Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-26
''By Katharine
NetUlin Burt
Mary Or 3
Heloisef
Which
Should Win
Unusual Herol
dish washing for her until tomorrow-
. Copyright, 1917. bv Katt-
- urtne Ne,0Iin Burt, Printed
by arrangement Nth Nef.
,o,ttou Negs,Uprr HsyVics V

helpless perturbation and went post him
aishnuiy and swiftly down the three
lights, across the lobby, past an nm.
suspecting Benton, and out on Tho
pavement, where he hailed hi, friend
ana instructor In the art Of running
a Ford car. ""'"s
want you to spur your critter and
get me to West Lennon on n h;yh
l9pe, he snid. and the delighted me.
cnah,c pushed and pulled and turned
uhd bounded away from Main street nj
n blaze of dusty roadway toward TO
west. INV
y, jerking and swaying physicalI,.
thought steady and straight, distracted
from MS own pain. He knew that III
TINS mission his tongue was his one
available weapon and, Of ali Others, he
most mistrusted It. He was no taiker
silence had always been his tool. But
now ne must at once and forever con.
vince man, by words, of Sophie's
need. 1t was heaven or hell for Sophie,
ana only this one man could turn her
pack. IL was, at top speed, an hours
Journey to West Lennon. The dusty
Ford poked Its nose into the elm shaded,
Droad streeted. pretty town mt half.
past five, and 9. inquiring the way to
Or: Laurence Sales office, reached Il
a few minutes later and found that tho
doctor was not at home. He would
be back, however, probably In half an
hour. The assistant wondered SYM
pathetically If it were the thought OF
dying wife or child at home that drove
the tall, bright eyed visitor to and fro
across the floor Of the waiting room.
she ran out across the pavement and
caught Laurie by the arm MS he stepped
from his automobile. She was usually
n quiet. prim little soul, but Q's light
ming had struck her into vitality. "Oh.
Dr. Sales, there's desperate man In
there. He's been waiting for half an
hour"
Laurie looked startled, smiled and
by the excited woman. He dragged a
jaded body and dulled spirit into the
Office, and opened his folding doors,
conscious as he did so that there was
In him scant sympathy for new need.
There came Q. to meet him. and drew
him in and shut the doors with his
own hand.
"Sit down there" said @, pointing
the young doctor to his desk chair and
standing over him, tense, forceful,
charged with urgent feeling.
"You hev told me before now that I
ought to learn to mind my business.
Twict I've made fool of myself afore
you, and l swore wouldn't do 1t no
more. Well, / won't. 1t ain t no fool
business of rescuing lady that don't
want rescuing this time. It's real,
honest, desp'rit girl, and l hev left
her shut up in n room lest she 60 to the
devil, and that's the truth, doc, on my
honor.
whats to Keep My Courage Up'"
There's cold eyed thin Tipped
River Hotel. A feller like him back
in Cugar City onct made love to a
soft, pretty little gel, biscuit shooter.
and after he had quit her she quit liyin'
by the free use of n revolver ag'in her
throat. She wrote letter to her ma
sayin' as how she felt too bad to go
on livin' because the way he'd used her
had sort Of cheapened everything, and
| life looked dirty to her. Notice, 1t
wasn't what she'd done that was drivin
her out Of the world; she could have
| lived that down: we'd have helped her
and the baby. If there had been one;
but it was the way he'd used her. Well,
this felcr at the River Hotel Is the same
sort. Hes a grand locker, fine clothes,
neat face, pink lips, big eyes, laughs a
| lot finds folks funny. He's got
machine Sophie was on her way to
him"-here Laurie stood up slowly
and faced Q across the desk-"at about
o'clock this afternoon. She had on
her best hat with flower in 1t, and
kind of thin little blue suit, and her
! face was white as paper, and she was
carrying little bag in her hand. She
run ng'in' me and she told me good-by.
Listen now, doc. this Is the rest of what
she told me. I'm not going to stay
here any more. I'm scared II l do that
| III get married to Jonas Benton.
Now that there isn't any hope at all
1T was extraordinary how Sophie'a
very tone auivered in Q's low, drawing
voice" what's to keep my courage
up against those two'-she was speak
ing Of her a,and Benton, the long,
pale old feller, that means to sell out
his hotel and marry her-always
plaguing and quarreling and threatening
| her. So she told me good-by and started
down the stairs, and 1t was right there
I began thinking about the drummer
and you. You told her you was going
to marry another lady"'
Laurie, breathing quickly, said no
tiercely. w
YOU was, l reckon. Shed fought about
long enough, and she was hell bent on
going to her drummer. l got atween
Scr and her Intentions and she tried to
shove me out of the way. Her pa was
rising steady as cream from the lower
story and she said she'd holler, 40 l
picked her up and took her to room,
md there I've--persuaded her to walt:
She don't Just know what she's waitin
for, doc, but was hopin' 1t might be
Laurie had sat down again. His
hand on the desk was fisted. He stared
unsecingly at Q. In the last fort
nipht Laurie, too. had been fitting
With windmills. He had broken with
rolontIess damsel of much social impor-
tonce, and his world hsd been hurting
him, though not so sharply as MS
henrt. which had twisted him power
fully back to his old love.
lie. too, was tired OF repression; the
romonticist the adventurer, was on
ton his spirit leaped to meet Q's chal-
lenge. s.s.oto
doc " went on the Westerner, as quiet
" as he had spoken from the hrst,
,;ond that YOU re ambitious IN a place
where the folks think lot OF educa-
tion and manners and such. wen, SIT,
7 know places where doc is needed
like Won need God in hell. And where
n felier like you that wants TO make u
hig name and n pile of gold has only
to walk in and write a prescription, ana
where n woman like Sophie would De
ouoen. Doc, there's a city grown up
,oN noon, oynr night it's an oil