Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-14
Daily Short Story
Never Trust a Woman
sy CHARLES McGuiRK


nurSed through the five years Of
invalidiSm which had resulted in
his death.
Philip read il in the Californian
Press. which he picked up AT the
out-of-town newspaper stand on
Times Square along with Is other
papers from towns with popula-
ton of 10000 all over the country.
They were the tools of his trade.
The Caldonian Press had done
very we'll by Daphne Whoever
had written the story took for his
theme the alleged truism that
virtue is always rewarded and
filial devotion doubly so because il
Is generally so difficult 10 exercise.
Daphne. the Press explained.
was the only child and the last of
a family which for a century had
been linked with the progress of
the town. She had taught in the
Caledonia High School for 20 years
and was loved by one and all.
Many of the towns leading men
and women had been her pupils.
A GENTLE WOMAN
Philip looked at the cut in the
story and could see that il
wouldn't be hard TO love Daphne
In an impersonal way. She seemed
to be slight little woman with
gentle eyes and generous mouth
and Chin perhaps little too
square. developed, no doubt by the
necessity OF administering disci-
pline in study hall and class room.
Phillip studied the picture
thoughtfully.
beautiful dreamer" he NUT
tered and the music of Stephen
Foster whispered in his mind.
Daphne looked like Stephen
Foster heroine. She was the per-
feet type of spinster. the kind of
girl love touches only lightly, il
il doesn't pass by altogether.
She was, he judged by the
newspaper, in the neighborhood of
90. Whether she knew il or not,
abe was ripe-even overripe-for
love. She would welcome il. And
so she was Philips meat.
He would have been very indig- |
nant If you told him that love was
his racket. But it was. He special
lied on women past their first
youth, q woman like Daphne Le-
har. Hearing of one, he would
make contact with her and pro-
ceed to court her,
Somewhere along in the court
ship. when the lady was ripe and
ready, ne would become very
worried. Pressed by her eager
questions, he would admit that he
needed a certain sum OF money!
20 save his ancestral (nonexistenD
residence.
The bank down in Virginia was
foreclosing the mortgage. He al
ways got the money. And within
two months, he had faded out Of
her life.
The factor which had kept him
out of prison for 20 years was his
refusal to use the mails in any
way. He never wrote TO his vic
Tins. He approached them as
salesman for either encyclopedias
or household appliances, depending
upon whether the victim was in
tellectual or domestic.
Daphne, he suspected. might be
susceptible on bob counts but he
decided on encyclopedias.
A glance at his map told him
that Caledonia lay about 40 miles
northwest of New York in the
middle of fine farming country.
He lost no time. He packed his
suitcase and checked out of the
flea bag he was inhabiting in the
middle Forties and bought a
ticket for the little town.
FITTED FOR WORK
When he got off at the station,
people turned to take a second
look at him. He was well fitted
by nature for his line OF work. In
his early fifties, he was tall and
slender and benign. He had a
shock of gray hair and an aristo-
cratic profile and mild blue eyes.
He had never in his life been
bothered by passions. So he had
escaped marriage. He was slightly
anennic, and cold and hard as a |
stone. But his voice was soft and
his manner tender. He had all the
understanding for women's emo
tional reactions that wise old
maid has--which was what he
really was.
He did not rush straight 10 the
Lehar home. He went first 10 the
public library and got the libra
rian. Mr.. Cloud--another old maid
In VOLTS clothing interested in
his encyclopedia
Mr.. Cloud passed him along 10
Mr.. Reindeer, the high school
principal. Armed with these ac-I
uuaintances, he was ready for
Daphne. He called upon her in
the morning OF his third day in
town.
She was gentler. even. than he
had supposed Her voice was
softer and her manner diffident.
She regarded him with the uncon-
scious suspicion that all spinsters
bring TO their first contact with
a strange man. But his refined
looks and his gentle, suave man
ner chased that away. Afterward
she often told herself that she fell
In love with him on sight.