Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1921-01-28
Tilted
By CRAWFORD LUTTRELL

SC, 1870. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate)
She felt as II all the blood In her
slim young body were pounding In her
ears. you mean-you mean that you
don't love me any more?" she found
voice to question.
II didn't say that" he defended
sternly. "What / did say was that
think II would be better to postpone
the wedding for few months"
She nervousiy jerked his ring from
her finger with cold little hand that
shook no harder than her heart. II
hate YOU" she said stormily. She
tossed his ring on little table that
stood between them.
"Think 1t over, Anne" he said, ig-
noring the glistening clrclet that he
had slipped on her quivering finger
one enchanted night. He picked up
his hat to 90. "I'll be back In day
or two when we have had time lntelli-
gently to think the matter over and
your anger has cooled"
"As II 1t ever could |" she calculated
scathingly. II never want to see you
again as long as live"
She ran up the steps. her sharp lit
tie heels clicking 0minously on the pol
ished stairs.
Bob Raymond shook his head sadly
and opened and closed the screen door
with hand that was not quite steady.
He fingered for a moment. then, head
mp, walked briskly down the shrub
lined driveway.
Upstairs, prone on her dimity COW
cred bed, lay a huddled little figure,
choking back dry sobs.
When at last the tears came, warm
and merciful, they seemed to submerge
her intolerably aching heart until It
grew numb. insensible to the waves Of
pain that rolled through her tortured
body. Bob had Tilted her. She would
never be able to hold up her head
again. Everybody would talk. Even
when she was a placid sour old maid,
people would remember and tell their
children and their children's children
all about her humIliating experince.
Suddenly her wandering thoughts
focused into resolution. She would
not tell anybody about It for two days.
At the end Of that time she would
have assembled her trOusseau which
was about complete, and she would
leave a letter announcing that It was
impossible for her to marry Bob. that
she was going away and that they
would hear from her again soon. She
would draw enough money out of the
bank to 60 away-to work somewhere.
OF course. she did not know how to
do a thing In the world but girls in
stories frequently went away from
home and made great successes In
business. What had been done could
be done. Bob would be left to answer
all embarrassing questions.
Accordingly she appeared at the
luncheon table in such high spirits
that her family grew suspicious. Bob
must have brought good news this
morning when he came over here SO
early" said her mother curiOusly.
Anne's heart missed beat Mt that
Bob always brings good news" she
said, and tried to make 1t sound as II
she meant It. And the news he
brought had broken her hearth
There was a tennis tournament on
that afternoon at the Country club
Bob was one of the star players. Sc
Anne opened her closet door and took
from Its shrouding wrappings one OF
the handsomest of her trousseau gowns
of filmy white organdie. With II she
wore a wide brimmed, dropping white
georgette hat that made her look six.
teen instead Of twenty-five.
To her inquiring mother she ex'
pected at the club that day, she had
decided to wear something especially
pretty.
Out to the court went Anne, heI
pretty face glowing and dimpling un
der q four-cornered rose-colored para
sol that made q distracting bit OF
beauty against the green grass.
She was with crowd Of girls wht
were to have been her bridesmaids
and when by chance they encountered
Bob with an out-of-tOwn man Anne
was so much the engaged girl tina
nobody could have suspected the truth
about that distressing scene that hat
been staged only that morning.
Introductions over. the out-oftowI
man eagerly took the parasol from
her hand. Passing on with him, sh,
looked over her shoulder to say to tn,
bewildered vision in white duck ant
battered white hat. II am sure tina
you will win the match. Don't &c
overheated, Bob. dear!" She took ear,
that only Bob saw the little blue fam
that danced in her hooking eyes.
Then the match was on in whicl
Bob was to play, and, although he hat
been in fine form only the afternoon
before, he made a poor showing, an,
after q few minutes play. even HI
devoted admirers conceded that pros
pective bridegroom was In no condition
TO uphold the honor Of the local men
Five minutes after he had run out ol
the smoothly rolled court. the ros
parasol had disappeared from sight
Anne had believed herself SO brave
she had been 30 feverishly certain tina
she could see the staggering thing tina
had come to her through without tn
AnN 81, M