Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-14
THE DAILY NOVELETTE,
HIS PHANTOM FIANCEE
By Liliidce Montgomery Mitchell

| nv EhlON nnu not Deen seated MT the
Anderson boarding house table ten
minutes before every girl there had
fallen in love with him and had Mt the
same time noticed the queer ring that
he wore on the fourth finger Of his
loft hand.
"I've seen men with wedding rings, 4"
| said Sadie Thompson, but | must
! confess that I never before saw one
wear nm engagement ring"
Although he was jolly and always
ready with joke. II was two weeks
before any one had asked him about
tho ring. There was nm aloofness
about Merton that was not to be de-
MED in spite Of his care free cnmara =
derie. Sadie Thompson had never been
bashful with anv one before, but even
| she could not seem TO break through
the social ice that he formed with no
apparent effort.
You ask him, Myra," she urged.
Myra flushed and shook her head.
Myra never asked questions Of any
! one. And so 1t wns Sadie who blurted
out across the table one night:
rs that an engagement ring, Mr..
Merton?"
He nodded. That's what II is." he
responded easily. my firm sent me
out to lndio last year. India is n re-
markable country-full of rare things,
jewels, exquisite flowers from which
perfumery Is made and"
And beautiful girls?" suggested
Sadie.
.Myra glanced anxiously at Merton,
who was again nodding in acdulcs-
cence. II had some letters of intro
duction and stopped at the home Of
one of the officials of the Government.
Ills daughter was a pretty little thing
Just eighteen.
Myra, who was now twenty four.
felt sudden hatred of the pretty
little girl Of India. felt jealous Of the
scant eighteen years. Merton had been
in the boarding house only two weeks
and yet Myra felt as though she had
always known him, had always been
waiting for him. And now he said
frankly that the ring he was wearing
was an engagement ring. Myra's love
world seemed TO be tumbling about her
ears, and she stumbled into the living
room without waiting for her dessert.
She thought that never again would
she speak to Merton. Yet when the
came into the living room she found
no good reason for refusing to speak
to him.
And so the weeks went on until
Merton had been there six months. He
and Myra would sit for hours talking
over the business that filled their days,
II was one night early in December
that he entered the dining room iubi-
lantly.
"Myra," he called. just MS she was
sitting down, can you come here a
mnutcT'
She went to the door.
i've a letter-Came this afternoon
I tried to get you on the phone.
but you weren't there at tho time -
He shook his head as the table buzzcd
with conversation about soup and poll :
tics and street car fares. Come, let 3
have dinner outside tonight. We can't
talk in all of this babble."
Myra's heart fluttcred.
I'm to go to the New York offices
next week" he snid.
Myra's cheeks palGd: For good?"
she whispered
II sure hope So" he said excitedly.
To Myra it did not seem possible
that she could stand his going. She
had grown so to depend upon the long,
happy evenings when they discussed
their mutual interests and books that
they read together that she had slowly
drlfted on and on, thinking more and
more Of him each day. And now it was
all to vanish like mists of the early
morning.
Across the table at the restaurant
she watched him talk. lie had alp
of paper beneath his hand upon which
he sketched rapidly as he talked. That
was hibit Of MertonS. She tried to
| see what it was he was drawing. but
the vase of pink roses between them.
| which he had pushed toward his right
hand. obscurcd the paper. Finally he
looked satisfied and slipped it into his
pocket.
Its wonderful chance" he said ms
they rose after the meal. "It means