Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1922-09-01
B||llel:t !! e o.
Romance
~ CLARA DELAFlELD

NO1n40C9
S 81 CLARA DELAFlELD s
8ssecee e>aesss>&
Copyright. 1919. western NswsDapsr Union.
Tell that to the Lootenant," said
the cop, as he took old Bletheroe into
the station house. ''Lootenant, found
this man lettering in Willett avenoo
at two this morning, with apparent
felonious intent"
:"How about 1T Take his pedigree,
sergeantl Now, what have you got to
say1'' ~ ..ss-..::=l ~, II
TITS long story" mumbled Blethe-
roe. 'Y-I-you See, ~. *
You can sit there. Jurgens, you
might rs we'll telephone DR.. Hansard
TO- step round. He looks pretty sick to
me; can't. risk another death happen
ing In the cells Now, Bletheroel" -.
IT was IN a. rao rdiffary story Blethe-;
roe, the aged wanderer,' told; and IT
began forty years BEFORE apparently.
when he was aiyoung clefk;tn dfship-
ping house: He'd BE sEttr11lled down to the
docks every lunch hour, looking at the
ships, and wishing hehad the pluck
to take passage on one. That was his
dominant Idea, and he'd saved up three
hundred dollars.
But then there was a girl he was
getting fond Of, and he didn't know
what to do. he had a shrewd sus-
picion that what she wanted was an
apartment with golden oak furniture.
So he was troubled.
He was riding home one day on a
car when there was a disturbance. A
passenger had gone raving mad. His
wrists were covered with little scars,
and he was jabbing a strange sort Of
needle about.
"Your turn - he Kissed, and stabbed
Bletheroe in the arm.
It was only puncture. The man
was thrown of, but the hypodermic
seemed to have made another man Of
Bletheroe. He stopped the car and
walked for sheer exuberance. He had
been fool to stay on with Jenkins
when Romance beckoned.
He saw an attractive girl In the
street and knew at once that she
was for him. =
He stopped her. MY names
Bletheroe," he said. I'm sailing for
Cuba in the morning. Will you marry
me tonight!" (that was before the
days Of license laws) land come with
me. We can find minister easy.''
She stared at him in terror: Its
like an answer from heaven" she re-
piled. "How did you known" :.~>~
"Know whatr' asked Bletheroe. I:
'cThat I'm getting married tonight,
and that hate him. We Quarrelled
only this morning. and: he swore he
wouldn't appear" :'s> !
n tell you what" said Bletheroe.
It'll come homo with you, and IL he
doesn't appear, marry me instead"
"You're the strangest man lever
met" whispered the girl ::~*,'
Acquaintance comes after mar
rage, my DEAR" said Bletheroe '"' e. <
They, got on car again and rode,
rode uptown into a block Of houses
that all looked exactly alike OF
course i there :; were mo apartment
houses up there then, but here were
these rows OF little houses, stretching
away and away. -
They stopped at one and went In.
An old man and a minister were in
the par1or. *. - 49,:
"Where's Jack?' asked the girl.
Late, darn him /" said the old man.
~ love this gentleman, and If Jack
doesn't appear I'm going to marry
him instead. I'll give Jack ten min
utes more"
TITS all one to me. You always
was a headstrong GAL" said the old
man.
Ten minutes passed. and, as there
was no Jack, Bletheroe and the girl
stood up before the minister. he
went slow, in case Jack came bafore
the crisis Of the service, but no Jack.
And they departed man and wife, and
walked and walked, happy as larks
together.
Suddenly the girl stopped. II forgot
my suitcase!" she cried
you don't want it, darling"
II do, I tell you. It's got my thing
in it. How can I sail for wherever
it is without themr'
"Don't be long, darling" said Bleth-
eroe.
The girl started Off at q run, and
Bletheroe waited and waited. One
hour went by-two hours Then
Bletheroe went back and began to
search for the house. But they were
all the same.
"You never found herr" asked the
doctor, who had come in.
''They wouldn't let her out again.
She's there, somewhere-andT I've been
looking for her-my wife-these forty
year."
The doctor felt his pulse and
whispered to the lieutenant.
tits Bellevue he wants, not the
cells, lootenant. I guessed it when he
spun that yarn about the hypodermic.
It's morphine poisoning; look at his
wrists"