old chaplin
sorry-but l was so surprised
never thought :"
He held out his hand. "Congratu-
lations." he said, heartily.
Thank you" Peter began to smile
again; he was very much OF a boy
stiIl. Thanks, awfully. ."
I'm going to bring Kitty over
one day. he said.
DO" said Philip grimly.
He was wondering why he was
so little moved at this unexpected
announcement; It only showed that
he had never really cared for her,
OF course--he went back to the
room where Eva waited with sort
OF abashed look In His eyes.
She was turning the pages Of n
book, but as her husband came into
the room again she put II down
and walked to the door. Philip
reached IL in n couple of strides,
shut II and put his hack to IL.
CTo BE Continued Tomorrow.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
2 was a poignant silence.

"HERE was a poignant silence.
Its all right. dear" Eva
said then very gently. You
you haven't told me anything IL
didn't know TO on-what
were you saying2"
Peter put an arm about her. He
bent and rubbed his head against
her shoulder.
Its all over and done with, any
way" he said remorsefully. I'm
glad you knew. though. 1t was de-
cent of Philip to have told you. or
course, / can't blame him. Any fell
low would like Kitty.
don't know what she can see in me.
/ know I'm not half good enough
for her -"
Eva clenched her teeth. She felt
an insane desire to scream out to
him.
ITS money she sees. She only
wants money from you, just as IL
was all that Philip wanted from
me. Don't do II, Peter. II
you only knew how II will hurt
when you fnd out that It's only our
money and not us that they wantw
But she kept silent.
THE old man was rather glad on
the whole" Peter went on present
ly. He said was a bit young, of
course. and that we must wait
year or two-but he didn't object
he said he'd always liked Kitty"
Yes"
"And you'll like her, too, when
you get to know her better. She's
fond of you-she's said so heaps OF
times, but she doesn't think you
like her, and she thinks It's because
Philip once Well you
know"
she needn't think that" said
Eva stifly.
"No, | know; ! was sure OF that.
Philip and you are married, and
the other liz ALL over and done
with" His arm frightened about
her a little. After all. he's a
lucky dog; he's got the best wife
in the world"
THANK you, Peter"
80 he has-and II he doesn't
think so BONNET win
you go and see Kitty one day7
She'd be pleased"
Yes, I'll go-of course I Will"
She laughed with a sudden reck-
lessness. What q lot has hap
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
BENEFITS FORGOT.
EAR MISS FAIRFAX:

am going about with
young man who tells me he
will marry me. When he was out
of work and had no money / stuck
to him. / spent half of what / had
on him. Now, that he Is working
and has everything, he is hurting
my feelings. He refuses to see me
as he used to and says he Is willing
to give me up IL he cannot be with
the boys-when with them l hear he
CANDLES. What do you advise?
BELLA d.
Nothing so annoys 4 man as to
be reminded of other days and to
be plagued for appreciation of past
BENEFITS. You stood by the boy you
love when he needed you-youll
drive him away IL you remind him
of II. Possibly his reaction to the
wrong sort of companions Is just to
forget the unhappy position of de-
pendence on a girl which was no
recently his. Don't nag him now or
whine about what you did for him
then. The best way to influence him
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14

w IRGINIA'S surprise awaited me
" at Meals apartment when i
arrived there at noon. With
out a word she handed me a letter.
1 stared at the sprawly, Uniformed
writing without any sense of
familiarity.
It's from our Betty" Virginia
explained. written with her left
hand, of course, though she doesn't
say one word on the subject"
Betty" repeated, smiling back
at Virginia with the tenderness we
share for the bravest. most gallant
woman we knew. Then / plunged
into the letter. II was full of de-
votion to Terry, of interest in the
far-away friends she loves. of
charming little descriptions of the
lakes in the Canadian Rockies and
the winter sports at Banff. where
she and Terry are now located.
AREN'T those Winstons of ours
darlings7" l said, reverting to the
safer aspect of my thoughts about
Terry and Betty. 1T sounds. alas!
as II this honeymoon of theirs is
going to last for the next nve or
six months"
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14

cisely as your wish to help grew
less. until your wish to help me
either ceased entirely or became
the empassioned wish to help some-
body else
II tell you, upon my roul. Diana,
want you to be happy In your
new life II didn't l should iet
you on by telling you that you
were exquisite and charming and
adorable: but II you are going to
make good with your new husband
you'll have to be a lot more things
than that.
II made a little house for you.
1t was remote and all that; but we
loved each other. we had our way
to make in the world. and IT was
Q dear and complete little house
In . very lovely country. and II
was q place where could work.
viii you exonerate me In advance
from giving the impression that my
work Is of any artistic value, or
that I so consider 1t?
Work Counted for Nothing,
Compared to the real thing II
isn't worth a hang, never was and
never will be, and there is only one
chance In q million that II ever
might have been Exonerate me
at least from that form OF egotism.
But to us IL was the most valuable
thing In the world. 1t was our
bread and butter. 1t was all we
had to go on. our Insurance
against old age, the guarantee that
our children should have a home
and education. and little some
thing to start life with.
But in your realm of life the
work counted for nothing. oh.
Frank you used to tell people, is
10 lucky. He doesn't have to go to
a poky office. Wherever he is there
his work is But a painter. my
dear. must have his office just as
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14

have q cup Of tea or somethingT'
"You feel pretty rotten. don't
your said Diana. shaking her head.
IT do. ! should like to die now.
except that as ! see 1t. and as all
the rest of US see 1t. except you.
and you will the moment the pinch
comes, you will need all the money
1 can give you. so must stay alive
and earn It,"
"You know it's perfectly under
stood that you are not to give me
q penny. except maybe just tiny
allowances for Tam"
That's my entering wedge, dear.
Tho people Tam 10 to live with must
live comfortably. II Tam II to have
things as she has always had them.
It isn't only clothes and doctors and
food that count: it's surroundings,
a general source Of ease and we'll
being. That she's always had. That
she always must have.
Never q Good Wife.
you will see that I am right
when the time comes. You may
think that you win enjoy picnicing
until a ripe old age. But you won't
You may think that you will enjoy
being a real wife and helpmate; !
know that Is your plan. but you
won't You will never really enjoy
being anything but Diana"
The young woman's eyes filled
with tears. The bitterness of her
husbands words coupled with the
gentleness of his voice moved her
more than he could have moved her
In any other way.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
Kansas and q Well-Known
Educator.

Professor In tne Umtver6uty Oh
Kansas and q Well-Kn0wH
Educator.
~ OORER in purse, but richer in
experience, Thousands of the
youth who left home early
last spring are now quietly beating
II back. Last year any old thing
would sell at big price and any
old Job would pay wages, is the
way ono chastened young man
stated the matter.
So, enticed by the memory of
this easy money. many q youth
journeyed into q far ,county--to
sell books and Views, to organize
promotion clubs, to engineer some
lucrative scheme. or to hold down
. big. fat position.
But, alas To sleep in barns,
haystaoks and under trees: to be
treated with suspicion; to be or
dered again and again to get out
and move on; to spend days at a
stretch without being greeted by a
friendly voice--think of II. fond
parents! Why should not the home
folks kill the fatted calf and all
begin to make merry2
IL has just now been my privilege
TO listen to the sad story of one Of
the many disillusioned young pros
perity seekers and to try to explain
to him how he Is going to derive
good out of the losing venture;
how l long ago as a book agent
suffered the same setback how
every promising young man must
be 30 tested; how the disappoint-
ing experience will stand out as
capital for a later effort; how he
will after this time better under
stand and more fully sympathize
with the failures of common men;
how all the really good things in a
growing young career must be
sought through trial and error and
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
Who's Who in

FRANK MANNERS, an artist deeply in love with
his charming wife.
DIANA MANNERS, a beautiful young woman, who
falls in love with
OGDEN FEM, young chap, who makes no secret
of his affection and to whom
PETERS MANNERS, cousin of Frank who also
once loved Diana, appeals to prevent break.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14

~
he should have done. II ought
not to have saii that they
could see each other once In awhile
he thought; IT ought TO have told
them that they must 80 for a year
without sitting each oteer or hearing
of each other, and that II at the end
of the year Diana still felt that she
wanted to marry him: I'd arrange
matters so that she could.
But Diana would have refused
with horrible threats--just as In
fact she did refuse any such sug-
gestion. Still, ought to have said
my little say and stood pat
ought to have been perfectly easy
tempered about the whole thing.
ought not to have allowed myself
to be so upset.
Il should have made Diana un-
derstand that every time she saw
Fem she simply put off the emil
Of her probationary year, and I
should have gone my way peace
fully and confidently. 1 ought TO
have trusted her. II we hadn't had
horrible scenes she wouldn't have
run off with him. II I'd kept
my temper and heartaches to my
self and gone on quietly about
my business everything would
have come out all right"
Manners really believed this. and
not without good grounds. 1t Is
true that at first Diana would
have refused any such bargain.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
SHOULD BE CONGENIAL-
DEAR MISS FAIRFAX:

A girl twenty-five years of age,
who Is considered good looking and
man forty years old. who is
neither handsome nor wealthy. are
in love with each other. Although
they love each other dearly. they
fear to marry because of the great
difference in their ages
Please advise them what to do.
They have both agreed to act ac-
cording to your advice.
CONCERNED.
A girl of twenty-five 10 a woman.
She ought to be mature enough to
find many interests congenial with
those of a man fifteen years her
senior. After all. a man of forty
isn't a grandfatherly person who
wants nothing but to sit by the
IRE and think of younger, happier
days, you know,
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-14
THE WILD GOOSE By GOUVERNEUR MO
"The Wild Goose"

MRS HERRIOTT, woman about town, who helps
Frank to get divorce to free Diana.
ROBERT HASTINGS, husband of Mary, devoted
more to money making than to home making.
MARY HASTINGS, his wife, and friend of Frank
and Diana.
TAM the little daughter of Diana and Frank, who
adores her father.