The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1923-01-11
The Chinese
Idol
By CLARA DELAFIELD

20. 1922. Western Newspaper Union)


20, 1922. Western Newspaper Union)
1t was Of porcelain. 1t was about
two and a half feet high. 1t sat, squat.
snug, complacent on the mantel when
: 1t was taken out of its velvet case. II
had been packed among some effects
that they had left with the packers
when they moved from the metropolis
to the little country cottage And the
PACKERS denied all knowledge of it.
Nobody could account for its inclusion
In their effects. The packers declined
to take it back. :.
Perhaps it's going to give us luck,
mother said Della.
"leaven knows we could do with
some, my dear" her mother replied.
They could, for they had been sin
theirs, but they had mortgaged it
heavily to go to the metropolis and put
Della under the charge of expensive
singing instructors She was to make
her debut.in grand opera, but. ..
Well that was a common enough
otpiy iclid huu a spitliuiu NoiCt, Dut
hot quite grand opera voice. They
had admitted that when their money
was gone. SO Della and her mother
mad moved back to the cottage again,
and Della had taken a position as a
singing and music teacher in school.
Then there was Jim Thorneycroft,
who wanted to ,narry Della She liked
lim well enough quite as much as
many girls like their prospective hus-
Bands but not as much as she wanted
20 like him. AT any rate, not as much
as she wanted to love the man she
married. And-Jim held the mort
gage on the cottage.
He had given them time-they could
not say Jim had treated them unfair
y. He had also given Della time to
make up her mind about marrying
him. He had fine business, and If
;hes did, why, there was an end to the
domestic problem.
IF you feel you can't marry Jim,
ny dear, l wouldn't ask you to- her
salother said. eOnly," she added wist-
fully "we've lived here so long,
lavcn't we, and it's a home for us"
"Fll never marry Jim," said Della
With determination.
Besides, there was Dick Haselfied,
Who hadn't penny, and could hardly
support himself on his own meager
salary. Della liked Dick good deal
better than Jim,
And Jim was coming the following
light about the mortgage-and about
Della.
Della stood looking at the idol 1t
aad sat on the mantel for a whole
month. It's sardonic leer seemed to
embrace the house and both it's occu-
pants. Della hated it.
What was 1t for? How could any,
me have thought it possible that any
sod would manifest himself under
such Il grotesque shape as that? Della
-ook the thing down, 1t was almost
90 heavy to move. 1t must be
stuffed full of lead or something. 1t
night be.
She dismissed that alternative as
)reposterous. Those things didn't
lappen in these days. She put the
dol back and busted herself about the
louse.
But all that afternoon the shadow
# Jim's coming hung over them both.
Unless she could see some way of
Meeting the mortgage there would be
lothing to de- but marry him. Many
rIe hof
ess of. She could grow fond of him.
: ,ut Dick-dear Dick, with the frank
lue eyes full of ardor when he looked
t herl
She was alone in the room. At any
moment the ring of the doorbell might
nnounce jim. The position was grow
ng intolerable. And there was that
ateful, grinning thing on the mantel
,ering at her. She couldn't stand it.
With desperate determination
'ela went down to the cellar and
anne back with a coal hammer. She
TODD in the room looking at the thing
he lifted it down from the manteI
t seemed heavier than ever. What
ould be inside it?
Della set it down on the floor swung
lie hammer with grim determination,
nd-missed. The hammer thudded
n the floor, just grazing Delia's little
DOT.
Della lifted the hammer again and
rought it smashing down on the IDOLS
cad. The whole thing flew to pieces.
Della uttered cry. The idol was
llled with-precious stones.
She was aroused from her trance by
/ ring at the front door, She went me-
hanically and opened it, Jim stood
the threshold.
swell, little girl?" he asked.
Della put her arms round his neck
md kissed him.