The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-12-15

that lhe Wa HOLDING 4 dSfby ma A3bag
full u ONCE papsrs. must catch|
that en-. sasa'
s'Good.by. John. raid Mary Bsnton.
kissing him fondly. u 40 wish You
didn't have III hurry away ~ that Old
ONCE" she added. pouting.
III won't be tor long" said her hlls-s
band. IL our great new advertising
scheme goes through wen Hood the
country with notices d our new pat
ert. Everybody will read them. Itas
my own idea. Cant stop q tell you.
now. Good-by." And, with 4 hurried
final kiss, he was through the door.
and Fastening toward the station.
Mary sighed q lttle-then smiled
She and John had been married only,
elk months and they were very fond
Of eoch other. 81 I
She put away the breakfast things ;
then, still smiling at the thought sof
her husbands haste, she went into
the little room III which he worked at
nights upon the new advertising plan.
a piece of paper lay IA one corner ; It
had evidently 1uttered out sof his desk
and fallen there, unnoticed. She
picked It up and, glancing at II, felt
her heart sthrob painfully. She could
hardly read the words that danced
before her eyes. 81
It was q love letter, and II began:
my dearest, sweetest Jack" It was
typewritten-evidently that the writer
might remain immune against discov-
cry, ana for the same reason 4 was
signed Bunny" And II va just the
sort Or FOOLISH mixture Of -lprattle ana
endearmsnt that In ignorant young
girl would write.
Worst of ali, It was headed 2247
Andover streetlher husbands bust
ness address. 4.
She. tried to read. n, but the mixture
Of shop talk and loving phrases was
too nauseating. Mingled with allu-
gsions to business affairs were refer
ences to somebody who must. be kept
in the dark"-herself, doubtless. And
slack" had taken her out to dinner
on the 29th-that was the evening
when he did not come home till eleven.
Jack" had given her a ring. Jack"
was her everlasting sweetheart.
Mary Benton had the quick temper
which accompanies many ,loyable ma
lures. She flung the letter into a cor
e and packed her bag. She was de-
termined to 60 home to her mother.
She would leave nc message-merely
the letter on the table. She picked It
up and smoothed out the wrinkles.
Then, at the door, she reflected. No,
she would go down to the Office and
confront them-John and his absurd
~stenographer. Then at last she COM
posed herself, dabbed some cologne
upon her eyes, put the letter In her
bag and started downtown. She would
be very quiet and very calm and give
the woman no occasion TO triumph
over her. She would request q few
moments Of Johns time, would walk
In, lay down the letter, ask him II he
had anything to say, and then 60
home. She would never return-nev-
9 i. BY this time she had begun to cry
again.
She went down on a . and en-
tered the dreary Office building. When
she went In she saw the same Office
boy and bookkeeper; but there was
a new stenographer, a little, fuzzy
haired thing, who chewed gum brazen.
". Her heart sank. Was 1t possible
that John. was attracted by that crea-
ture?
"Why, Mary" John was at the
door, looking. at her with a puzzled
expression. He was holding her hands.
Mary What's wrong, dearY"
She could not help her tears. "Send
that-woman away" she said in q fal-
tering voice, and the stenographer
withdrew softly, smiling a little. She
had seen mems wives go to their hus.
bands Offices before Mary Benton en-
tered, put down her bag and, standing
like a recording angel, flung down the
letter. silently. John Benton read II
and suddenly began to laugh uproar.
iOusly.4 0
"John! You are laughing :" ex.
claimed his wife.
"Read 1t aloud. my dear" her hus.
band answered, $50 you thought
you thought
"John, what do you mean? Can you
offer any excuse at all? What is ftp
John Benton read solemnly:
s'My dearest, sweetest Jack-When
are you going to take me out to din.
ner again, as you did on the Goth.
sweetheart? I miss YOU every hour Of
the day--naore than / miss Hairoff
the new natent scissors for cuttine
your own hair. When I see my broth.
er's Hairoff Think Of your own dark
lustrors hooks. T.
aOh, pshawii" said John, throwing
the letter down. That's a mimeo
graphed circular, Mary: were flooding
the country WITH them Everybody
will read them and want d pair. Look
at those stacks sof letters up there
dearest-theY're all the same letter
all those housands 81 them. And vol
Sthought-you really th6Isht-
But Mary was past thinking now
she was in his arms: and her tears
were those of relief, happiness ant
humiliation. $