Clearwater Republican., 1921-07-08
To Win the Love of
Philip Utard
By DORA NOLAN

That "A woman with fair opportun-
ity and without an absolute hump
may marry whom she likes" And
vanity Fair" being the book chosen
as the weeks English lesson for the
senior class at the Pitman high. 1t
came naturally about that this frag-
ment Of the philosophy of wise man
should be the subject of discussion by
group of girl students gathered in
corner of the big assembly room
'Why, it's no more TO be doubted
that Professor Banks toupe!" This
calm statement by Susan Belden ought
10 have settled the question forever
for hadn't Susan Uttered the steps
Of PiAnan's school system with heart
breaks? Nor was she the prettiest
girl in the class, by several.
Some budding iconoclast in the
group murmured, soto voce, Her
mother feeds 'em!" This drew smoth-
cred giggles. But 1t was Anne Tyson,
the acknowledged brains Of the senior
class, who had the temerity to OPEN
Iy qualify the dictum of the class
belle.
You can win man, girls, by trick
cry. But you can't keep him by the
same method-not If he's worth it,"
Came day when this shaft. sped at
fair mark. was to turn, boomerang
like, and fly back at the archer.
Fate seems to have her own in
scrutible reasons for requiring certain
pairs of individuals to fall in" side
by side and march in step, even when
there Is no particular sympathy, or
even liking. 1t was that way at school
and afterward-with Sue Belden,
daughter of the proprietor Of the
towns one little department store,
and Anne Tyson, whose father was
the towns leading physician.
They lived on the same street,
were members of the same class in
"higl,," both graduated from the COM
mercial cOurse-and then obtained DO
sitlons In the same ofiice-that of Il
big chair factory, which was Pitman's
leading industry. And to top II off
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 trans
ferred from the Boston headquarters
TO the Pitman plant to learn the de-
tails of production. And gossip spec
ulated as to whether he would not fol-
Irxx N1A 90 l. 10, rnN1 -
an elder brother-and acquire also a
life partner from among the estab-
lshment's female personnel That
was getting to be quite the Utard
way.
If Philip did mediate any such
step IT was soon apparent enough-to
the watchful 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 escorting the girls
alternately to such entertainments as
the town afforded. Perhaps he en-
jOyed the company of Anne's father
for Doctor Tyson was a man of broad
and genial culture. And it was still
said of Sues mother that she "fed
EN-"
Anyway, on certain day In .Janu
ary 1t would have been necessary foi
Phil Utard himself to toss up penny
had he been pinned down to deci
sion there and then.
II was on this day that Susan took
close note of Anne's heightened color
as Utard passed close to their desks
She leaned slightly toward Anne, and
with a laugh that was just little
machine made. inquired whether she
remembered the schoOlrOom discus
sion on the Thackerayism. "Wha,
cocksure little idiots we were!" she
exclaimed. "Wise men change theil
minds, don't they. Anne-and wise
womenw
There was a challenge In the girl.
voice. But from the well-poised Anne
It got no response beyond non-com
initial sometimes"
Yet the thoughts of Anne were ''long
long thoughts" In the hour intervenin,
between her arrival home and tn,
serving of dinner by the rotund Lu
cinda, boss Of the Tyson menage. Thi,
hour Anne habitually spent before tn,
FIRE in the living room awaiting tn,
doctors return from his Afternoon
round Of calls.
1t was here that Anne confessed Il
herself what she had never confessed
befare-that for weeks she had beer
trying with all her might and main
like the nursery rhyme man of tn,
bramble bush---to win the love Of Phil
ip Utard. And had she, like tn,
bramble bush man, scratched out boil
her eyes in the proceeding?
Just because she considered hersel
a more At wife than Sue Belden for ,
man Of Philips mentality. did 1t fol
low that she would be able to max,
him happier? Suppose that, with de
liberate effort. she won him-wouldn'