The northwestern bulletin-appeal., 1924-01-12
How He Tested
Her Love
s~~s&~

By H. IRVING KING


Everybody said that Mary Manton
was going to marry Jack Carter for
his money. Jack and Mary. Of course,
knew what was being said about them.
Trust kind friends who hope you
won't be angry. but to tell you
when anything disagreeable Is being
said about you.
Mary was so certain that she was
going to marry Jack for himself and
not for his money that she was only
slightly annoyed. She was aware, Of
course. that Jack was being warned
constantly Of her mercenary designs: :
but she had too much confidence In
Jack to think for minute that he paid
any heed to such malicious talk. II
he ever should-if he ever, for a mo-
ment doubted her disinterested love-
then he would never be again her Jack.
She would never marry man who
could doubt her. But Jack couldn't I;
she was sure Of that. AS for Jack, he
laughed at what was said. He was so
nuch In love with Mary that II ever
a passing thought came to him that
Mary was going to marry him for his
money 1t was quickly swallowed up In
the great desire he had to marry her,
anyway. But he didn't believe it-no.
he really didn't. II couldn't be. They
understood each other too thoroughly.
Thus the course Of their true love
ran on with agreeable smoothness and
they had begun TO discuss dates for
the ceremony and collect railroad and
steamship folders as adjuncts to
planning a wedding trip. Then Mary
began to notice change In her Jack.
He was as tender and loving as ever,
but something was troubling him. He
would sometimes sit and gaze at her
without speaking for whole minutes at
a, time, coming out Of his trance with
deep sigh. Mary became alarmed.
Was he beginning to doubt herl Had
the tattle Of the gossips had an effect
upon him at last2 The thought was
too horrible and she tried to put Il
from her, but 1t would creep In, In
spite of her, and then she began to
wake up in the night and cry.
She,put the question to Jack-put
1t boldly and directly: Was he begin
ming to doubt her disinterested love?
And Jack denied it-denied It earnest
.ly, even profanely. But still his trou-
bled manner persisted. She begged
that he would tell her the cause Of
this, and finally he said: 'sMary, I will
tell you-in week. I can't Just now"
His manner was confused Mary was
more than ever disquieted. He seemed
to be nerying himself mp to telling her
something. At the end Of the week
she held Jack to his promise of dis
closure.
MARY" said he. looking anxiously
into her eyes, "what would you say II
told you that had lost all my money
that was poor nfanT Now long
before this Mary had heard of GER
tain bet that had been made In club
"a bet that II Jack Carter told Mary
Manton that he had lost his money she
would give him the mitten," as the
saying is. II flashed across her in an
instant Jack, had been egged on to
decide the bet-he was testing her.
She would not have believed It Of him
But the thing was all too apparent.
Z She felt great throb of pain and
then great rush of indignation. T
should say" said she with an outward
calm, shat In that case I should make
you but poor wife. Under present
conditions Miss Lillibridge would make
you much more suitable helpmeet"
The rich Miss Lillibridge had made a
dead set at Jack and Jack would have
none Of her. Goodnight, Mr.. Carter;
you really must excuse me, I have
some letters to write' And she dis
appeared from the room leaving Jack
petrified with horror and astonish-
ment. While Mary had Mysteries,
locked In her room, Jack, somehow,
got his hat and wandered forth into the
night, hardly knowing and not at all
caring whittier his footsteps took him.
"Cheery, oh. old top; whittier away,
oh, knight Of the sorrowful mein"
came voice In his ear. II was Tom
Ford who thus addressed him-an old
ShOhys { AhCh LOhn tOOk JdCA "
apartments, where Jack poured his
tale into sympathetic ears. What
could Tom say by way Of consolation?
His suspicious had been verified, but
he could not tell Jack so, and he made
a mess Of his attempts at cheering up
his friend. However, he got him to
pass the night there and defer all
rash action until the morrow.
Mary sent down that she did not
want any breakfast the next morning,
but her younger sister at the receipt of
this message from the family circle
came running up the stairs and burst
into the room, waving the morning pa
per and crying out: "Oh, Mary, dear ;
you must get up. Here's some news
about your Jack. What do you think
Here It is in the paper with big head
lines: "Failure of Stomess & Co. The
Carter Fortune Swept Away. Cashier
a Fugitive"
Mary sprang from her bed and
snatched the paper from the hands of
her hoyden sister. Yes, there Il was
in black and white Jack had not been
Houhfiuo, har had nof haoy, taotsv,rv has