The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-17
The Woman
He Married
nv JANE pHFT pc
BY JANE PHELPS
AN OFFER OF HELP,
CH PTER IN

AN OFFER OF HELP.
! CHAPTER 20.
Mr.. Burns came early, as he had
said he would, before 8 o'clock. He
iseemed very pleasant, was lovely to
Junior, to whom he had brought a toy
Ihorse, and very flattering to me. He
commented upon my appearance. say
ling:
! so few women know how to dress.
You seem to have the art of wearing
| clothes we'll"
He could have said nothing that
would have appealed to me more
strongly. After bit I spoke of Dick,
| then emboldened by his attitude, the
nice way he responded, I mentioned
how worried and anxious he had been,
and that he had lost a great deal in
I. C. C.
THAT is, of course, a great deal for
u.s." explained. blushing that talked
about money to anyone but Dick, CIR u
woman friend.
| TOO bad Mr.. Williams couldn't have
hung on, The stock is all right, it was
only a raid
''But Dick couldn't know that, then
Il don't think he had money enough
to take care of it any longer. Our
capital is very limited"
TOO badi I wish you would let me
| help you
There it was at last! His PROPOSE
ton to help US. 1 trembled SO could
scarcely speak, as replied:
THANK you. Mr.. Burns, that will be
lovely of yon."
call me Clarence, Nan" Then, II
think you have the prettiest name
know, Mani" He repeated it with a
| smirk.
| I felt embarrassed, unaccountably so.
| Why should his tone and manner
change so suddenly? Perhaps I had
imagined it. He was trying to be kind.
ct never have called anyone but my
husband by his first name-any man.
I said rather stiltedly.
Then it is time you commenced"
he laughed, and patted my hand which
! hung over the arm of my chair. Then,
Now tell me what Dick is doing in
the market. You say he let his stock
go?"
Eyes, he has only some T. L. NJ.
now"
Then why is he worried?''
Because he lost SO much of our
capital, and, well, because We owe
quite a good deal. You see," 1 STUN
bIed on, "he-we-were so sure that
you knew all about 1. C. c. that we
bought more than We would have
otherwise. l let my dressmaker and
others wait. thinking We surely would
of the dressmaker because he had
mentioned my dressing, and because l
felt in some way it more usual than to
owe for household expenses.
who makes your charming
gowns?'' He still held my hand, and
patted it in a fatherly fashion. y
''Feiice.'' r.
"You are an eXtravagant little mink
to go to her. Even if I am bachelor,
I know something of her prices. But
how much do you owe?" ass - .r
I flushed painfully to have the ques-
ton so badly put. don't know what
I expected. 1 wanted him to help us.
yet someway I felt terribly embar-
raised and uneasy. I think the un-
easiness was uppermost. Yet I quick
ly thought of what I should say-the
amount I should tell him. Everyone
said he was very wealthy, few hun
bred would mean nothing to him, I
figured.
1.-TWO thousand dollars said
family. I counted in what owed both
Mildred and Clara, and that would
just about pay our debts.
A long drawn whistle puckered his
lips.
You are extravagant! I like your
nerve tho. A woman owes it to her
self to look her best, and you certainly
pay that debt, if no other" He took
out his checkbook and thought was
going to give me the $4,000 right then
and there, but instead he leaned to-
| ward me, pulled me from my chair.
and tried to embrace me. I drew back
insulted, Mortified.
I scarcely understood the full mean
ing of what he was saying, but I or
dered him from the house. That he
should dare say such things to me.
Dicks wifei That he should even
think he could. It was terrible. When
he understood that I meant what 1
said he went-but not before he had
said sneeringly, he hoped I would be
able to pay Felice and others I might
owe without his assistance.
I hated him! 1 hated myself I felt
unclean. as if had been in some ter
rib1y dirty place. And couldn't tell
Dick. He had enough to worry him
now without telling him of Mr.. Burns
insult to me. It would drive him fran
tic, and lead to- shuddered as
thought Of what he might do if he
knew.
(Tomorrow-AIrs. Gray comes to
Mans aSSiStance.)