The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1921-12-23
ARE THEY7
BY MARGARET M'coNKEY.

The office was alive with noises. 4
messenger whiStled, typeWriter'
clicked, an adding machine buzzed, 9
multigraph thumped. II would seen
to mere outsider that amid all this
speed and activity there would be nc
room for anyone so distracting as
Dame Gossip or no time to listen to
| 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 America What a shame u
Or, if his powers of observation had
been acute, he might have noticed that
the messenger had stopped whistling
long enough to listen to new devel-
opment in the story, such as He has
been working for six months for his
appointment so that they could go to
South America for their honeymoon"
If mind reader, he might perhaps
have noted pang of envy flashing
through the mind of a plain-looking
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
vestigations would eventually have led
him to q dilapidated old boarding
house, the home of one Genevieve
West.
A small, blue-eyed girl sat in front
Of mirror deftly pinning some curls
back in shining waves over a large
protruding ear. Having accomplished
turned her head, carefully avoiding
a prominent flaw In the mirror, and
proceeded to cgver 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 rather square jaw,
but with pleasing face for all that.
His Scotch jaw for once was serving |
him well for, in 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 we'll aroused now, the out
slider would probably have followed |
the couple as they strolled through +
he Boston common, and he might
even have eavesdropped little to |
their conversation as they sat on a
bench beneath the sheltering shade
# large tree.
Lyman was arguing. "Genevieve, If
'ou love me as you say you do, you
will marry me tomorrow and go to
south America"
While Genevieve was persist.ng
With much determination you know
love you, Lyman, but | can't marry
Ou tomorrow. / can't"
Falteringly she added, "rll wait for
ou.''
Lyman exploded. "Wait for mel
Why do you suppose l took this posi-
ion? For the privilege of travelling
lone?"
Calming down little, he asked her
atiently for the hundredth or per-
aps the thousandth time, "Why, why
ant you marry me tomorrow? We
ere planning to be married next
onth, anyhow"
And for the hundredth or perhaps $
lie thousandth time, Genevieve an
yered, II can't, Lyman, just can't"
Lyman changed his tactics and re-
rted to coaxing. "Come, GenevIeve,
ease tell me what is troubling my t
city curly-headed girl"
Genevieve WINGED. I'm not"
mot what7" asked Lyman. a
mot what you think / am" an a
yered Genevieve.
Lyman looked puzzled and then >
lghed. what are you then, sweet
art?"
Genevieve shook her head with
cided negative, but did not answer Il
, question. b
"How soon will you marry me II / .
re up the trip7" II
Ienevieve counted on her fingers.
week from Thursday. Oh, Lyman, ;,
IL you? Can your
But Lyman, too, was counting on
fingers. "Aha I" he detected. II X
We a clue. Thursday! Pay day! o
'ney!"