Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-22
The Truth Revealed

4 LINES first waking thought On the
"A morning after the Rutherford dance
was Of Ter strange emotions % last
, night.
For the first time since Charley had
broken their engagement the thought
of him was not uppermOst In her mind
Even the fact that he had appeared
last night with Mabel Collins was rele.
gated to the back Of Aline's mind, for
this morning she had other thing to
think about.
That nasty little beast, Julian
ran her thoughts. But the rather hor.
rid memory Of her dance with Julian
: Warwick emerged quickly into that no.
ment when Mason Long had cut In,
and that sudden strange emotion had
swept over her.
what on carth was the matter with
me-" she asked herself over and over.
! "Why, / behaved like tongue tied
school girl. couldn't seem to get
4 grip on myself at ALL"
She closed her eyes the better to re.
member everything, and even in. the
! bright sunlight that flooded her bed
, that had swept over her when Mason
Longs arms had closed about her. she
/ heard again the deep tones ot his voice
Murinur!ng foOlislnes$ into her car.
! Quite suddenly she sat up in bed.
! "Hc has the same opinion OF me that
Julian has," she told herself merci.
lessly, "Of course, he's heard OF my
broken engagement. aud that's why be
talked as he did last night"
And yet, she reasoned. Mason Long
had never talked like thay t. her be-
fore. He wasn't the Kind OF man
TO say things lightly. For Ole thing
| he was older. he was more serious than
the men in her set, and from the very
first :l!ght he had met her. he had
pursued her with his attentions. Sup
nose he liked her, suppose he cared
for her more than just casually. At
the thought Aline was suddenly con.
scioUs of her burning cheeks and fast
beating heart, and in order to escape
from her own emotions she !eapeti sud.
denly out OF bed.
But she couldn't escape her thoughts.
They followed her into her bath and
we're still with her when she wrapped
herself IA q wndded silk dressing gown
and sat down before her dressing table.
Mason Long! whispered her heart.
Could you fancy him for loveri
Could YOU imagine yourself engaged to
him ard wanting 10 look at another
MANI Could you; could you?
"Am ] in love with him." she asked
her starry eyes and flaming cheeks as
she faced herself in tho mirror. And
even as she asked the question there
suddenly occurred to her a remark made
by one Of the girls when several Of
them had lunched together In town moi
long ago. They had been talking about
love. and suddenly ono of them hat
said lightly:
Here's Il test. II YOU had one hou,
to live, with what man would 70,
choose 70 spend itf'
At the time it had not meant ,aucl
10 A!lnc. She had laughed with th
rest and stored II away In her sub
conscious mind. but now the eItir
conversation had come back to her. ant
quite suddenly she caught her breath
"If I love him, love him enougl
for .hat." she thought, md wa
amazed to find herself trembling
Abruptly she turned away from he
reelection in the mirror as though afrai
TO NEE, her own eyes. This sudde
revelation was strangely terrifying and
because She had always scoffed at emo
ton as something weak. she was no
prepared 70 meet this tumultuous thin
> that had SO suddenly taken possessio
! OF her. She found herself IN the grl
. OF something stronger than her ow
. will, something big enough to lew
I pride. and she was afraid.
: "Plny with fire. but don't bur
. yourself" had been her slogan, bu
! of what use to remember that no'
: when II was too later
"