Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1921-05-20
To Win the Love Of
Philip Utard
BysDoRA NOLAN
% By Mcclure Newspaper syndioata.l

| Ity ana without an absolute humI
may marry whom she likes" AnC
"Vanity Fair" being the book chosen
as the weeks English Lesson for the
senior class at the Pitman high, il
came naturally about that this frag.
ment of the philosophy of a wise man
should be the subject Of discussion by
group of girl students gathered in
a corner of the big assembly room.
"Why, it's no more to be doubted
that Professor Banks tOupe p This
calm statement by Susan Belden ought
to have settled the question forever
for hadn't Susan Uttered the steps
of Pltman'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 it was Anne Tyson,
the acknowledged brains of the senior
class, who had the temerity to open
ly qualify the dictum of the class
belle.
"YOu can win a man, girls, by trick
cry. But you can't keep him by the
same methOd-not if he's worth it."
Came a day when this shaft, sped at
a 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,
played in the same group as children,
were members of the same class in
"high," both graduated from the COM
mercial course-and then obtained po-
sitions in the same office-that of a
big chair factory, which was Pitman's
leading industry. And to top 1t 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-
low the example Of his father and of
an elder brother-and acquire also a
life partner from among the estab-
llshment's female personnel. That
was getting to be quite the Utard
way.
If Philip did mediate any such
step 1t was soon apparent enough-to
the watchful gosslps-that his choice
lay between Anne Tyson and Susan
3elden, for Philip divided his leisure
very evenly between the Tyson and
Belden homes, or escorting the girls
to such entertainments as
the town afforded. Perhaps he en-
Ioyed the company of Anne's father,
'or Doctor Tyson was a man Of broad
and genial culture. And it was still
said of Sues mother that she "fed
en-"
Anyway, on a certain day in Janu-
Try it would have been necessary for
Phil Utard himself to toss up a penny |
lad he been pinned down to a deci-
;ion there and then.
It was on this day that Susan took |
lose note of Anne's heightened color
is Utard passed close to their desks.
She leaned slightly toward Anne, and
With laugh that was just a little
machine made, inquired whether she
the schoolroom discus
ion on the Thackerayism. "What
ocksure little idiots we werel" she
reclaimed. "Wise men change their
minds, don't they, Anne-and wise
There was challenge in the girls
Dice. But from the well-poised Anne
got no response beyond a non-com-
littal sometimes"
Yet the thoughts of Anne were "long,
)ng thoughts" in the hour intervening
etween her arrival home and the
CRYING of dinner by the rotund Lu-
india, boss of the Tyson menage. This
our Anne habitually spent before the
re in the living room awaiting the
octor's return from his afternoon
)und Of calls.
1t was here that Anne confessed to
erself what she had never confessed
for weeks she had been
wing with. all her might and main
Ike the nursery rhyme man of the
ramble bush--to win the love of Phil
Utard. And had she, like the
-amble bush man, scratched out both
ar eyes in the proceeding?
Just because she considered herself
more fit wife than Sue Belden for a ]
an of Philips mentality, did it fol-
w that she would be able to make
m happier? Suppose that, with de-
Derate effort, she won hlm-wouldn't I
. be very likely to discover later
Iat he had been the man
her choice, instead OF her being
e woman of his? And would that {
axe for happiness for either? There
as nothing for her to do but jump