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T h e M a g i c of a Woma n's L o v e
- J By Elsie "Endlcoff J
TIB happy voloe of children. M
the? played around an old el
der prefls, wher the older
prop were engaged In crushing lata
op plea, came to the ears of Dare
Thornton aa he turned his runabout
trora the white road of the Talley to
rlimb Roan mountain to the pretty lit
tle stone lodge he had Tlslted erery fall
for Ore years.
Some day they, too, would be rudely
disillusioned about life, as he had
been, thought Dare. But none of his
own gloomy thoughts were reflected in
the scene about him. The mellow fra
grance of late autumn was In the air
and here and there a patch of crimson,
the result of an early frost glowed
against the green of the tree. To the
left, la the ralley. an acre of golden
rodrlppled In the breet. like a field
of grain ready , for the harrest. The
whistle of a bobwhlta, ceiling aweet
and clear, sounded from nearby
cornfield, where pumpkins lay yeHow
tn the sunlight A trumpet rise
spfOed its scarlet bloom riotously ever
'the oak trees by the road.
He was going back agatnat hie will
ana better judgment.. Fire 'years be
fore he had built the little white lodge
and furnished It out of hie store of
treasures, picked up on his travels all
over the world. They had planned to
spend their honeymoon there he and
Carolyn Maynard. But fate, in the
person of another man, had Interposed
and Carolyn had Jilted him and mar
ried young ambassador who bad
taken her abroad Immediately. Dave
had pried open the old wound every
year by going back and Urlng ayer
again his old lore affair. Now be was
going back to pack np a few of his
things, for he had planned to sell the
place to Edmee Boyaton, a young girl
who was beginning to sell short sto
ries to the magasinea. He had met
her at a little studio tee and had come
to like her well enough to sell her his
little' house of (reams, the dreams
that had aerer come true for him.
as aa eatnlng up the next day to
look tt
When Dare was half a mile away,
he looked up and saw the lodge like
a little white flower opening out of
a green calyr. Smoke curled lastly
from the chimney. Evidently the old
caretaker was ready for him. -.
Aa he stepped oa the ruabo porch
he saw a merry little Ore of Black
Jack fogs crackling on the old brass
andirons that had been hia mother's.
A rough basket of wild flowers hung
outside the door. Within gay pillows
gave a festive air to his worn old
leather couch and he saw a ukelele
dropped carelessly In the corner. A
Chinese tea set that he had picked up
in Canton was on a wagonette and a
little blue flame burned under the ket
tle. He stood tn the doorway, a little
amued, wondering If his eyes did not
deceive him. Many times he had pic
tured the little house like that, warm
and Intimate and coty. '
"Possession." said Edmee Boynton,
dressed in a dull blue smock that halt
hid, half revealed the curves of her
young body aa she came to meet htm.
"is nine potnM of the law. -Mother and
I have moved In. Truthfully, we are
stopping at the hotel en top at the
mountain, but I could not resist run
ning down here and getting things all
homelike for you. Like UT" she ask
ed, smiling at his expression.
,"80 much that I can't think of sell
ing the place now."
Suddenly a little pulse la hl throat
began to hammer with painful Insist
ence. He wanted to take her tn his
anna and kiss her where her shining
black hair waved back from her high
white forehead. Ha had always felt
that she attracted him powerfully, but
a burned child dreads the Are, and
having been tooled by one woman bad
made htm wary of the sex. Seeing
Edmee Boynton against the back
ground of bis little house of dreams
that had flowered into a real home un
der the magte touch of her deft fingers
made him realise that he had fallen
in love again, hopelessly, happy In
lowi with the little story writer. He
had believed that romance had died
out of the world for him, but lore can
be born in the moon of falling blos
soms aa well aa In the springtime of
life.
"Are you going to make ma sorry
that I eamet It wilt be such a dis
appointment not to stay her-'''
She turned away, her lips quivering.
"Do you think that you can write
stories love stories up here?"
She smiled then end looked up at
him. "There Is one disease that peo
ple never acknowledge," she told him.
"Writers never admit that they can't
write anything they attempt to pro
duce. The disease Is fatal. On never
recovers. Von't you have some1 tea,"
she asked, hospitably, "la your own
housef
He turned and took both her flut
tering little hands In his own. "If you
will promise to be partners and own
half the house and and all of me!"
be answered. , He drew her into his
arms, and at the touch of her yielding
young body all the old doubt and mis
givings disappeared like magte and a
hapBtaaaa greater than he had ever
known flooded his heart 6he had
taken his cold, empty little house and
opened the windows to the sunshine of
love, filling it with dreams, rosy
dreams, the dream that must inev
itably eome true, "1 love you," b
whispered passionately.1'! lore you,
dear."
Outside a bird called a tender little
mating note, and the answer came soft
and sweet from a contented heart
There were steps oa the porch and
through the door came a vUlon that
pave thought could pot be real: Car
olyn Maynard, In the pale gray of wid
owhood, waa smiling at him. He went
forward to meet her. his arm still
around the little story writer. Even
as ha greeted her, this woman who
had once thrilled htm, he' wondered
how her eomlngwould affect him, but
bis pulse, save when he looked at the
wondering Edmee. was just as steady
as usual. He might have been greet
ing any chance acquaintance. .He was
conscious tbat Carolyn looked rather
old, a trifle blase, and her complexion
was made up too much for beauty. He
had been fortunate to escape her. He
found himself critically comparing her
to the sincere naturally beautiful lit
tle creature who held bis heart How
could he ever have loved Carolyn I
The fair visitor did not tarry long.
She realized, all too well that a wom
an oMhlrty can not successfully com
pete with youth.' at twenty. ,
"The eternal triangle!" exclaimed
Edmee, when they were alone. "1
think that 1 will write a love story
'now about you," she told htm.
"And bow. will you , end H, little
sweetheart?" be whispered, bis lips on
her eyes and her mouth.. .
"The hero and the lady who took
his house right away from him "
"Were married In the moon of fall
ing blossoms," he supplemented.
"And lived "happily ever after," she
prophesied. Then In 'true housewifely
alarm she ran to the wagonette, "The
kettle," she said dramatically, "has
boiled dry."
Resurrecting Happiness
By Phil Moore
Mlsa Jeaeup, breathlese they say." atlll Harriet eould not be-
wlth haste, rasked la to toll Hera It But she had to when she
her aha had Just heard over heard the news confirmed. Jessaray
the telephone that Jeasamy West waa
dead. Harriet Hall waa tuletly paint
ing some ehtna.
"Dead!" Harriet cried. She sat
gripping her hands together, staring at
Misa Jeasup, her face aa white aa her
little raffled apron.
Through her lnd raced a picture said.
of lovely Jeasamy West rewy, full-boa- eover.
West waa really dead and her home
waa made desolate, " ,
It waa nearly a month later that
Harriet met Nonaaa walking with his
two children. Ha looked pale and for
lorn, fine stopped to talk to him.
"It waa (earful blow, Harriet" be
Seems like I should never re
Bat X hare my boy and girl
omed, laughing. Ten days before they left, thank God! Mrs. Barry is keep
had been partnera at a game of hrldgaAing house for ua. It waa the best. I
"Dead!" she repeated faintly. "Oa, Vould do. My buslaeaa ia in bad shape.
Miss Jeasup, It eant be true!" and tt taken all my time to attend to
"I guess u ta, all right," Miss Jeasup tt"
said, grimly. "The doctor told her Harriet thought aa they parted,
when the children came down with "That tat alow, ' massy old woman',
diphtheria and they Quarantined the Those poor babies! And poor Nor
bouse tha she better stay away from man." She walked on with her head
them. The diseasa always goea hard down and never saw the Rev. Thomas
with full throated folks. But abe Brooke, rector of fashionable Chriat
laughed at him. And now she's dead Church, who gased at her from the
and poor Norman la almost crazy. The other aide of the street It was known
children, however, are getting better, to every body in Canton that Harriet
Hall could have the Rev. Thomas
Brooke for the lifting of a finger. It
was not known why she did not hare
him. That waa Harriet's secret and
she kept it as religiously as abe kept
Sunday. Even Miss Jessup, who knew
everything, did not know that
Harriet loved Norman West It had
begun in their school days. She' never
had any reason for loving him, but she
did, so strangely and perversely are
women made. Three different men she
refused because of him, and now she
was about to refuse another. She1
never expected to marry Norman, but
she eould not marry anybody else.
And she was all of thirty years old.
The strange, sad occurrence kept
Canton talking for a long time. Miss
Jeasup had a great deal to say about
"ft to Harriet "The best thing Norman
can do Is to get married again quick
as ever he can. Of course, I know
he's poor and la debt but seems like
some woman ought to take pity on
him. He's a fine man, Norman West
is. I're been trying to get Allle Hltt I'm really not fit to get in beside
to go after him, but she says she was you, Harriet!" he said wistfully,
not cut out to be a second wife. I "Nonsense!" Harriet retorted. She
dunno, hope when he does marry looked fresh and brilliant in her
he wont get some little snippy' young brawn, fur-trimmed coat .and velvet
piece that'll misuse the children. They hat It waa snappy weather and hr
re darlings, both of 'am." cheeks glowed. Norman West dare
"Tea, they are," Harriet replied, not look at her and she knew It
"Margaret is Just Ilka her father and There was satisfaction in the knowl
Francia is the image of Jessamy." She- edge. "Norman," she said, laughing
changed the subject but It did not ly, "what would you think of a woman
leave her mind.
And so months went by. Mrs. Bar-,
ry stayed oa and Miss Jessup said that
the bouse waa becoming a pigpen. But
what better could Norman dot
who proposed to a man?"
"I would think be was a pretty poor
stick ot a man wWd put her ia the
corner where she'd have to do It He
.wouldn't be worth proposing to, Har-
Spring came, and summer, and then' rlet now, would her'
fall again. Jessamy had been dead a Harriet laughed again. "Ob, I don't
year, Norman looked like despair it- know. That depends. Maybe ha waa
self and the children began to show
their negteot The misfortunes ef the
Wests, were on every tongue, v
One day at sunset Harriet picked
timid or something, and maybe she
saw her happiness going and felt
bound to save It if she could."
"I wouldn't let a woman propose to
Norman up In the car as be was re-' me, Harriet" Norman sighed,
turning from work. He looked shab- "Wouldn't youT" retorted Harriet,
by, thin, piteous. "Then please propose to meulck and
save me the trouble, Norman."
"Harriet!" he cried. "You wouldn't
you couldn't Oh, Harr, t, you'd not
stoop to marry mel"
"It wouldn't be stooplrfg to marry
you, Norman," abe fnawered quietly.
So they were engaged. And two
weeks later they went to the Methodist
parsonage and were married. Har
riet's friends would have made her a
wedding, but she declined. As for the
Rev. Thomas Brooke, the day he beard
she waa going to marry Norman West
he demanded a vacation on account
ot his health and went away and stay
ed until it was all over.
Harriet took the Wests to her own
home, where her housekeeper's cook
ing soon restored ' the roses to the
neglected children's cheeks. In no
time also people began to look at Nor
man West with amasement He seem-,
ed to have undergone a mental and
spiritual change. He never had been
accounted a business succesjV, but sud
denly he was making his townsmen
take notice of him.- "Harriet dldnt do
so badly, after all," they said.
Harriet had done far from badly.
She made Norman the man be always
should have been. . He grew stout
rosy, light hearted. He paid off his
debts without help from her, and be
came such a prodigious money maker
that folks gasped at his success.
"I wonder If you're as happy as
you've made me, Harriet," he said to
her one day.
Harriet smiled. "Ton do act happy,
Norman, I'm nattered, I must be a
success aa a second wife. Not many
women are."
He took her m his arms. "Dear, tf
you hadn't been so rich you'd hare
been my first wife. I wanted yon all
the time, but t didn't dare ask you."
"Oh I" commented Harriet She
rubbed her cheek against hia and
laughed a little. "Do you know, honey,
I knew that all the time," she said
softly. e .
One Woman and Another
rr
By Abncr Antiiony
EVERTONTS ta Weatmor liked
May Hammond and OUre Bto
bee, wha ware friends aa well
aa cousins, besides being extremely
young wires, and whan old Mien Ap
pleby, their aout died and left each
of them 17.000, every body in town fait
a thrill of Interest
They had only been married n year,
and had Just nicely got to housekeep
ing in neighboring dwellings on Pink
street Olive was Urlng tn Jim's old
home, which had eome to him from
hia mother a sJalt grsy house, rath
er shabby now, but which Jim hoped
to fix up after be got to earning more.
Oil re had Just aba necessary house
keeping things, but they were comfor
table. May, too, Hred In an old house,
one which Will had bought cheap at
a time when real estate was down. As
May said laughingly, they merely con
sidered themselves squatters, waiting
for the time when they eould afford to
gat rid of the old house and build a
aaw one. The fT.OM arriving unex
pectedly to the two girls, seat them
Into a great flurry of excitement
"I doat hare to think for one mo
ment what I shall do with my money,"
May said. "I shall hare a new house."
"What wilt yon do with the old
oner Olire asked.
"Tear it down, it isn't worth much.
But the lot Is lovely. And I know -exactly
the kind of house I want like
Stewart Olbaon'S over there."
"But that's such a big house Just
for two people!" OUre exclaimed.
"I like big houses. I shall hare it
a little nicer than Gibson's some ways.
I've got the Ideas all In my head
about the fireplace and the butler's
pantry and the porches " She broke
off, laughing. "But there, I're not
asked yet what you are going to do
with your money T"
"I don't know what I shall do with
It May. I'm going to talk it orer with
Jim. I're Just got a faint idea "
But May was staring out of the win
dow at the Gibson house across the
street "I don't really like the shape
of that balcony," she said. "Do you,
OUrer
"No," replied Olive , "I don't It
looks too much like a swallow's' nest!"
May creamed, "What an Idea! A
swallow's nest!" She was hilariously
nappy.
After May's departure Olive went
all over the house from top to bottom.
It had been Jim's boyhood home, and
she loved It for his sake as well as for
her own. In tt she had had the hap
piest year of her life. Her hand ca
ressed the railing of the narrow stair
way. "Dear old house!" she murmured.
"I couldn't have It torn down for the
sake of building a new house upon Its
site" She caught her breath as an
inspiration came. Down she sat upon
the stairs, and there she was when Jim
came whistling in through the front
door to supper.
"Well," be said, "I Just walked up
with Will. He says May is going to
build a xfew house with her money."
"Is be glad?"
"Oh, sure! Will likes to make a
show. He says If there's anything
left after the bouse they're going to
get a runabout Now I should begin
with the runabout " hs stopped "if
It was my money," he ended embar
rassedly. Olive had her hands on his shoul
ders. "It is yours Just aa much as if
It Were left to you outright, dear," she
aaldi "Aren't we partners in the Joys
and sorrows and good fortunes of
eacht JlnvMey's been over and we're
been talking. She's wild about having
a new house. But I like this old house
better than any we could build."
Jim's dark, earnest face lit up. "That
pleases me he said. "You know I'm
fond of this house, Olive, I cant help
being. I'd hate to give it up"'
"We aren't going to," Olive inter
rupted. "Now listen to me."
. ., ,
"And you're going to stay in this old
house!" May said a few days later.
She and Will were boarding while
their new bouse was in course, of con
struction. "Just wait till you see my
new domicile, Olive. You'll Wish for
one yourself, then."
- Olive shook her head. "No, Jim and
I are content with this house."
"But aren't you going to spend your
money?"
"Most of it"
"But how?"
"Just wait and see."
Presently not only May, but all West
more, saw. Faint, paper, a changed
partition or two, a bathroom, a fire
place and a porch transformed the old
bouse. Besides all this, there were
new rugs, easy chairs, a talking ma
chine, new curtains, books, and a hun
dred other beautiful and comforting
new things. A little work turned the
barn Into a garage and one morning a
new live-passenger car took up IU sta
tion there, "for," said Olive. "I shan't
be selfish!" There was still a goodly
rainy day sum left to draw Interest
and yield an Income. ,
Across the street May's new house
came to maturity. It was very line,
but May began to . look worried. (
"It's going to take a lot of furni
ture," she said. "Well, some of the
rooms win have to wait." She laugh
ed uneasily. "( guess Will and I shall
have to ride In your ear this summer.
OUre, if we go sbout at alt Every
cent has gone Into the houae. There's
nothing left for a runabout
"It's a lovely house," OUve said,
"So Is yours."
"It's comfy. It's home."
May sighed.
"Don't you tell1 Will or Jim. either
of them don't you tell anybody, Olive
but do you know sometimes I wish
I'd done as you did?"
"Oh, pshaw!" laughed OUre consol
ingly. But after May had gone back to the
handsome house across the street,
Olive sat by the fire thinking. As she
thought her glance moved about the
simple, graceful, cozy living room, at '
the books nnd music and good pictures
that had come out of her legacy. She
drew a deep breath of contentment
N o
ii
It.
L 1
it,
4.1
Bv'Joe.ia' Johnson
THAT is mora natural than for
a firt to desire a career,
' especially If she is Just II
and possesses a generous share of in
telligence, ambition and good looks?
Ad, be It known, Allison Kent pos
fcessed of the qualifications.'
True, she waa only a country school
ttacber, but she reasoned that every
one must start at the bottom of the
lbdder and climb rung aVsrung to
the very top. Why, ((. irbe. It
would be hard work, but Rvwai worth
the struggle, for the topmost rung
meant fame. Ambition whispered
that she could achieve this.
I bsve mentioned before that this
country school teacher possessed a
grnerous share of good looks. Strange
to say, it was this fact that suited
Trouble at the very beginning of her
career. Yes. she had brains and am-
bltlon. too, but to the masculine mlpd
they are of secondary lmportaaee
good looks coma first
Perhaps tbat will explain why John
Graham, the most popular young man
in the village, failed entirely to re
member the text the first Sunday this
little gray-eyed teacher attended
church., His mother told me this her
self. She said it had not happened be
fore in years. John always prided
himself on knowing something about
the sermon when they talked It over
during the course of the noonday meal.,
Tbat day, however, his mind wss a
blank so far as the subject under dis
cussion was concerned.
This young roan had dreams, too.
Ambition had long been whispering in
his ear to teare the little country 'vil
lage and go out Into the world where
he eould make a name for himself.
John wanted to amass a fortune ne
liked the sound of the words snd in
bltloa said be could do It
Of course . everything would bsve
gone along smoothly If these twout theee thoughts away from hey aa
young people had only listened to the unworthy the loftier alms of ambition.
sober - counsels of ambition, but Just
about that time another voice began
Then one day John beard of a place
in the far West where golden oppor
tunities awaited young men of pur
pose and character, and be decided to
to whisper to them about a radiant
future where neither fame nor wealth
mattered in the least At such times
John would see a little white cottage
with vines growing orer the door, and
always In the open doorway be would
catch a glimpse of a certain young
lady with gray eyes, wavy brown hair
and a most adorable smile, which in
variably made his heart beat faster.
V It la fa-t that thla l!ttl teach-
era good look, played The" mischief wa,t 'or "nT Tn b
with John and his plans for the fu- abanwl "h"1 ha0 on8-
ture. With flushed, cheeks the girl told
And Allison Kent? him of her career, and the ladder of
Wby, sometimes the ladder of fame- fame she must climb. No, she couldn't
seemed to her' desperately high snd promise. Tbey could be friends,
bard to climb, and often she wonder- though good friends but nothing
ed If making a home could be called more. She was right ot course, John
a career. But la the end she always reasoned. Then he determined anew
It waa when he was bidding Allison
good-by that the vine-covered cottage
dream came to him again? and, act
ing on a sudden Impulse, the next mo
ment he was telling her all about it
Would she be willing to start life with
him In such a humble home? Would
to amass a fortune, and some day, aft
er she had won fame, he would lay his
wealth at her feet Yea, he would
wait until he could offer her a man
sion instead of a Tine-covered cottage.
In the days that followed letters
passed between the two occasionally,
but it was fire years before they met
again, in an Eastern olty. Here tbey
spent several happy days In each oth
er's company, and their friendship
deepened, but' they parted again Just
"good friends" for the young - men's
fortune was not yet- made.
Again the years slipped quickly
away and at last It seemed as tf John's
dream of wealth was to be realized.
One day he received a letter from Alli
son telling blm that she bad secured a
much coveted position In a city school.
After this message be applied himself
to his business with renewed energy.
Mansions, gray eyes and a wonderful
amile were becomlnc mingled la bis
day dreams when the crash came! lshed, he burled his face in his hands
vueapeuivu vuiun revvrnea nun
swept away nearly half of his tor
tune, ' N
John aged perceptibly In those days.
Feeling the need of a change, and de
sirous ef seeing bis loved ones, he
took a trip to his old home. Allison
often visited his people, and here they
met again. Twos plain to see that
they were happiest when In each oth
er's Company, and why they were only
"good friends," was a puzzle hard to
solre. No one knew of the ladder of
fame, and John's dream of wealth to
lay at her feet
It was the Jaet night of Allison's
visit that in answer to some question
she had asked, he thoughtlessly told
of his loss! And then, before he re
alized it he was pouring into ber ears
the story of his struggle to amass a
fortune for her. When he had fln-
ashamed of bis weakness.
- But Allison waa speaking. "I'm so
glad you've told me. I feared you
wouldn't" he heard her saying. In a
voice that thrilled him.
Then his hands were drawn gently
away from bis face, and he looked
straight into a. pair of tender gray
eyes.
"Oh, John," ahev cried, "have you."
never guessed that Itls loneaome work
climbing the ladder of fame alone?
Hare you never realized that it Is
heart-breaking work amassing a for
tune alone?"
She hesitated a moment, then, In a
roice In which gobs and laufchler seem
ed to mingle, exclaimed:
"Can't you see? Will you never un- '
derstand? Oh, blind boy. I don't want
wealth or fame; I want that vlne-eov
ered cnttare and rou." '