The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-05-25
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Thackelr.ay Said
~ DORA MoLLANI.. !

.fANNA8AFEkAI
should be the subject OF discussion
by.a group Of girl students gathered
NJ q tcorner OF the big assembly
room. VI
Why, It's no more to be doubted
that Prof. Banks toupe!" This
calm statement by Susan Belden
ought to have settled the question
forever for hadn't Susan Uttered
the steps OF Pitman's school system
With hoartbreaks? Nor was she
the prettiest girl In the class, by
Several.
Some budding iconoclast in the
group murmured, soto yoce, Her
Mother feeds 'em!" This drew
smothered giggles. But It was
Anne Tyson, the acknowledged
brains Of the senior class, who had
The temerity to openly qualify the
dictnf1 Of the class belle.
''You can win a man, girls, by
tfickery. But you can't keep him
by the same method-not II he's
worth IT. Came q day when this
shat, sped at a fair mark, was to
turn, boomerang:like, and fly back
At the archer. IS.
Fate seems to have her own in.
! scrutible reasons for requiring Ger.
tain pairs OF individuals 10 fall I'M
side by side and march IN step,
even when there Is no particular
sympathy, or even liking. It was
that way at school--and atterward
with Sue Belden, daughter OF the
proprietor OF the towns one little
department store, and Anne Tyson,
whose father was the towns lead.
ing physician,
They liyen on the same street,
played In the same group as chill:
dren, were members OF the same
class In high both graduated
from the commercial course-and
then obtained positions in the same
cffice-that OF a big chair factory,
which was Pitman's leading indus.
try. And to top It OF fate carried
her fantasy so far as to plunge
them both In; love with the same
man at the same time.
Philip utard, son OF the senior
member Of the firm, had been
transferred from the Boston head.
quarters to the Pitman plant to
learn the details OF production. And
gossip speculated as to whether he
would not follow the example OF his
father and OF an elder brother-and
acquire also a life partner from
among the establishments female
personnel. That was getting TO be
quite The utard way.
!, n Philip did mediate any such
fstep II was soon apparent enough
to the watchtul gossips-that his
choice lay between Anne Tyson and
Susan Belden, for Philip divided his
leisure very evenly between the
Tyson and Belden homes, or escort.
Ing the girls alternately to such en-.
tertainments as the town afforded.
Perhaps he enjoyed the company Of
A1neIs father, for DR.. Tyson was a
man Of broad and genial culture.
And II was still said Of Sues moth.
cir that she fed EN-"
ANYWAY, on a certain day in Jan.
liary II would have been necessary
for Phil utard himself to toss up a
penny had he been pinned down to
O decision there and then.
It was ION this day that Susan
took close note Of, Anne's height.
ened color as Utard passed close to
their desks. She leaned slightly to.
ward Anne. and with a laugh that
was Just a little machine made, in
CURED whether she remembered
the school room discussion on the
hackerayism. what cocksure lit
tie Idiots we ywerel" she exclaimed.
wise men change their minds,
don't they Anne-and wise won.
en2e
There was challenge in the girls
voice. But from the well.poised
Anne Il got no response beyond a
non.committa1 Sometimes"
Vet the thoughts OF Anne were
Long. long thoughts" In the hour
Intervening between her arrival
home aud the serving OF dinner by
the rotnnd Lucinda, boss Of the .Ty.
son menage. This hour Anne
fhabitually spent before the fire In
the living room awaiting the doc.
tors return from his afternoon
round of calls.
" was here that Anne confessed
to herself what she had never con.
fessed before-that for weeks she
had been trying with all her might
and rnain-lfke the nursery rhyme
man Of the bramble bush-to win
the love OF Philip Utard. And had
! she, like the bramble bush man
/ scratched out both her eyes in the
proceedings?
Just because she considered her.
self a more 1T. wife than Sue Bel.
den for q man OF Philips mentality.
did II follow that she would be able
to make him happier? SUPPOSE
that, with deliberate effort, she
won him wopldn't he be very like.
ly to discover later that he had
been the man OF her choice, instead
of her being the woman OF. his?
And would that make for happiness
for either? There was nothing for
yher 70 do but jump right back into
that bush!
That evening Philip came to cali
and departed vainly trying to re-
call what possibly he could have
done 10 so change Anne toward
him. Not once had she responded
to word or look Of his in her usual
bright, sympatheticalIy interested
way. And when her father appear
ed after his office hours she ex.
cused herselt and said she was go.
ling toretire. So It happened the
next titne-and again.
Now the cooler Anne grew TO.
ward Philip the more desirable she