The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1927-06-03
Released From His
Engagement
BY H. LOUIS

IllC 49,
green water. 1t had been some
time since either spoke and then
It had been the young man who
had dropped into an abyss of 81
lence a few words weighted with
significance.
Il expect my fancee will meet
me at the dock" he said.
The girl at his side had made no
comment at first, but had the mans
gray eyes not been fixed on the dim
distant shore-line that was Cali
Iornla, he might have e e thai her
ZIP quivered and her hand gripped
the rail tightly.
When she did speak, she was
smiling and her eyes drew and held
MS steadily. Il am oon to be mar
ried myselfi" she said. "Congratu-
lations %
But some minutes later Patty
wayne entered her stateroom, only
10 hlng herself face downward on
her berth.
Cruel = cruel = crueli" she
moaned. Then she sat up reso-
lutely. well, it's over" she said.
And it really wasn't his fault. 1
let myself care, but it is only fair
to say that he never took any adj
vantage. / just dreamed and let
myself think" in spite Of her eff
forts at s%elf-contral the tears
came again.
Patty Wayne and Dick Comstock
were each returning from a vaca-
ton spent in Hawaii's sunny para
disc. Strangely enough, they had
wandered throughout the islands
without meeting, only to fall into
casual acquaintanceship the very
afternoon that the Matsonia left
Honolulu.
And to Patty, at least, pretty
little brown-eyed kindergarten
teacher, the moment when the jour-
rey would end was something not
to be thought about. Unless
Patty had not realized how very
much she vas depending upon that
unless until that bitter ten min
utes at the bow rail. She hadn't
once suspected that there had been
any other girl in Dicks life. He
had spoken of years away at col
lege, of nor or less erratic wan
behring's about the world, but of
nothing that limited at any tie
which would hold him to a settled
existence.
On the other hand he had not
made love to Patty. And now she
thought she must have been mis-
taken when she fancied she saw
him looking at her with love and
longing in his eyes. Probably, she
told herself scornfully, when she
supposed he was looking at her,
he was In reality seeing the face
Of his absent fancee.
They said good-by just before the
steamer locked, standing beside
the gangplank, amidst a great
creaking of hawsers about the
winches.
"Good-by, Patty" he said quiz
city. "I-oh, hang it. Good-by."
"Good-by, Dick. ! hope you'll be
very happy" But the last she saw
of him as she turned to go ashore
was a pair of miserable gray eyes
and a, white set mouth.
She had finished seeing about
her baggage and was wondering
vaguely just where to find a de-
cent restaurant when some u
came quickly up behind her.
"Patty-Oh, Patty !"
1t was Dick and in his hand was
a telegram. He didn't look par
ticularly happy, but his eyes bad
lost their forlorn expression.
Il did want to tell you the whole
story" he was saying. Even il,
under the circumstances, 1T won't
do any good"
He paused, giving Patty a chance
TO ask somewhat coldly, for all the
unreasonable beating of her heart,
where's your fancee?"
That's what | wanted TO ex-
plain" he said eagerly. "You see
when j was a kid in high school,
] was sweet on a girl and-well, we
got engaged. We kept it up while
was in college and although after
wards ] didn't see 81 much of her,
still I always supposed some day
we'd be married.
"Then l went to Hawaii-and,
well, the place sort of got under
my skin. The beauty, and all. but
! knew I wouldn't want to be there
with FlOssie-which told me a
whole lot. SO / wrote her, as nice
ly as I could, that I thought we'd
both made a mistake, being so
young, and-well, the day before
I left Honolulu l got a telegram,
saying that she would hold me to
my promise and would meet me
when I landed"
"Is-is that it?" Patty indicated
the yellow paper. .
'This? Oh, no. Wait till | fin
ish. I met you and fell in love.
But what could l do, bound to an
other? SO I let you go out of my
life. When we locked a messen-
ger handed me this"
He held out the paper and Patty
read:
Mr.. Richard Comstock:
had to punish you a little
at first. But don't worry. !
am soon to be married myself.
FLORENCE.
you see" said Dick. "And-
well, l just had to tell you, even
if you are engaged to another"
me? Engaged? Oh" and
Patty blushed, remembering. II
just said that in-in self-defense J"
Dick gripped her arm. Thea
not going to be married
soon?'
"No-that isl mean" and
then they both laughed joyously.
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