The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-14
CHAPTER IS
A Broken Heart

So it happened that the reward of
Pandora's shy little devotion. her ten
der bit of idealism, was a broken
heart. 1t never had occurred TO her
that Gladys was not seriously In love
with Morton.
She had common sense enough to
see, as the weeks of spring went by,
hat Gladys, first Of all, intended to
take Morton away from her, and ap-
propriate him for herself. She thought
for awhile that once Gladys was sure
of Morton's attention, she would drop
hin as lightly as she dropped Jesse,
IS she had dropped half a dozen
boys before that. Gladys was anything
but constant in her affections. She
tired Of n boy easily and wanted
another to amuse her.
Morton was devoted now, outwardly
at least, so Gladys should have been
satisfied. In fact, Dora was rather
waiting for the 15-year-old girls inter
est to slacken.
She can't really like him." she told
herself more than once.
Then that Sunday afternoon in May
she sat near her window, and saw
Gladys and Morton coming down the
hill. Her room, at the back, looked
past the barns and outhouses, up the
winding lane that led back through the
fields and over Knob Hill. She could
see, from her high position, the W
figures descending the hill toward the
lane. She could see them hand in
hand.
That was not surprising in Gladys,
hut is was in Morton. At the least, it
showed q dap-an 0f intir0a0v which Che
lev suspected.
She thought perhaps she shouldn't
watch them; it seemed like spying.
They were not in view from any but
the upstairs back window-her room
and her fathers next to it, a tree cut
off the view from all the other back
rooms. Yet she did watch as they
came down the lane-and saw Gladys
stop once where some bushes and a
twist in the lone made a shelter. and
turn toward Morton. She could see
their heads only-close together-then
she slipped down to the floor, so as
rot to see and hid her face in her
hands, against the seat of a chair.
1T is serious-or he wouldn't have
kissed her. He is in love with her
she said to herself.
But she wouldn't believe it because
she did not want to.
Yet the truth forced itself upon her.
The windows were all open, of course
the kitchener kitchens, for Aunt
Maude liked to work in vast spaces
was under her Don Farm life centers
in the kitchen. one or more members
Of the family are sure to be there.
AS the two approached the house,
Dora could hear their voices. Then
she heard Gladys cry:
Mother. Mother, guest what! We're
engaged"
She must have been just outside the
kitchen door. and Aunt Maude within
for she heard the older woman's voice
the more clearly
Declare to heaven, You don't near
it, You children, Do o know what
you're doing? Peter. Peter. Come
here, what do you
The voice receded again as Aunt
Maude went into the house in search
Of her husband.
Then there was confused voices anC
someone called:
Grandma! Grandma, come down
Her own name was called too
Snatches of laughter came to her
Some cousins were visiting for the
AdE, Il great HldI1N voices MADE a con
fusion OF sound in the "parlor' on the
floor below.
Meantime. she had stood up, il tn,
center of the room. n hand heIC
tightly e her mouth,
1T is true her mind said. AnC
her mind contradicted-
1t cant be"
She must have stood there. riged
The hand pressed over her mouth, 70
cutie Is minutes-long enough for tn,
hubhub of voices to die down to excit
cd conversation.
Dora, where are YOU" her Aunt
voice came again.
Then she moved. she jumped to tn,
door and turned the key, and thel
sen over to the bed and threw he1
self on it. her face buried in one o
the pillows.
She wasn't crying. she was sayin