Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-11-02
ARE THEY?
BY MARGARET McoNKEY.

messenger whistled, typewriters
clicked, an adding machine buzzed. a
multigraph thumped. Ii would seem
to mere outsider that amid all this
speed and activity there would be no
room for anyone so distracting as
Dame Gossip or no time TO listen 10
her stories in case she could force her
way In.
Yet If this outsider had supernat-
ural ears, he might have heard one
stenographer buzzing TO another.
"And just before he has to leave for
South Americal What a shame"
OR, If his powers Of observation had
been acute, he might have noticed that
the messenger had stopped whistling
long enough to listen to a new devel-
opment in the story. such as "He has
been working for six months for his
appointment so that they could go TO
I South America for their honeymoon
II q mind reader, he might perhaps
have noted a pang of envy flashing
through the mind of a plain-lOoking
I stenOgrapher In an obscure corner OF
the room. Perhaps she was thinking.
"Any girl with a bunch of curls and
baby-vampire eyes can treat a man
as she pleases."
His curiosity as to the victims OF
/ these little snatches of gossip might
have induced the outsider TO go to the
root of the trouble. If so. his in
yestigations would eventually have led
him TO a dilapidated old boarding
house, the home of one Genevieve
/ West.
A small, blueeyed girl sat in front
of a mirror deity pinning some curls
back in shining waves over a large
prOtruding ear. Having accomplished
this to her private satisfaction she
/ turned her head, carefully avoiding
a prominent flaw i'm the mirror, and
proceeded to cover up the other ear,
equally large and equally protruding.
Three floors below in the boarding
house parlOr sat Lyman Mccullough,
a clean-cut young Scotchman, charac-
terized mainly by a rather square jaw,
but with a pleasing face for all that.
His Scotch jaw for once was serving
him well for, If a position where most
men would have given up in despair,
/ he was able TO hold on with a stub
born persistence which would excite
envy from the most tenacious bull
dogs.
Curiosity well aroused now, the out
slider would probably have followed
the couple as they strolled through
the Boston common, and he might
even have eavesdropped a little TO
their conversation as they sat on a
bench beneath the sheltering shade
OF a large tree.
Lyman was arguing. "Genevieye, II
you love me as you say you do, you
will marry me tomorrow and go to
South America"
While Genevieve was persisting
with much determination. "You know
I love you, Lyman, but l can't marry
you tomorrow. / can't"
Falteringly she added. ''Tll wait for
you"
LYMAN exploded. "wait for me
Why do you suppose / took this posi-
tion2 For the privilege Of travelling
alone?"
Calming down little, he asked her
patiently for the hundredth or per-
haps the thousandth time, "Why, why
can't you marry me tomorrow? We
were planning to be married next
month, anyhow"
And for the hundredth or perhaps
the Chousandth time, Genevieve an
swered, 81 can't, Lyman, just can't
Lyman changed his tactics and re-
sorted TO coaxing. "COme, Geneyieve,
please tell me what is troubling my
pretty curly-headed girl"
Genevieve WINGED. I'm not"
sNot what?" asked Lyman.
"Not what you think / am" an
swered Genevieve.
LYMAN looked puzzled and then
laughed. "what are you then. sweet
hearth"
Genevieve shook her head with a
decided negative, but did not answer
his question.
allow soon viii you marry me If l
give up the tripT
Genevieve counted on her fingers.
"A week from Thursday. Oh, Lyman,
will your Can your"
But Lyman. too. was counting on
his fingers. "Ahal" he detected, II
have a clue. Thursday Pay day !
Money!"
But Genevieve refused. II couldn't
fake your money. We aren't married"
every easy" remedied Lyman.
~Wen get married now and I'll give
you the money"
When Genevieve refused, Lyman
lost his patience and left her. The
outsider would probably have been
losing his patience, too. by this time
and be relieved TO see Genevieye
shedding tears. which is a sure sign