White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-10-21
Modern
Priscilla
BY MARY LEWIS

thing but optimistic. Her spirits were
low, terribly SO, and she was filled with
that same restless feeling that had
prompted her to leave her home in the
East to see what the West had in
store for her. So we find her in De-
trOit the guest Of her aunt and cousin,
and still dissatisfied.
TITS very we'll for poets to a V over
April showers" reflected Priscilla, 'but
when the same showers appear con-
secutiyely for two weeks, WELL" and
here she sighed. Well, wouldn't some
thing happen?
Here 1t was, a perfectly good Sun
day night, and she all alone. OF course,
she might have gone to the movies"
with her aunt and cousin, but she had
sweetly but firmly refused them. She
didn't want the movies" she didn't
want to read. She was simply craving
for human companionship or, rather,
should we say, companionship of the
male persuasion.
So she sat there before the tele-
phone, ready to employ 1t at the slight
est proyocatlon, a pretty but distressed
picture. She was pretty, too-small,
boyish, with a piquant sort of charm.
Her large brown eyes, now SO wistful,
could sparkle with merriment; her
lips, now pouted, could display beau
tiful teeth and two adorable dimples,
and her hair-now we have 1.-THE Sc
cret of her charm-brown bobbed hair,
careless little curls, so ~distracting.
But her height. This was the bane
of her existence. 1t had the effect of
her utter disgust for short men and
much admiration for the tall ones.
But the telephone didn't ring. Moth
ing happened to efface the monotOny.
The evening had a most dreary out
look. Why didn't the phone ring? She
had been in Detroit only WI weeks,
every day of which it had rained, and
she had not as yet met any of the male
sex of that city. Besides, If she was
to meet anyone she must use her own
resources for her cousin, while dis
posed 10 do anything for Priscilla, as
suned a seasoned depravity toward
mankind and, consequently, had no
friends of that sex.
Suddenly Priscilla's eyes shone mis-
chievously. She pulled the telephone
directory from its resting place, opened
it at random, closed her eyes and ran
her finger down the list of She
stopped half way down the page,
opened her eyes and discovered that
that name alden" was the n on
which her fate hung. And now for a
first name. 'In every American home"
she reflected, sis a John" Well, John
she was to ask for. She laughed.
Such a combination. Little Priscilla
asking for John Alden. 1t was so
ludicrous. No, she wouldn't go through
with 1t. Then she recalled the sweet
little love story of John Alden and
Priscilla and then the thought struck
her that in that instance Priscilla had
taken the first bold step. SO would
she.
She called the number and waited
%nervously for results. The voice of an
old man answered. rs John in?' she
inquired Whereupon she was told
that there was no John in that family.
But isn't there some young man?"
Yes, there was an Arthur.
SO she assured the old man that it
must be Arthur that she wanted.
1t seemed such a long time before
Arthur answered, and when he did it
was with a delicious little thrill that
she listened to his low, well-modulated
and friendly voice. Then followed the
inevitable explanation of his number
having been left at her home. OF
course she didn't know anyone in De
troit-she had just come from the East
so 1t was a mistake-how carelesS-a
hundred apologies, and her heart sank.
Was 1t to end thus?
But it didn't. They talked and
talked and during the course of their
conversation discovered so many, many
things in common and he was sure
She was the type he liked, he loved
her line" and couldn't they meet?
Wouldn't she at least leave her nunf-
Der?
Priscilla was firm. She would call
again, and she did, and many times,
too, and while she learned lots about
him, his music, his hobbies, still she
was reticent concerning her own af-
fairs, and exceedingly cruel in not
permitting him to meet her.
At last he extracted the promise
from her that If in a week he learned
who she was, and other things about
her, she would allow him to call. She
promised-in fact she would have
promised almost anything, she was so
certain he would be unsuccessful. The
mex evening when they were talking
and she was called away by her aunt
for a few minutes, he signaled the OPP
orator, found out the number, and con-
tinued the conversation when she re-
turned.
1t was all SO simple.
The next morning he called and
spoke with Priscilla's aunt, who, like
tho Simnla SOul she was answered all