Show MARY ELLENS MAN by HOPE AINSLE Lr copyright 1916 2915 by t the cl mcclure newspaper syndicate mary ellen did not know that the place she was entering was a pawnshop it was tucked away in a quiet thoroughfare oft off regent street and mary ellen just happened to be strolling through tile the quaint soho district when an antique locket in the win down caught her attention she bought the oddly beautiful locket and was persuaded to purchase also an equally curious old ring that the shopkeeper had in ilia his possession mary ellen was a shy imaginative little person whose world was peopled by fanciful characters she was queer u er she was merely different enough from the average girl to to be mysterious back in new york there were several suitors who wanted mary ellens ellen dainty hand tor for their own it was wa partly owing to the persistent wooing of these admirers that mary ellen found herself in london she had fiell d from the temptation to marry when the she was not really as aa much in love as her fancy told her she should be and her dream man possessed all the qualities that existed respectively in each of her suitors she held her new locket closely in her hand and looked at the face in it she began to wish that she had lived in the age nhen hen he had lived in the age of pam powder der and patches an idea thrust itself into her dreams she would return to america as the betrothed wife of the man in the locket this would be a fitting way dorher tor her to avoid marrying any one of at her suitors she had long sought an excuse that would satisfy them her fictitious lover would be the excuse and the antique ring would lend color to her story few girls but mary ellen would have conceived so BO fanciful a plan of clearing her patch of lovers and his name is davie Dav le she said to herself when she had discovered an engraved inscription inside tho the locket with love davie tile the line ran 1 I shall call my flance fiance david woodman and say that he is an actor my miniature of him was made in th ane e character of sir charles surface mary ellen laughed at her own ingenuity ge nulty ity indeed so delighted was she with her fabric of romance that she sailed for home a week sooner than she had expected the romance woven around the man in the locket came to be acknowledged as a natural one mary ellen had gone abroad and she had bad met her fate one night jimmy vale stood in the ballroom of the derwent Deer Dee went home looking at mary ellen as she danced with one of the men she was as light as a zephyr and even had jimmy not been possessed of 0 a hopeless love for the girl he would have enjoyed the grace of her someone touched his arm that slim quaint beautiful little dancer in mauve who Is she david garland asked him jimmy turned to look at the man he was the guest of the hostess and they had merely shaken hands in being introduced ill present you with pleasure jimmy hastened to say when mary ellen looked into the blue eyes of david garland she would have turned and fled had not jimmy restrained her walt a minute mary ellen I 1 want to present mr david garland miss moore jimmy added with his best society bow then without another word he left them david was so like the man in mary ellens locket that the girl was waa stricken with amazement she could scarcely raise her eyes to his scrutinizing gaze there are two reasons for my wanting to meet you she heard him saying one Is that locket he be said d looking at her treasure sai 1 I bought it in london mary ellen confessed blushing and taking the locket in her hand and this ring I 1 bought at the same time she admitted extending the ring for him to see her heart beat fast ast her dream was coming true this man and the man whose face ace was pictured in her locket were in some way connected 1 I say this Is most curious david was saying halt to himself as he examined the ring on mary ellens fin ger ile he looked up at her do you know that you are wearing my grandmothers other en engagement ent ring mary ellen shook her head she could not speak and I 1 believe there Is a miniature of myself in that locket david added are are you davie mary ellen asked breathlessly im davie he laughed he then explained that his grandmother garland was so keen on him t that at she had had his miniature painted and set in a locket she had had bad it done in powder and patch costume because in that dress lie he was more like his grandfather than ever and it had pleased the elderly woman to see him ill M t thus hus the locket and the t ag had been stolen by a majd and had evidently been sold mary ellen looked up in startled amazement do you know it was a pawnshop that I 1 bought them in in soho she asked david laughed bless that pawnbroker he said and this hesitation waltz do you hesitate to dance with davie he asked mary ellen did not hesitate r V |