The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-04-24
The Lighted
Candle
BY RUBY DOUGLAS

Isabel was of the opinion that she
must have been ushered into this
world by candlelight. She was so con.
fdent of the influence of this soft light
on her disposition that she felt sure
1t was not merely an inordinate fond
ness for the mellow glow but trick
of the fate for which she had such
profound respect.
She was an unusual combination of
the practical and the artistic type of
girl. She could create poem-not
wonderful, to be sure-or she could
create salad out of her own re-
sourcefulness that would be verl-
table picture to look upon and equally
tasty and digestible at the same time.
She could sing and play with under
standing skill one of Brahms most
subtle creations, and yet the same girl
could sit at the piano and teach with
patience and practical application her
sisters child to do her scales and exer-
cises.
Therefore 1t was not strange that
with this many sided nature she had
found It difficult to center her affec-
tions on single sort Of man with
whom to travel through life. Yet she
knew she should marry. She knew
she would marry. But whom?
All sorts of men liked her-artists,
musicians, brokers, bankers, floor
walkers, tradesmen, fathers friends
and brothers friends alike. She had
no difficulty finding companIonship,
because within herself there was al
ways the response that a quality In
another temperament called forth.
She had just been reading a little
volume with whimsical painted bind
ing-a ship sailing on vague blue
sea with a vaguer blue sky beyond.
"Where the Blue Begins" was the
title, and the text was as fantastic,
as capricious as even Isabel's most I'M
practical moments could lead her to
desire.
II wonder where 1t does begin?' she
asked herself as she closed the little
volume. II wonder"
1t was twilight, and the sky outside
her window was just bidding reluc-
tant good-by to the warm afterglow of
the ouu uC SuduONS were
Isabel lighted a candle on her table.
Then she arose and lighted pair on
the mantelpiece and a sconce holding
three candles on the wall
She was waiting for a man whom
she had found very companionable
and interesting. They had danced to-
gether; dined together. He had
played tennis with her and he had
taken her for long drives in his road-
ster. He was doing well enough in his
business and he was older than Isabel.
II seem to miss something In him."
she was thinking as she sat there in
the yellow glow. II suppose l shall
always miss something in everyone"
Footsteps on the porch brought her
back. She went to the door to greet
not the man she had been thinking of
but another.
"Why, Bruce Benjamin l didn't
know you were even on this side of
the Atlantic" she cried, giving him
both her hands impulsively and drag
ging him into the room.
81 haven't been-long," said the
man. Arrived last night and am off
again the end Of the week.
They had not seen each other for
months and their last meeting had
been anything but CHEEKY moment.
Something in the environment or the
stars had led them that night into
sentimental channels and the man
without forethought, apparently, had
told Isabel all sorts of things that
neither one of them really believed.
They had been bit ashamed of II
afterward and he had sailed away on
foreign business without seeing her
again.
Seated in the candlelight, both the
man and the girl recalled vividly their
last meeting and there was a moment
Of embarrassment which each one of
them promptly dispelled. But during
that one brief lapse It had occurred
to them that something imperceivabie
to both had placed them together
again almost as soon as they were in
the same country.
Before they had time for getting ac-
quainted again the other man arrived
and made II a trio, with all the three
She was not unaware Of the undertow
of romance that seemed to be drag
cling her out Of the prosaic conven-
tional atmosphere of the room, but she
concealed 1t with dexterity and mel
ther of the men felt uncomfortable.
1t must have been another pre-
arranged move on the program of
destiny that mada n nacoasary for
John Hamilton to leave SO early. He
seemed genuinely to dislike leaving.
He seemed to have bona-fide engage
ment that called him. 1t was not be-
cause he felt himself third.
Alone, Isabel and Bruce Benjamin
lapsed into an awkward silence for
moment.
"Nice fellow-John." The man felt
that he should say something.