Show he won un i i the next drive by JANE OSBORN I 1 t Q 1123 3 by mcclure im so BO sorry ivo ive forgotten your bid and I 1 a ghost of nu all idea what you want lile ino ia to lead 11 said margaret colling it mako a lilt bit of difference ce with a bored sigh from clara across from froin her no ono one plays de cont bridge ut at these bencil ts 11 one or tw twi hands went around but it docant mutter I 1 mean ineat whether you have a good score or not from mildred at ono one side tho the com coin matteo hardly spent anything on tho the prizes ive seen them really not adorth playing for pardon tile me margaret iut hut did you play that aco yes I 1 guess go BO but you really blamo blame tile the committee from irene tile tho fourth they had to keep down expenses pl planned arinea on oil raising it a thousand dollars and thought of course they could got get donations beforehand to amount to half tile amount put iut down otis for two hundred at least and an lie ho only gave twenty five ile he said bold lick was through with drives vowed hed never give another r cent for it drive as long its as lie lived ivo ive heard hear lies usually so BO generous I 1 commented margaret and ot of course tills this like a hospital or it a childrens homo home 01 I 1 I 1 think its just as important to plant trees in the parks dont you from irene hut but no one answered no iono was especially interested of course I 1 dont know this trun bridge person from margaret as she iwas shuffling tho the cards nt fit tho the ond end of tile tho i land hand but I 1 imagine that tile tho person who wont went to got get tho the donation go about it right mr trun bridge lins has londs loads of money the com coin matteo ought to have linao sent tho the prettiest youngest member in the organization and instead IT ill bet eliat mrs benson went she collo a man if her life depended on oil it ill bet she eho argued with him when what she should have linao done was to vamp him you dont know mr Trun bridge bald irene with finality iles young end all but lio lie cant bo be wheedled ill wager that oven even you with nil your I 1 vou southern bouthern thern ways DAr marrgaret rgaret get u donation out of him for anything in town not oven even tile tho hospital now that hos vowed lie never give to another drive Trun bridges dont change their minds least of nil all otis I 1 ill bet I 1 could boasted margaret ill bet you a now new lint hat you it its a go was Alar margarets garets quick response 1 I need a hat desperately margaret arranged to arrive a few minutes before nine she thought that in tills this way sho she might give mr trun bridge opportunity to see her as I 1 ho to passed into ills his office emco if that young lady indy wants to fled me ine lie ho said to ills his stenographer rather lias lins tily lot let her come in at once has waiting long those waiting room chairs tire aro miserably uncomfortable so mat garat was ushered into tho the of otis Trun bridge who motioned to a comfortable chair at the side of lila desk des as she approached lie ile hoped fervently that slie had no not brought a letter of introduction from someone with n request for a job in bone one of the offices A girl giri like that simply I 1 but Bl margaret argaret did not keep heep him long in suspense AW are you very vexed with tile me for f arly ea ariy riy when iou you must have so k fil U c jo ho she began with charming allow ot of embarrassment why why no stammered otis feeling sone son somehow e lows that eliat 1 ho e ought to say that was vexed just on oil general principles then lie looked into those limpid eyes and added if theres anything I 1 conia cond do for yau ill do my best im out bogging begging said margaret 1 I was ached to come collie to see you about making n contribution though goodness knows why they asked me n stronger stranger hero here in town ond and you oil so busy and important otis smiled feeling compassion for the apparently embarrassed young girl im very very glad they lid did ask you lie he said why said margaret looking very naive I 1 because tho the people who usually conio fire are aggressive and bossy and not at nil all like you margaret dropped her eyes prettily well you see counting on oil at least 1000 from you its for the thea alio J 0 L P drive you know dont ask me to tell you about it you know of course and its a very deserving cause I 1 think oil oh very said otis very glad that she had raised alsed tile the eyes again so that lie ho could see seo whether they really were ns its blue as they seemed at tho the first glimpse very very blue lie he said und and then stammered ivery very deserving I 1 mean do you think that that they could make use say of ln ill stend you see I 1 got my income from the town in it a way any arid and tiny any local cliar ity of tills this sort really deserves 1 I was hoping holing f feel cei that way otis funi fumbled bled for ills his checkbook in the desk drawer fumbled because lio lie wont to take ill ills eyes off tile vision so radiant before him now flow shall I 1 inako out tile tho cli check eck ile ho asked oil just tay pay to tile order of J 0 I 1 L I 1 r site elio instructed suddenly feel ing very guilty and showing it by a sudden blush but do you want to make out the check now why yes said otis of course id like to linao you come again but tills this Is no place for you to havo have to come ile iio had made out the check blotted it tind and held it out to mar margaret garet 1 I think I 1 have seen you in town before you were at tile tho country club dance two weeks agov ago yes said margaret 1 I saw you too but no ono one introduced you unfortunately sald said otis if you go out to tile danco this week wo we shall ahall need no introduction this Is intro enough dont you think you know my name 11 and mine Is margaret colllns collins margaret suddenly lot her thoughts hurry on and showed her abstraction what she had biad dono done was well it was just jupt part of her anger tho the girls had put her up to it in a way anti and she lid did need it a now nov hat butof course rho would never bo be able 0 to stay in town people know what she had done clone anti and of course this very attractive mr Trun bridge would novel never want to danco with her when lie ho found out Alar margaret garot wits was still embarrassed though alio shook hands tin and thanked otis very prettily when sho she left ills office must I 1 wait until the danco dance to see you again lie ho asked holding iter her liand hand a moment too long loath to lot let her go 1 I nm am afraid po 0 11 said margaret rind and then alien alia slipped away out of the factory and back etick to the homo home of her hei school friend clara where site alio was visiting site lind had intended to telephone to ireno irene immediately to claim the lint she elio lad had won but ns she alio looked nt at the check she felt a sudden wave of regret that ripened into remorse she folded jhb check and tucked it safely into the little pocket of her sport blouse ii 1 I she lid did not go homo home and sho she did not tell irene or any of tho the others of the trio of lier her adventure nt at tho the trun bridge mills twice within tho the next three started out to the trun bridge i mills ill id making an excuse to io clara sho she was going for a coun try wilk but each time sho she turned back she was afraid of confessing to mr Trun brIdge finally sho she decided to go homo home and from the refuge of her onn southern to write a formal letter returning tho the check with profound apologies to mr air hut but friday the night of the country club dance arrived and margaret had not gone home site sho had made excuses to which clara would not listen nul aud sho she had tried to find excuses not to go to that dance but to no avail before she had made up tip her mind what she would do if she saw mr Trun bridge lie ho lind had como to her and had put ills his namo name down on her danco dance card for four dances and as many more na aa lot let mo me have it was with the opening of the first danco dance that mr returned 1 I dont want to dinice dance said margaret 1 I want to go to some quiet place and talk 1 site looked very frightened and was actually palo pale Trim bridge led her to n secluded spot on one of the wide varandas vernn das III 1 I know you want to talk about said otis Trun bridge but I 1 deserve the punishment I 1 inin ans 8 R an n ungenerous end when I 1 made that vow not to give to tiny more mord drives and now I 1 deserve to bo be tho the laughing stock of town I 1 suppose that check la Is being passed aromia now it Is pinned securely in my jewel bag under my belt sald margaret of course I 1 show it to tiny any one I 1 wanted to come back and apologize you must have been very angry I 1 otis laughed then ho he leaned over and took margarets hands in ills nd its as she lid did not take them from him lie put ono one arm about her shoulder 1 I must confess too you see irene la is my coasin slin she told ma diio of the wager you made do and told old me to bo be prepared faor or somo some sort of nil an appeal I 1 had told lier her how much I 1 admired you nt at the last flit dance tice and had asked for un tin introduction duct lon sho she thought we might like to Intro introduce duco ourselves ns as wo we did dut but the thing that made tile me admire you so much was that after you had got the check you tell tiny one you even tell irene or r claim your bet were you sorry for me quick tears of relief welled in margarets eyes oil oh im so li happy lippy she said resting wearily on the strong arm that protected lier her 1 I feel like an awful criminal and the more I 1 thought about it the more I 1 hated myself and the more I 1 admired you 1 I want you to love roe me enough to marry me margaret said otis trun bridge 1 I do was margarets reply and then she laughed a little as she wiped wipe a away tho the tears |