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Show The Girl Who Came Back BY JACK WOODFORD L Copyright W. N. U. Servic I level tone. "You were always such a iifetty Utile thing." "Well," returned l.olita a little cynl cally, "it you read the papers and be tieved " "Yes, 1 read them, but I didn't be lleve them. There was always something some-thing aliout you that led me to suspect sus-pect that even under the circumstances circum-stances you'd come out on top somehow." some-how." "I'm far from the top," laughed Lo llta, "but, on the other hand, I am not exactly on the bottom, either." Miss Truxton laughed gaily at this. "I've often wanted to ask Gertrude about you; but Gertrude and I barely speak to each other. She thinks that I am an unexperienced prude and know nothing about life. And I've always al-ways been afraid to be the leapt bit friendly with her anyway, for fear she'd take advantage of It and lay down on the Job she's an excellent saleslady If she's held tightly in hand." Lolita smiled to herself and asked a daring question. "After all, what do you know about life, Miss Truxton?" For some reason this question caused Loliia's former boss to laugh unrestrainedly. "You'd be surprised, my dear that is. If I were to tell you ; but 1 shan't except to say that when 1 was a good deal younger I bad much the same experience ex-perience that you had with that Tor-rence Tor-rence person, In fact, the man I have in mind was so much like Harvey Tor-rence. Tor-rence. It must be hard for the devil to tell them apart now. 1 learned about life from him, and no other man has ever gotten within slapping disv tance of me since that time. However, How-ever, 1 was foolish . . . terribly foolish In letting my experience with one man cause me to hate all men. Shortly after it occurred another man wanted me to marry him. 1 was a fool not to do it. Personally, I think that men ought to be abolished, but as they exist, the best way is to marry a half-way decent one if you can find such, and then do the best you can with him." "You mean, even If you don't love him?" "Most particularly, if you don't love him. The best thing to do about a man you love Is to run from him as from the plague he'll torture you. Pick out a sober, respectable, reliable oue, aud thank your lucky stars for him." "J wonder If you're right?" mused Lolita uloud. "1 gather from that," went on Miss Truxton swiftly, "that you already have a prospect." "Yes, I'm on my way to meet him at tlie preseni moment." "Well, salt him down before some other seiner scoops him up." Lolita laughed and then grew suddeidy serious seri-ous us a new thought struck her. "Would you take me back at the store?" she aSUed. Miss Truxton looked down at her curiously. "Yes. I would; you were an excel lent salesgirl, and no one would remember re-member the first-class news you provided pro-vided for the papers except the girls around the place, anil they'd gel over the shock the tirsl day Lord knows tew of them have any right to talk aliout you hut, in heaven's name, why go back there? I couldu t lay you any more than you were getting before." "I just wanted to know whcthei oi not I could come back. I'm pretly well up against it for money I maj have to It's been u'ee lo see you again." "(iood-by.'' smiled Miss Truxton swinging on. U'atteison was wailing for her Ai the end ol the luncheon they- started for a drive anil at H little park In-stopped In-stopped the car and. reaching down into his pocket, brought up a purpli-plush purpli-plush box the sight, (it which sinnk terroi to i.ulita's Heart opening it lie displayed a diaiiinnd solitaire which nearl took l.olita s breath a way JS'ie lingered it lovingly, put il carefully upon the wrung finger Hud held II out al arm's length Suddenly she was in his arms, and he was covering be' face with kisses: "My dear; oh: m dear," he mur mured, with passionate overtones In bis voice beyond anything Lolita had j ever heard before, "I love you so won't you marry me?" it was on the tip of Loliia's tongue to say yes; but something stopped her. "I'll give you my answer tomorrow. If you'll meet me as usual, about ten o'clock." And with this she marie him be content, though he begged her for something more delinite. Again aud again he kissed her. and Lolita shut j her eyes and tried to be thrilled by It, and did succeed In being thrilled, but only by the thought of bow wonderful won-derful II would be were It Mr. War-rlll. War-rlll. At length he drove her back to her room. i After reading for several hours, and working up a current assignment on the writing course, Lolita lay down, fully dressed, upon the bed, and for hours gave herself op to thought? wholly unpleasant, in the morning her room rent would be due, and she had no money with which to pay It. After she had bought breakfast she would have no money left at all. Certain Cer-tain It was that she would have to do one of three things: marry Watterson, ' go to work at the Emporium, or get In touch with Cray Eyes and ask hlra for help The latter exigency she mentally crossed out of the hazards at once Mr. Warrill would not like it. Still, that was silly, somehow. Mr. Warrill wouldn't care a whoop even if she married Watterson. It was all quite impossible. She rose and undressed rapidly and, tried to go to sleep. The very deptlt of her despair, however, finally roused something deep within her nature which had started to grow the night that she had refused to accept Warrill War-rill on his own terms. Siuce then it had been growing steadily; now, what-ever what-ever it was. It came to her rescue. She sat up In the dark, jaws tightly clicked together, hands clenched. "I'll be d d if I'll give in," she said aloud to herself. "I won't marry Watterson, Wat-terson, It wouldn't be fair to him ; I won't crawl back to work at the Emporium, Em-porium, that wouldn't be fair to myself, my-self, and I won't call on Gray Eyea for help. I'll fight it out, somehow, some other way. Anybody can quit and lay down. If I'm ever going to be somebody, 1 can't afford to let myself my-self act like 'anybody!'" With grim determination and a brave little song In her heart, she rose, turned on tha light, snatched the cover off her typewriter, type-writer, read the last chapter of hei serial, consulted notes on a new chapter chap-ter and set furiously to work. Hours later she dropped on the bed, exhausted, exhaust-ed, an excellent chapter finished. Sleep came to her Instantly. The following morning she rose lata and dressed In a leisurely fashion to delay the moment when she should have to look on the hall tree downstairs down-stairs to see what the mailman had brought her. Having had no supper the night before she felt a little weak and exhausted physically, but, mentally, men-tally, the courage which had come to her in the night was still functioning. There was a grim set tp her mourn, which would have amazed her father, It made her look years older and stronger, and transformed ber sheet preltiness Into something deeper that was very close to beautiful. Even she. as she fastened a little bow on her chemise and caught a glimpse of her eyes in the mirror, saw a new depth in them. Walking downstairs she looked upon the halhree There were several postal pos-tal cards and a letter or two, all of ihese addressed to other roomers In the house nothing for her. Hurrying on out. lest the landlady come and find her in the hall and ask for the rent, she went to a little restaurant res-taurant and ordered rolls and coffee., which she ate right down to the last . runib An hour later, after a brisk walk, she met Watterson. He did not even ask her what her answer was somehow he read It instantly in her eyes. "You'll still let me see you. though, won't you. Lolita?" "Well." she temporized, "1 don't Know I can never marry you; and it seems to me that it would be better for you if we were not to meet again. I've always been afraid that It's taken too much time from your work." (TO BE CONTINUED.! CHAPTER IX Continued 16 "Ob. don't say that, he's quite changed. Uuesu't drink; U working u I j his own business, ile's so diiTerent I hardly believe you'd recognize him. Hi-'.s asked me to marry him." "Wlin a 11" Gertrude's query could be heard the entire length of the room. "Yes. he asked me to marry him. and I rejected him." "Oh, oh, oh. you rejected two million mil-lion dollars when you haven't got enough money to eat! 1 could crown ou with a bottle. Why on earth did you turn him down?" "lip-euuse I don't love him." "Well, what of It? Nobody could love him, but think ot the money." "I hadn't thought ot it ; bul now that you mention It, It would be nice. What a difference money does make. Si III, even leaving that phase of the question out ol It, I do rather like hliu. But 1 most certainly don't love him." Gertrude leaned across the ta hie to speak earnestly. ".Now lookit, kid; don't you be any d u fool. However, you look at the Ihing, and not wanting to hurt youi feelings, let me say that after what's happened to you, you'll look dill'erent to most men it they find out about II anil they always do, somehow, soon er or later, tlnd out those things aud they never forgive 'em. It's the ban dicap every woman has In life. Take It from me, if you've got a chance to grab a ring, you grab it. if you don't like the guy, it won't be any trouble at all to get something on him later und divorce him and knock him for a row of stocks aud bonds for alimony Thai reformation stuff is all the bunk Oh, he may be serious enough about It and be fooling even himself, but take it from me, 1 know his breed. They take a notion to reform about every five years or so, but it never sticks. You'd do better to marry him, not loving him, than to marry some one whom you did love. For every reason In the world, if you can get young Watterson, you grab him take It from one who, etc., etc., etc., 1 guess I don'l need to explain." Lolita was a little moved by the other's un-grammatlcal un-grammatlcal forensic despite herself, and the fact that she was a little moved though not by the argument tier se was to her significant. What got under her skin was the though! that should she marry Watterson. she would have plenty of leisure for solid study and real worthwhile writing, and the fact that this thought did touch her made her see in a vivid new light just how Warrill had thought and felt. Thoughtfully, as she walked toward her room, she remembered the last words that had passed between Ger trude and herself after luncheon; she remembered and wondered just how much she had really meant by them: Gertrude had said at parting: "You take me seriously, now. and cultivate this chap Watterson while he's in a marrying mood?" "Well, maybe," had been her reply CHAPTER X The following morning. Sunday, was a beautiful bright day. Lolita had an appointment with Watters-on al one o'clock. They were to have lunch to gether. Thoughtfully she recalled her remark to Gertrude the day before Watterson. she knew, could lie made to propose again today by the slight est word or look Her room rent, she reflected, was due in the morning, and she had mi the money to pay il. Had altogether only fifty seven cents; she had couiu ed il carefulU the uighl before She dressed with infinite cine p!i k Ing out the prettiest and most becom iug ct the things thai she found pre seulable. The remit was noi wlioltj satisfactory. Her clothes were be ginning to have that worn, ruinpltd look. She happened to glain-e at the cai endur. In two more days il would U-the U-the first of June. Warrill would tie married In Ihe hist week ol Ji"e Sue would, in all probability, not see him again as long as she lived With eai h Increasing week and month It seemed lhal life got harder and harder In order to conserve lo the ulrinmte the tifty-peveu cents remaining to hei she decided to walk down to the meet Ing place. This would take the beitei part of an hour and necessitated start ing at once. Drying her eyes she powdered again carefully and set out At a street corner a familiar voice spoke at her elbow : j "How do you do Miss Forbes?' Lo lita looked up in surprise into Ihe face of Miss Truxton "Why." she prealhed in some emhar m.'-smenl. "how do you do?" Miss Truxton fell inio step lieshn tier. She was a woman ol tliirij lit or forly, of whom Gertrude had onet said. "Iheres DO possiMe chame that she'll evei go wrong o ibodj won ,-. help her." Nevei thi less l.oliia tln.ug.'i-that tln.ug.'i-that there was something almost lie.-ui tiful about hei this mm-ning; she h:iO nevei seen hei look that w:ij in He atore. "I've often wondered what hernme of you" llisa Truxton conli'led in a |
