Omaha daily bee., 1922-05-14
N in a woman's eyes. ivlooked ou.

oi hers.
Not even Joe Hancock. blind as
his erroneous deductions could make
make him. failed TO comprehend this,
For an instant his face expressed
astonishment. bewildefment. mysti-
hea,ion. Then he gripped her by
the elbows and held her almos, VIC.
lently while Il seemed that he tried
TO read her very soul IN her eyes.
"fou-you don't love Fat Frank
lin" he demanded.
"Joe." the @fl began to answer
In tones that. while tremulous with
emotion, were none the less subdned,
Tor she perceived that he had been
the victim OF painful misapprehen-
sion, Joe, dear, didn', love any
body in the world until today-ncy-
er saw anything IN any man TO love
until today, and that man Is you.
Joe-you! You are great! Great!
| love you. and ! never could love
anybody else"
For momen. Joseph Hancock
was daxed, still as . statue, unwilling
that any other sensation should reg
isser in his mind except the wonder
full thrill OF hearing this bewitehing
little creature say that she loved
him. and OF seeing her look il with
every beam out OF her sparkling
eyes; then speech and action found
themselves.
"Ow he groaned in transports OF
relief and JOY. 20. you darlingw
And he gathered her close into his
arms and held her there as II deter
mined that she should never escape
from them.
Yet whole eterniiies OF bliss upon
the mountain top OF existence may be
ticked off i'm a few seconds. and
presently the pair were STAN:
quite still, with arms about each 9TH
cr, but in conversation once more.
But about the ring! Why-why
didn't you buy IL" Leila inquired.
and then Joe told her about seeing
Fat purchasing the huge diamond.
and his deduction therefrom.
To this Leila contributed her own
explanation.
"Milton told me night before last
that he loved me-" she recited, "and
that he wanted to marry ME, but l
told him that he'd said that to a
hundred girls already, and he puffed
out his lips, sulking as usual when he
doesn't get what he wants, and went
away muttering that he would show
me-"
Leila shrugged Milton Franklin out
OF further consideration with one
switch OF her shoulders, as If impa-
tient that Joe Hancock should stand
before her as the sole male fact in
the universe. Joe meanwhile had pos
sessed himself OF the engagement fin
ger, and stood looking at it half fool
ishly.
"But now," he remarked ruefully,
II haven't got any ring to put on it,
You've got the finger" Leila re-
minded.
"And that's better" he said, kissing
it. "But aren't women the queer
things?" he inquired, still a bit woozy
in the head and struggling to adjust
his consciousness to the raptured
symphonies which swept from heart
strings whence few minutes before
only dirges had been sounding. "You
never find out about 'em at all until
you fall in love with 'em and then
you begin to learn a lot of things
quick. To think now that if l hadn't
been throwing away my money in
bucketfulls-"
"Yes, I would" Leila interrupted,
reading his thought and blushing as
from some moral delinquency. ut
wasn't just the spending of money.
It was seeing how daring and force
full you were, and how you wouldn't
hesitate at any cost toto make me
happy!" And she blushed again, this
time with delight. "But 0. wasn't it
terrible, notwithstanding all that
money of-of ours?"
"Miss Mason - Miss Mason"
called voice from above stairs with
mild remonstrance in its tones.
"Here, kiss me good-nightP d.
rected Leila.
Joe Hancock obeyed dutifully, and
turned and ducked down the steps,
penniless, but rich.
Copyright. 1927