Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1921-01-28
HER DESK
BY MABEL w. SANFORD.
(CopynEht.)

/ very much. Did you say they are the
only vacant apartment in the house?"
! Yes returned the polite clerk
promptly; land we shouldn't have
these to offer only that the youn:
lady who had them was i'll, and obliged
! to go home.
Il will take the roomS,' he said
But tell me: do all these pictures and
this desk 90 with them. or do they
! belong 10 the young lndy?"
Well it's this way" said The clerk :;
! they are TO stay here if you wish
! them. not unless. You see, the young
lady. Miss Castlcton, is an artist-you
have heard of her--and these pictures
are mostly her own work. She used
This room as Il studio. And the desk
| is hers. too.
STANLEY Brent WAS young man OF
enough wealth to enable him to in
dulEc his fancicS; hut he had concen-
trated all his energies and ambitions
upon novel, which. had finally been
accepted by New York publishing
! firm on condition that he would make
certain changes in the plot.
He found his new apartment all that
could be desired In the way of stimu.
lus. He whimsically attributed his sue
cess to the Chippendale desk, at which
he did most or his work.
Hanging directly over the Chippen-
dale desk, there was one picture which
reused Brent's admiration and imag-
inntion more than all the rest 1t was
a study Of young man, with features
faulticss!y Greek. who looked the
epitome Of youth and poetry and love.
IT set Brent to weaving romance
Mt faster pace than his own pen
could follow.
"Yes. that's the man she loves, or
did love when she painted IT," he said
TO himself as he lighted his brier, and
gave himself up TO the joys of specu-
lation.
And Brent put down his brier. and
started OIL prolonged search for n
note from Miss Kingston. who had in.
vited him to dine with her and her
chum.
Here it is" he said ut last, spy
ing blue-gray sheet Of note-paper In
the far corner Of n pigeonhole.
He pulled 1t out and began to read.
A puzzled expression came over his
face. He could not remember hay
Ing received this strange letter:
1T is such Joy to love you that 1,
feel as II 1 must tell you so. fancy
most women don't tell man that they
love him. They allow him to do all
that. Well, my heart. I am different,
that Is all. / sit here looking mt your
wonderful face tonight, and 1t seems
to me that you were born for love,
Just as Greek statue was born for
immortality. / cannot help adding my
tribute of alteration, even while | feel
that 1t will not touch you very deeply.
Why should It? You must have wcaried
before this of the countless obIatIons
offered on your altar. Nevertheless,
because ] love with Il love which Is as
fresh and pure as 1t is lasting dare
to tell you so, and sign myself
"IOurS devOtedly.
"ALICE CASTLETON.".
|. This, Jncn, was the way some wom-
en- loved, Brent reflected. as lie
He wished he had ever known that
sort of girl. He made up his mind
then and there to meet Alice Cas-
,tleton, no matter what the pretext.
as soon as he finished his novel.
He did not have to wait long. how
ever. AS he entered the house late in
the afternoon of the next day, he was
met by flie clerk with smile and the
information that Miss Castleman was
in his rooms.
Entering. he saw plump, merry
faced girl in tie act of jumping from
a high chair with the fatal picture in
her hands.
"How do you do?" she laughed. 81
suppose you are Mr.. Brent. Well. am
Alice Castleton. I hope you won't
mind my taking Narcissus.
"The lOQuacious gentleman ut the
desk tells me you are literary man."
she continued, still I'm serio-comic
way. "Why don't you put us into n
story, NarcisSus and myself? I've
even written him love letters In odd
moments when I'd nothing better to
dol"
Finally he summoned up sufficient
courage to tell her about the note he
had discovered. and his romantic de-
duction. Miss Castleton could not re.
strain her mirth.
"And now" she said: (which do you
prefer, Mr.. BSent-the blighted violet
q your fancy or the prosaic reality 7"
Brent was silent for moment.
"Afight one be permitted to be glad
that Harcissus seens to be his only
rival r. he said finally.
''But you forget" laughed Miss Cas-.
Teton, that Nhrcissus spells art. and