The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-03-03
I TIE DAILY
81 HORT STORY
gPretty Girl..
\ BY LlLLIAcE M. MITCHELL

~ 3hnlGH OuNlhk6u lLuuI6u auus
ing and subtracting-oue which to.
tailed q column OF figures in neat
little typewriter letters, much to
the astonishment OF the elder men
o. the village, who declared that
II can't be done" The company
who made, the machine suggested
that they send some one up to their
school for two or three weeks to
Learn how to operate the machine
efficiently. And, Of course, there
was no one but Ed Collins to go.
I'd Collins was the only one who
worked in the bank except the pres.
ident.
Ed Collins was delighted at the
prospect Of going. He rushed right
down Main street as fast as he
could to tell Anna about II. He
felt confident that she would be
quite as delighted as he. But she
wasn't She was sweeping the
front porch, which was already
speckless. Her hair was in soft
coil at the back OF her head and
there were slight puffs over each
ear. Her crisp blue apron had a
perky bow of white lawn holding
1T together at the back, and her
cheeks were pink from the exer.
sctse OF sweeping. Altogether she
washa pretty sighb-pink and blue
and creamy skin topped by golden
hair. She was not beautiful. There
We're at least half a dozen girls
nrettier in Remington than she. but
come way or other Anna and Ed
had always gone together" as the
folks In Remington said.
Ed was thinking about all Of this
as he tsat in the living room Of his
alnt's tiny flat on tho next Satur.
day morning. He had applied him.
selfsto the work at tho school and
had learned all that he needed to
know for the bank work and was
ready TO start home again. When
his aunt had suggested staying in
the city until Sunday night he had
eagerly accepted the invitation, for
he wanted to look about little.
He had been dumfounded when hei
had first seen the vast numbers OF
pretty girls that lived in the city.
He had heard vaguely that city
girls were lockers" as the Rem
ington boys said, but these girls
4insthts nelghhorhood were absolute.
" stunning.
There was one upstairs that he
had seen several times in his short
stay, and he had wished that his
aunt would introduce them. This
girl was a pretty blonde, whose hair
: was always waved and dressed in
the latest way. Her skin was mar.
Telous-a pink and white punctuat.
ed by soft red lips. She had neveri
iooked at him directly, but he had
felt that she knew he was there.
She was a fairly young girl. prob
ably not moro than seventeen.
That she was yet in high school he
knew, for he saw her carrying
books in and out in dainty fash.
ion.
ed. there's the .postman. Run
ls9pwn and get the mail for me-
aslled his aunt from the back Of
the tlat. \
b Ed felt annoyed at her use of |
the third person. 1t made him seem
ksuch a kid. Couldn't women ever
realize that a fellow was man
by tho time he was working and
earning a living? He rose and
moved toward the front door. There
was another little tinkle Of the bell
Ras he opened the front door and
looked down he saw a girls figure
wrapped in dressing gown of blue
velvet ahead Of him. He was about
70 step. back and wait until she
had returned to her apartment, but
I the nostman's call, Registered let
ter5to sign for" made him continue
his descent.
He saw now by the golden hair
that 1t was the girl from upstairs
who wore the blue gown. She was
trailing down slowly. Her moth.
er's voice from above came:
z Belle, was that the post?"
Belle! What q wonderful manner
How fitting Ed had had enough
French in the Remington high
school TO recall that Belle trans
\ lates into the English word pretty.
( He. ambled downstairs a little
quicker. The idea flashed INTO his
mind that Belle was n far more at.
4 tractiYe name than was Anna.
There's two cents due on this
letter. miss" said the postman.
with his eyes on the pile OF letters
! In his. hand.
.'Well. by gosh!" came the high
svoice Of the girl, who seemed to be
angry from her tone, why didn't
you say so before leaped way
down here?"
Ed grinned MS he thought OF the
dangerous descent which she char
acterizpd as "leaping." Small. towns
might be slow, but-Belle had
turned to go back for TIE required
two cents.
Her front hair was done up I'M
Nome remarkable way in metal
waivers. Cold cream had been Law.
: tshly smeared on her face and Still
lay there waiting to he rubbed or
( washed of. No vestige OF color
marked her face, neither the lips.
which were mere pale pink in col.
or, nor the -eheks, which were un
deniably white.
q "Guess I'll go back tonight" he
said to his aunt as he handed her
the mail.
z OXIynf1 3,,e4 a. ,,o,, 1t,,o ~ all !,