Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1921-01-26

| joyment of life until she settled down
! into wifehood. Elvira was too sensi.
BILE to tell Arthur Waltham of the
secret pangs she had endured when
ever she saw him enter the Randall
| home. It was possible that Blanche
suspected her jealousy and took q GER
tain delight in showing her supremacy
over men in general. Only once had
Waltham alluded to the circumstance
Of his being a good deal at the Rand.
all home.
Burton Randall and We're college
chums and count him as my dear
est friend" he told Elyira. Lately
we have been rehearsing little COM
edy we are to present before ths
alumni down at old Chester, SO we
spend good deal Of time together"
That satisfied Elvira for the time
being, but when she would see Walt
ham and Blanche in the garden Of
the Randall home her soul would
expand with resentment. He always
spent Thursday evening with Elvira,
and she counted the hours until Sum
day arrived, when she would have
him with her again. One particular
Friday was day Of morbid anxiety
and wretchedness when, late in the
afternoon. she saw Waltham enter the
Randall home carrying a suit case.
In q morbid mood Elvira watched
from the curtained window, and when
dinner was announced pleaded indis-
position and sat at her post, tor
turing jealousy gnawing at her heart.
She aroused to new token of inter
est as Waltham came out into the
garden about dusk and opened the
doors Of the garage. He turned on
the lights, worked about the automo-
bile and then honked the horn. At
once hurrying figure arrayed In g
dress Blanche wore frequently, for
It was favorite with her. and very
tasteful and becoming, indeed, as FL
vira had to acknowledge, came to the
garage, was beseated beside Waltham
and away sped the machine.
ooh, this is unbearable!" quavered
Elvira. IF Arthur was all he pre-
tends to be to me, he would have
told me something about this. He
placed suitcase in the car, Blanche
carried her wraps as If for long |
drive and''-and there poor Elvira' |
broke down utterly and sobbed forth |
her desolate misery for an hour or
more.
All kinds Of foolish notions filled |
her mind. She even imagined an elope-
ment as the hours wore on, and she
never removed her glance from the
house opposite.
"You look wearied, quite ILL.," her
mother commented as Elvira forced
herself to come downstairs at break
fast, but Elvira made some trivial al
fusion as to a bad headache, and,
eating little and talking less, immedi-
ately retired to her room to renew
ler miserable vigil.
About ten o'clock in the morning
he Randall automobile circled from
he street into the garage. The figure
n that hateful, familiar dress went
1t once into the house. It wrenched
Ilvira's heart to see her lover pat
Ter shoulder with a reckless familiar
ty that shocked her finer sensibili-
les. -.'
With set lips and strongly deter
mined eyes Elvira went out into the
garden and seated herself on a rus
tic bench facing the home where
Waltham seemed to be so welcome
visitor. Two thoughts were in her
mind-to ask her parents to allow
her to visit relative at a distance
Tor prolonged period, to write Walt
ham that his brazen perfidy had
placed forever irremovable barrier
against all the future.
The door Of the house opposite
opened. Arthur Waltham came down
he steps, sprightly, smiling-faced. As
le cast glance at the home Of his
lear one he must have caught sight
# the figure on the garden bench.
llvira shrank and shivered as he
.rossed the road, quickly leaped the
ledge and was at her side. |
"A complete successl' he cried |
1--WE got word, Burton and
:, to come down to the alumni JAM
'oree too late yesterday for me to
'et an explanation to you. Our lit
lie act with him the heroine of our
title sketch, arrayed in his sisters
inery. just brought down the house.
Why, Elvira! What in the world Is
he matterf'
She had wavered and fell into his
rms in dead faint, but when she
pened her eyes again ii was to cling
o him in perfect joy and trust, and
ever word about her foolish