| Show THE CHANGE by CATHERINE CRANMER but think what youre shutting yourself away from nell remonstrated her married sister mrs wilting ting please dont dwell on that nells nella tone indicated finality meaning of 0 course a marriage with perry morton yes I 1 mean just that and nothing more yet if you are really absorbed in this work of decorating houses think what an opportunity that old morton country place offers and you could choose any sort of town house want with no limit to what you could spend on furnishings mrs wilkins set aside her unfinished cup of tea with an impatient sigh get thee behind me mammon laughed nell oh have it your own way as you always have things said her sister nell theres no use picturing perry morton as a monster just because you dont happen to fancy him no he a monster at all sis hes merely an easygoing easy going line ot of least resistance sort and his program for life could be filled out twenty years in advance but look at the clock its time to pack the tools with which im to hew out my own little destiny and nell took the nearest route up stairs by way of the back stairway when she came down all ready for the train a mald maid handed her perry marions Mo Ajr rions tons card with this thia message written on it goodby good by ne nell lug luck to you it if I 1 bob up now and then please try to regard me as a good omen when wh en she arrived that night at her tiny one room and kitchenette apartment she found a huge box of pink and white roses A few moments later a telegram was delivered to her it contained this message omen number one may the rose colored days outnumber the colorless ones two to one perry nell worked hard during her first months she had occasional notes from perry morton but since he ha had gone out to a western ranch he had sent her but one note and it contained little litile more than his address one day soon after she had taken a contract for furnishing some apartments she was exploring about in a furniture shop when she was effusively greeted by a young bride from her home city oh nell what a lovely surprise I 1 exclaimed the bride N no 0 ope one au would id suspect you were involved in a mystery dedde A I 1 mystery why by A adelaide what c can ail you mean asked nell just this said the bride with a teasing smile everybody at home wonders about the mystery of your going off to work and perry marions Mo Alor rions tons subsequent affair with mrs mapes widow of his college pal and lastly about perrys sudden departure to for the wild west we cant figure out where you got peeved at perrys fondness for tho the widow or whether ho be went to the wilds to forget you or to forget the widow 1 I see nothing mysterious it rounds just plain silly to me laughed nell she noticed on her table a magazine addressed to her it was mailed at the publishers in new york vork and looking through it she found a blue pencil maik in the index at this fills item subsequent changes of Pre program gram A story by P M ortan orton I 1 it was the story of a young mans awakening to his own unimportance by hearing the girl he loved speak lightly of him while it told of no remarkable emar Rable achievements attained by the man it showed how his mental attitude toward life had undergone such a change that life must hence forth mean something deep to nim mm all the next day nell had that story in her mind and a hundred times she wondered whether the name P HI 11 orton was a contraction ot of perry mortons Mor tons name or merely a coincidence but as often she put the thought from her and tried to be indifferent about it when she reached home that evening she found a telegram from perry avith only this sentence the last omen but one and it will follow shortly halt half an hour later perry appeased appeared at her door nell dear clear he began recklessly as soon as their first greeting was over have I 1 bungled things but I 1 wanted to know and I 1 tell you that day I 1 overheard you tell your sister I 1 was an easygoing easy going line ot of least resistance product of 0 my environment whose life program had all been printed in advance and so on oh perry please dont began nell oh yes nell that was the making of me right that minute I 1 saw myself in a new light that fairly hurt my eyes with its clearness and I 1 set about face to mend my ways and change my program of course I 1 write that story but I 1 told mrs mapes about it you know she makes her living w writing stories and I 1 had her rewrite it five times before it carried the message I 1 wanted it to and nell he continued with less sureness of tone the plans tor for my remodeled country house are in my pocket Is there any message in your heart that corresponds to the one I 1 tried to get to you through that confounded magazine story she did not speak but he read surrender in her telltale face copyright 1916 by mcclure der syndicate |
