Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-02-13
Our hostess cleared her throat and

our hostess edrSO ncf tnEOdL anu
went on angrily: ''It was pitiful! J.
couldn't let Mother sit With her. She
was too upset after one evening when
Phil was raving about the funny
little reasons why one goes mad about
SLIM and the way he'd stroke her
gloves down after he'd put them on
for her"
"Ah!" I said, suddenly. Was that
jt?" For I'd remembered an odd lit
tie thing that had always puzzled me.
That time in the train with Phyllis
when she'd famed out at me because
I'd smoothed her glove. . For
no reason, I'd thought. ! saw it now
Nobody was to be allowed to do what
Slim had done. Was that it!
The Blurter went ON Every pretty
all night. Now tell mo what u 'thund-
ertng fine chap he is. Jack. No, let
me finish first. or course when she
got we'll she imagined nobody had
suspected anything beyond one of her
usual nonchalant breezy flirtationS.
And of course she did exactly what l
expected that Critic do. She plunged
into an engagement with the first
man who asked her. That happened
to be you. Dead-sea apples for both
Of you. All her thoughts with the
S\lA". oA AhAh6AAGu " q I.h6e "oulO
bury that. I knew it wouldn't. Never
could. Never does! When sh e
brought you down here I saw how it
was turning out. You'd begun to bore
each other to fearless sobs even
, them" s+ ST.
Funny how grateful felt to The
Blurter for putting this into so many
words for me while my little lady
listened. But our hostess thoughts
were now tearing Slim to ribbons
again. "All play to him, a girls heart
broken n her life messed up by be-
longing to the wrong man." she said,
but you still think him a laundering
fine chap Don't you?
We'll, l don't know or care what
his side of it was. ! only know how
much he saw of my Sister for a time.
He was always at her house, taking
her out. He made love to her-oh. up
to a certain point. (Men think moth
ing counts as jilting but after an ac-
tual proposal.) Then he-rode away.
He'd played with counters. Much he
cared whether she'd staked gold and
lost!"
Her bitterness took the wind out of
my sails a bit. But + couldn't see old
Slim, as this villain of the piece. His
image came up before me'now. Tow
ering slenderly above the other fell
lows, fair head tilted, naughty smile
IN the eyes. air Of gaicty and good
humor. Slim was ali right. Always
decent Now that ] knew he'd no
shadow Of chance with my own little
girl I'd no more wish for bombs to
drop on him. He'd always been top
ping to me.
You're hard on him I said to
Phyllis's sister as she set her mouth
harder still. "Slim is"
"Oh, a delightful character she
sconed. THE 'chase-not-thc-ouarrv'
type OF hunter; tho type that never
pays. That's left to poor Phil and
her kind"
I said. II don't think he's just that
and nothing else. Sims much too
kind-hearted at bottom. Er-on't
you think he ISL"
l appealed to my little girl; Gunnv
and g~rotesque as it seems, couldn't
for the life Of me at that re-
member her Christian name. After
all, I hadn't often heard it. I'd never
used Mt. All the time I'd known her
I'd only called her my little lady
Our hostess turned to her too. Quite
abruptly and suddenly she asked
Have you known him long? Are
you, by any chance. the girl in vel.
low ;" ,z
Yellow my little lady repeated
but l never wear it!'' 49,
nAh, then 1t wasn't you. No doubt
Mr.. GEantham has had a dozen attrac-
tions dressed in every color of the
rainbow since that one. But it seems
to have been a girl in a yellow frock
who attracted him. away from Phvl-
lis. She raved about that girl too
Engaged to a man in Shanghai. i be.
lieve," said hostess, adding with
kind of blank smile on her face
Engagements seem to allow for SC
many things nowadays!"
I knew what she was getting at, but
whereas I didn't care a button. 1 bd.
lieve my little lady minded a wee bit
She, my sweetheart, wAs free. Blu,
I wasn't officially, untilyT'd seen Phyl.
lis and asked for my freedom. ON.
cially we'd broken bounds. But
wasn't going to put up with any rag
ging about it with my darling. ]
sat up straight and turned the con.
%versation right back.
hostess. About slim. You've had
your say about the way he behaved
to your sister and that. viii YOU
let me put in a word Eor him now ?'
will you promise not to say that
he's a laundering fine chap"
Right But I. must say thiA YOU
are wrong about hts not paying: You
: ywrqHk about his not feeling, tax
Ing everything a. play. He isn't like
tat any sors.now II does fesl
thtnss.. He.sI1l tsaI you what he told
e c s1ess q ssa y t assYss:F R a,Sht when
Oh, describing that time when sim
came round to my placsl NTH tho blue
hump on him and had yarns1 nvpsS