The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-12-17

v ~
herself in her friends COM
Portable chair. "It's because you're
so sensible"
"That's a mixed sort of compli-
ment," answered Elizabeth Gray,
laughing. II think 1 know what you
mean, though"
II mean you're the sort of person to
come to for advice" said Doris, pat
ting her friends hand coaxingly.
Elizabeth Gray and Doris Dinsmere
had been school friends. Five years
afterward they had met in New York,
where Doris was studying art, at the
expense Of her well-to-do parents,
while Elizabeth lived in tiny fiat
and worked as stenographer.
Miss Gray was. the sort of woman
who would never be quite beautiful,
as Doris was, but there was more In
her head than had passed through
Doris flighty one in all her life.
"You are in love again." said Miss
Gray calmly.
Doris nodded. ITO Charlie Ross"
she answered. "We're engaged"
Elizabeth was unable to repress a
little sense of pain. 1t was she who
had introduced Charlie to Doris.
Charlie had been quickly infatuated
with the empty-headed little girl, who
represented all that was sacred i'm his
eyes. She thought with pang how
much he had begun to mean to her
before he met Doris and ceased COM
ing to her apartment. They had dis
cussed things together; he had told
her everything that was in his life. all
his ideals. And he had been thrown
off his balance by Doris, who had
nothing but beauty and vivacity. She
knew Doris would never make good
wife for Charlie. And the pity was
that she could do nothing. Time must
teach them.
'This is what 1 want you TO do"
said Doris. HE writes me the most
beautiful love letters. And IL don't
know how to answer Them
"Just be natural. DEAR" said the
older woman. Don't try to say what
you don't mean. Charlie will come to
understand"
s'But you don't understand" said
Doris plaintively. "He thinks am
all sorts of things am not. He thinks
I am clever and-and all that. Eliza
Beth'-she used the word when she
wanted to coax-"won't you write me
a love letter to Charlie?"
Z my dear childw faltered Miss
Gray.
"Oh, you must" pleaded Doris "Or
elise, / shall lose him. You don't know
how much he means to me, and all
he thinks me which I am not. Please,
please, Elizabeth"
"But he will knew 1t is not you
speaking in the letter. my DEAR" pro-
tested Elizabeth Gray.
please" repeated Doris, sobbing.
Doris was very winning when she
meant to be. And so her friend capit-
ulated and, MISREPRESENTATION, sat
down to indite letter to Charlie
Ross that should sound like Doris and
yet be what Doris was not.
She wrote it from her own heart.
She spoke OF what love means to a
woman. Of all the things that she
knew and Doris could never know.
She poured out her heart in that let
ter, and in many others.
For the first letter brought back a
reply that touched her wildly. It
showed something in the mans ma
ture, something idealistic which even
Elizabeth Gray had never known ex-
listed In the man, something to which
her heart responded as the steel to
the magnet. And after that the de-
scent was easy.
Letter after letter came to him from
her pen. "You must not wonder" she
wrote once. "that seem so different
to you when we meet from what I
seem to be in my letters It is very
difficult for me to express myself
face to face"
"Charlie is devoted" said Doris
happily one day. "Ee thinks write
all those letters. and you know. Eliz-
abeth. that they are incomprehensible
to me-"
Yes. there were many things that
were incomprehensible to Doris. Eliz-
abeth Gray began to see that more
and more clearly as the weeks went
by. But she was too far in the
slough of deception now to be able
to extricate herself. Passionate let
tiers passed between them. and she
poured out all her longing and all her
love to this lover who. unknowing
whence the letters came. could never
be hers.
"He is so serious" pouted Doris one
day. "And he talks of such heavy
things They make my head ache.
And I have to pretend to understand
because Of this silly plot. Why did
you ever let me into 1t. Elizabeth"
This was Elizabeth's thanks. She
smiled: she could afford TO smile for