The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-12-23
The Irresistible
Call
Copyright, Ths Frank A. Nunsey Company,
Ey MCCORMICK WILLIAMS.

Ey MCCORMICK WILLIAMS.
Miss Dearborn's desk was neatly ar
ranged, The letters which she had
Just read were piled in the order Of
their answering on one side. The PAM
phlets and reports, which of late had
been the chief classification behind the
ink-bottles and paste-pot The photo
graph of Preston Jones, the young re-
form lawyer. appropriately and severe
ly Trained in plain, heavy silver, did
not seem incongruous among its sur
/ roundings. 1t watched Miss Dearborn
with eyes so hfe-like in their earnest
ness. it smiled upon her with lips so
natural in their kind, unhumorous
curves that she often turned toward
it with a sense of his trustworthy pres
ence
In the dark recesses of the top draw
/ er there were other Photographs
i chance-caught things, unframed, and
strapped together with thin parcel Of
letters. They we're snapshots of a
man very unlike Preston Jones in the
lazy, friendly smiling of his mouth, in
| the lazy. half-sad, half-motking regard,
OF his deep-set eyes, He was man
OF ancaner manner Of life from the
j younger lawyer, One picture showed
him. rough-clad, beside tent in a
mountain country, a frying-pan in hie
/ hand; in another he padded a canoe
beneath the oyerhanging greenery of
some semi-tropical river; In third
from the back of tough little Indian
pony he waved farewell to some in
visible watcher Only when strong,
soregetfulAjerk pulled the top drawer
far out did Miss Dearborn's eyes light
upon these.
This morning she vas reasoning
with Maggie, the waitress.
Really, Maggie,' she said energeti-
cally, IT don't see now you can hest
sate He has treated you shamefully."
! "Yes'n, that he has
AIaggies voice was Hstless. She did
not raise her glance to the young
tady's face, but a quivering of her
weak chin gave sufficient evidence Of
her mood without the further testi-
n.1ny of those appealing, pathetic eyes
of hers. Miss Dearborn, watching her.
allowed a straight line to mar the SYM
metry OF her forehead.
How. can you be SO weak, Maggie ~
she demanded, impatient and scornfHl
Here is a man who doesn't support
you, who makes no effort to support
you
] Sometimes he does. miss"
"Fe hasn't for months. He drinks,
he lll-treats you, he deserts you when
ne feels like it,"
1T comes on him, miss; he's tod me
how-the feelin' to be up an away
Then Miss Dearborn arose, straisat
and tail she was very much in ear
nest a ush spread to the roots Of
her we'll brushed hair.
! I,aggie, you almost make me
! ashamed that ma 'womanl Have
you no plidas Can YOU bear 70 be
what you are--the nlerest wiaim for q
Ia man OF no character, Of no pur-
pose. Of no loyaty2 You know, y9A
must know that Pm no adwocate Ter
divorce. believe that ieoFle sAa4lt
abide by the responsible les that hey
! assume. But this-this Is creae4ul!
! You may have to care lor him ilas
/ Dearborn's breath was quickly ind avn
i for a second, and about her liRs there.
was a whitaine but you do not have
( TO let him ruin your life II is your
own No human bcies bat yourself.
can be allowed to spoil ~
There's little Rose, miss"
sYos," and that's another reason.
You cannot bring UP Rose properly
while fhere IS danger that he will re-
turn upon you and make scenes-hurt
you. hurt her, parhapsl Alone YOU
can work for her. educate her. You
know. Maggie, there are not many
| households which would put up with
waitress responsible for such a distur-
bance as your husband made here last
| night! Morally he has no claim upon
you. You must be legally free from
him.
yes, L know, oh, miss, you're right,
/ an know you mean kindly. I'll do i!
Il youth only ask the young gelteman
| to go ahead
you'll not be sorry by and by Mag
gie.'s said Miss Dearborn, laying q kind
hand upon the waitress suddenly
bowed head. Indeed. it's the wisest
thing, and wen all try to make it as
easy as we can for you"
Maggie's thanks were choked by
great sob as she hurried out OF the
room And Alicia Dearborn, staring
through the window found herself say
ing slowly
! at comes on him. the feeling to be
/ up and away-to he up and away
She turned abruptly back to her
desk. frowning down whatever ghost
would have haunted her at the words.
she plunged. resolutely into "a pile Of
committee WORK Life had its oppor-
tunities, as she had said and the
Training school for Maynard Girls was
one Of these.
Preston Jones took the case OF
Aiicia's protege so much to heart that
sunmonses, subpoenas, and the like
moved with unwonted rapidly toward