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Show Cns Way to j Dispose of a 1 1 Lover oo ; ; By MYRA CURTIS LANE ((. ltm-l. Western Newspaper Union.) P HOULD she put him to the supreme k"' test? Dolly was wondering as she sat side by side with her fiance, listening lis-tening to bis words of love, his arm about her. Somehow she had never felt quite sure of Harry. She cared for him but he didn't quite measure up to ber standard of a man. A little small, perhaps, per-haps, in many ways. And she,was his own age thirty, and infinitely older In experience. After all, unless he could attain to that standard of magnanimity that she had set up, she didn't want him. That was what she was thinking as she listened lis-tened to his confession. "1 feel I've got to tell yon, darling, that my life hasn't been quite all It ought to be." "You mean that there have been women In your life before?" Yes, that was what he was trying to tell her. "In more than a a right way?" "Yes. Just as with all men. Not merely sweethearts, but everything. You understand?" "Who were they? How many of them?" asked Dolly, with a beating heart. And, as he was silent, "Two? More than two? Three? Half a dozen?" Hnrry was silent. She felt his throat move convulsively as he swallowed. "A great many more than that," he answered. "Dozens?" "Yes, more like that." "You must have been quite a lady-killer lady-killer In your time, Harry," she said acidly. "Dolly, that's what no good woman understands. There have been women some one practically all the time since I was a boy. Every man is like that. If women only married good men, there would be mighty few marriages. mar-riages. Dear, I've told you this because be-cause I want us to start our life together to-gether In complete understanding. I'm coming to you and asking you to forgive. for-give. Do you think you can?" "Why, Harry," she answered, Tib sorry to hear what you tell me, but I've heard something of this sort before. be-fore. I I'm not Ignorant of life, you know," she added, with a little laugh. "Yes, of course, I forgive you, Harry. Only there's something I shall hare to tell you," she added with a nervous Uttle laugh. "You mean you've been In love before be-fore been kissed?" he asked. . "Oh, yes, I've been kissed, Harry," she answered, with a little mouth of disgust that he did not see In the darkness. dark-ness. "Engaged?' "Why yes, I was engaged once, when I was a young girl," she replied. "Now. whn t I've got to tell Is something some-thing worse than that." Suddenly he swung toward her. "My God, Dolly, you you don't mean you ?" he stammered. "Once," she answered gravely. "Harry, I must tell you about it I was a child only sixteen. I had not learned the difference .between good and evil. He was a man. It was on a vacation. I I didn't know, understand under-stand " i She broke off. "Now I've told you all, Harry. Can you forgive me?" But he was rocking to and fro. "My God, my God !" he was moaning. She laid her hand on his arm. "Harry, I 1 thought after what you told me yourself you would be big enough to understand." "My God! it's different I It's all different dif-ferent ! Don't you understand that It's different?" Silence fell. At last he rose. He was slinking away. She stopped him with a word. "We may as well understand each other, Harry," she said bitterly. "I suppose you mean that you wish to end our engagement?" "What else Is there to do? You know " "I suppose I'm a fool to have told you." "You had no right to make me love you with this hideous secret In your past life." "Oh, go away, Harry, you make me tired!" she answered contemptuously, and watched him disappear 1b the night. ! So that was that. Small men, small j standards. She wus glad she had told him and was free again. Fortunately her reputation was not at his mercy; she was only visiting at the hotel. But what made her gladdest of all was that she would never have to let him know that her confession, which I had been made to test him, was a He. |