THE BEE: OMAHA. SUNDAY. MAY 14. 1022.
9-B
LOVE and
If Your Soul Spectrum Happens
to Be Overshot With Blue To
Jay, Try This lively, Humor
ous Yam of College Life
as a Remedy.
II tii In hit tophomor yer and ekad cut
mgr reaour by waiting (our hour day
In th co-op dining hall, tin n a, freahmtn
and rams there to ml H u lank of figur.
but of an open countensne and a hopeful die
position. Mb wss timid, pal and cheaply
garbed, with llttl to command her to tha mas
cullna ty scept golden braids, which In hr
dlffldsnc aha triad to conceal, and two toft,
blu wilh a wistful Jlaht in them that could
not ba concealed at all. Whan aha could get It
aha took tha moat Inconspicuous tabla. This
happened to ba ona of hl. and a waiter leartia
tt read human nature. Eh atudlad the bill of
fara critically, frownlngly, a If consulting a
ery faatldloua taata. but lie knew aa a matter
of fact that aha waa doing "math" figuring
thro ways from tha aoup or two from the
dessert to get a combination that would give
her the greateat aenaa of fullneaa for tha alight
at depletion of her puree,
Tha second time aha honored ona of hla table.
Joseph Hancock emuggled an extra pat of but
ter to her under cover of noma sxcess bread.
1 ho girl noticed it, of couree, and gave him a
any, grateful ik. That waa tha first time that
ha knew that her eyes, braldea being blue and
wistful, had mine of pollahed diamond in the
depth of them. The kindling of thoe spark
ling light gav Jo aom kind of thrill, the
exact duplicate of which he had never before
known.
"Gosh!" ha gaaped out In tha entryway, and
ceneulted th mirror In the waahroom to make
aura hla hair wa allcked back a amooth a
glaaa and aa ahlny aa onyx.
When for dinner tha girl again choaa ona
of hi table Jo felt flattered and encouraged
to apeak, but kept tha remark carefully within
tha Una of hla profeealonal relation to her by
suggesting, "Coffee poor tonight, but I can
recommend tha milk." Ha said this In an un
dertone neces&arlly, fend undertones almost In
avltably have a note of tha confidential In them.
To thla not tha girl responded. "I prefer
milk," shs sdmltted, lifting the soft, blue eyes,
"only only It doesn't taste Ilk tha milk wa
used to get down on tha farm." '
"This will," assured Joe, proudly. "Leave It
to ourself."
; At the lc box he dexterously manipulated
th pitcher and tha glasses under ths very eye
of ths Jap custodian, and th girl got a glass
that waa half cream.
"O!" she sighed, after taking a sip, and glow
d upon him.
"On th q. t," he warned, not with hi lips,
but by lowering the screen of an eyelid for a
aecond, tha accidental presence of the head
waiter In the vicinage having compelled such '
discretion. The girl caught the, Import of th
Ignal and bowed her face to her food, dlushlng
alightly. Thla wa th first time Jo knew
there could be color In those transparent
cheek.
"Th girl' anaemic, run down, starved!" he
diagnosed, and satisfied some Impulse of his
heart by smuggling two pats of butter to the
side of her .plat. She acknowledged them with
a grateful look.
"My name's Jo Hancock," he confided, re
arranging the salt, pepper and sauce bottles,
and pretending to brush Imaginary crumbs from
the other side of the table as excusing his
lingering presence.. v
"That's a good name," the girl said, smiling
at ths sound as If it gavs her pleasure.. - ... v '
"Like It?"" remarked Joe, beaming.
"Hancock is la so classic in American his
tory, you know," she responded, as trying to be
very pleasant, "and Joe la auch an honest
name, don't you think?"
Joe blushed beautifully. "What' yours?" he
demanded, interestedly. -
"Lela Lela Mason," she responded with
frank simplicity. '
"Gee!" said Jo, hla brow rising. "That' a
peach of a name."
"You are awfully kind," ahe commented, and
than, lest he should misunderstand her mean
ing, tapped th glaaa of half and half signifi
cantly. '.-
"Kind la my middle name to some people," -he
boasted. .. ,
In th next few minutes, as young Mr. Han
cock bualed himself with sundry goings to and
fro, occasional irresistible glance were stolen
at th meek golden head yonder, and a design
and a program began to tak form within his
mind, a design slightly predatory In on direc
tion, but nobly charitable In another. t-
"Chef,", he began, Impressively, when ap
proach and petition might be mad to that
dark, majestio presence who presided in the
kitchen, "when -I say 'Small steak' you give
me a small steak, don't you?"
"Ah ho' does, college boy," affirmed that
- sweating lump of ebony with an air of con
clou rectitude. -
"Wall, now," proposed Joe in wheedling
tones, "from this on, one in a while, you
are going to hear me pip 'Steak small' Instead.
That's a high algn take me? When you hear
it grab a T-bone, cut the bone out of it
and fix It up so It will go by the checker1 as a
piece of round." ; -' ' i
Th black chef looked thoughtful under hla
white cap. and increased the measure of his
frowning dignity as he weighed the cool sugges
tion to organise a system of petty larceny.
"Ah gits, you, .Mlstah Hancock," he admitted
at length, "but what else does Ah git?" The
emphasis was significant. .
Jo thrust a half dollar into th yellow
palm of a black hand that happened to be '
mysteriofisly open and conveniently near.
"I can't keep this up, you understand, Sam,"
he explained, putting pressure upon the halt
dollar till It weighed like a golden twenty.
"I'm workin,' my way; but lt'a for a poor little
girl, a freshle. She'a halt starved, and, just as
a matter of humanity, I've got to fatten her up
till ah can do herself Justice, in her studies at
least." ; '
Joe got a good deal of plea into his tones,
and the black man had a sympathetic heart, as
well as a palm that itched.
"AU right, Mlstah Joe," he conceded, grand
ly. "I'll collide wid you on de proposition; and,
one In a while when ydu-all's finances will
stand it, you collide wid me," and he tapped his
pocket and rolled hi eyes, both significantly.
"You're on," declared Joe, with a croak of
emotion in hla Utterances, and hurried outside
to make a suggestion to a certain young lady
as he tor off her meal check.
Now, in simple truth, the cheapest steak
was beyond Lola's means; yet she could not
appear ungrateful, and came the next night
determined recklessly to major on that viand.
ws a miracle steak that she got rich, ten
der, juicy, unbelievably palatable. And as the
days went on other miraclea were wrought in
the old dining hall. Instead of being drowned
in a thin blue fluid called by the trade
nam of milk, her cereal of mornings and her
, rice puddings for dessert were smothered in a
froth of rich cream.
Jo Hancock, too, began. to appear more in.
the role of a prestidigator than a waiter. He
could be loitering along th aisle, ostentatiously
looking out for th wants of his patrons, and
maybe backing up against her table as he made
way for aome one to pass, or even while he
exchanged a few casual words with the head
waiter; but, lo, when he moved off there would
a small extra pitcher of maple syrup for
hr hot cake upon th table
which had got been titer
far. Joe must fcev b
carrying that pitcher around
la hi hip pocket till th op
portune moment arrived; yet
haw h had den It without
diaaater was more than ah
could vr understand.
A for th benignant
elelaht of hand performer,
by th end of th very first
k h beian to get aa ua
aolfieh msn's reward la se
Ing that Lela' hollow cheek
war filling, th first faint
bluan of a roe color that wa
to be permanent growing wp
on them.
"Mi' fattening up! Bhs's
fattening up!" he chuckled,
exuberantly. Then hla mood
becani rspt and sober.
"Dice her little heart!" he
breathed softly,
Thla utterance waa follow
ed by a peculiar dissolving
sonsstlon in his breast. Jo
did not understand thla. It
wit a feeling that cmbar
raaaed him. He obtained re
lief from It by approaching
lle with a bold auggeatlon,
for practice had mad him
skillful and success had made
him daring.
"Don't do any mor 'math'
over th menu card." b told
her,- seising a moment when
such confldencs was possible,
know what we've got, and I'll
kno wwhat we've got. and I'll
se you get th beat there) I
each time, and I'll fig th
check."
"But I It right?" gaaped
th girl, with round, worried
eyea. for conacianc has been
troubling her.
"Right!" ejaculated Jo,
pursing his lips and frown
ing. "Of court it' right.
This la a co-op hall. Isn't it?"
Lela did not sea Just why
this should make a differ
ence, but Joe said It did, and
he was a sophomore; shs waa
only a freshman. Besides,
ths world had dealt rather
skimpily with her hitherto,
and hers was not a natur to
fly In th face of Providence.
With Joe the casuistries re
solved themselves quit a
easily. He waa getting so in
terested In this girl, so fasci
nated by the growing round
of cheek and increasing
shapeliness of arm and shoul
der, that his appetite dimin
ished. He waa eating very
little himself. Whatever th
co-op loat on Lela Mason,
Joe wss sure it mad up on
him; and yet he felt no pang
of starvation. It waa food
and drink to him Just to
stand off and gaxa at her when she did not
know that be was gaslng; and it was positively
thrilling to observe her delighted flush at dis
covering his glanc upon her. She was still
sparing of conversation, but such eloquent
messages of thanks and grateful appreciation
as she sent to him across that old dining hall!
And pretty? Why, the girl waa going to be
beautiful was beautiful already. In his own
absorption with that bright spectacle it did not
occur to him that others might be discovering
that nascent beauty also. That "Fat" Franklin,
for instance, a proud junior, possessor of an
automobile and such wealth that he could faro
sumptuously on T-bone steak three times a day
it he so minded, and who got creams and ,
syrups and butter galore by the simple expedi
ent of paying extra for them that he, who waa
accounted one of the boldest and most success
ful "queeners" in the college, should this day
for the first time have contemplated with the
interest of discovery th reddening roses, the
rounding curves, and the soft blue eyes of Lela
Mason,4 was a consideration quite below the
threshold of Joe Hancock's consciousness.
"Some queen, I'll say!" murmured "Fat"' Into
his coffee cup, and assayed her boldly with an
expert eye.
v - For Joe to have known about this would have
disquieted htm greatly, and today nothing dis
quieted him, because, a second week of their
casual acquaintanceship having passed, he had
ventured to ask Lela to step out with him, and
she had consented modestly. It was a blissfully
boy and girl time they had together. They ex
changed life stories and found several pleasant
parallels. Joe heard with sympathetic admira
tion how Lela mind hungering for an educa-,
tlon living wlthTa maiden aunt poor almost as
herself, had scraped and pinched her way
through high school and was at last here,
pinching her way through the University and
sharing the expenses and the discomforts of an
attlo Chamber in Mrs. Mcllheney's rooming
house with Irma Woods, a girl as poor and aa
ambitious as herself,
- And on the very next occasion of their step-
ping out together perhaps because it waa in
the moonlight this time and' under the grand
old campus oaks Joe Hancock found himself
desperately in love with Lela Mason, but when
ho tried to strangely put the new, the supreme
emotion into words his tongue was tied, though
his heart pounded and tor at it fastenings.
The next afternoon he stood before a jewelry
shop, gazing upon traya of rings, diamond rings.
And then a great Idea occurred to him. A ring
would break the ice. The production, the prof
fering of the golden circlet with its tiny eye of
fire would disclose his heart and high intent
in a single gesture. Thereafter all would be
easy easy. Daringly, as Hobson Into the bottle
neck at Santiago, he went in and priced the
rings. But here disappointment couched.. The
only ones he would have considered adequate
were tagged at from $500 up. Mercifully, how
ever, aome dlamonda are smaller than others.
There were diamond rings as low in price as
$25, yet the one which was the very smallest
-that it aeemed to him his self-respect could
otter and, at the same time, the very largest
to which his impecunlosity could aspire, was
priced at $110.
To be sure, Joseph Hancock had not $110
nor any portion thereof to spare above the raw
necessities of his lite, yet in his days of struggle
he had learned one lesson surely. Money was
to be got by working for It. He strolled about
the town and found a pile of bricks that was to
be moved a halt block from where they had
been dumped off the flat cars to the spot upon
which they were to be built, Into a pottery kiln.
It waa a wheelbarrow job, and the contractor
confessed he waa in no hurrV to have the bricks
moved, construction being delayed by other ele
ments. Joe engaged himself to move the bricks,
working two hours a day, for the sum of $110.
How the unusual toll tired him! And how
his tlngers stiffened until he was no longer a
successful juggler. Once he waa nearly detected
by the Jap at the ice chest. Another time he
capsized a pitcher ot maple syrup in his pocket
and had to go through the duties of the break
fast hour with the gooxy stuff saturating trous
ers and crawling maddeningly . down his leg.
Pride, of course, kept him from disclosing a
mishap like this to the only person who could
have regarded it sympathetically and not hu
morously. But the greatest disadvantage of all was that
the brick contract made such inroads upon his
already overmortgaged hours as left him now
no time at all for Lela -except on Friday nights.
Moreover, his strategy ot th ring; which in-
LE AEN. By
'Cm1tI ytmnlt,
volved a complete surprise, forbad him to offer
any explanation of what he was doing with hi
afternoons. This waa a vital error. It pemitted
Lela to infer that Joe Hancock's interest In her
was merely benevolent. Mor dangerous till,
it left her with ample time In which to receive
the now proffered attentions ot "Fat" Franklin,
which she did with a good conscience and a
woman's natural pride in having attracted on
of th bigger fish in the pooL
- But, blissfully unconscious of these errors,
Joe loaded and wheeled and piled in hope, find
ing full compensation for ail his labors and
.deprivation in th increasing pulchritud of
Miss Mason and the ever-beaming warmth of
her smile up to that moment when, glancing
out of the window of the dining hall aa th mid
day meal waa in swing, he observed the girl
coming down the graveled path chatting gaily
with Milton Franklin. -
Now It must be explained at this point that
Milton Franklin had the faculty of rubbing cer
tain kinds of people the, wrong way, people
whom, for one reason or another, "Fat" con
sidered less than his equals. He was not popu
lar with waiters. The mere sight of him with
l ela gave Joe an incipient case of dispositional
pip. Joe was not even aware that they knew
each other, yet from their manner they aeemed
painfully well acquainted. The sudden stoppage
of his heart passed, however, with Lela's cheery'
greeting, and that organ thumped proudly as
he girl started toward her accustomed table.
: But there followed to her place the obese and
self-assertive young Franklin person.'
"Allow me!" "Fat" said grandly, and pushed
in Lela's chair for her; then took the opposite
. one.
"I'd like to push his face in th slob!"
growled Joe away down in his larynx.
"Walter!" "Fat" called with an authoritative
voice. "Waiter!"
Joseph Hancock was Instantly furious. Duty
compelled him to take Mr. Franklin's pomp
; ously given order, but even while doing o be
was planning to provide that presumptions In
terloper with an experience and a dinner he
could never forget. . By the time Joe actually
reached ths purlieus of cookery his specifics
tions were, complete.
, "One steak sma-a-H!" he bawled, and, draw
ing near enough for the purpose, he slipped
the chef one. ot those rare half dollars, whereat
the whites of the dark eyes rolled and a black
face nodded alert comprehension. "And, say,
Sam!" Joe's eyes narrowed to that tenae and
eager whisper in which 'dark plots are laid.
"Besides that, have you got a steak in the house
so tough a dog couldn't eat It? If you have,
and can do anything to make it tougher than
it is already, do it; then camouflage It with
onions and slip it to me."
"He-he-he-he!" laughed the chef aa he read
the gloomy tracery, upon the boy face a one
reads headlines in a newspaper. "Some guy
done buttin in on dat 111 gal, huh!" he gurgled.
"Butt-in la r-r-right!" growled Joe, grinding
his teeth. " -.
Face beaming, throat chuckling, hands con
spiring, the black chef "collided" with enthu
siasm, and the contrast between the two din
ners served at one table that night waa a
malicious triumph. ' The perspiration stood out
on Milton Franklin's face aa he sawed at his
steak. Lela's cut easily, and she lifted the juicy,
morsels to her Hps with the consciousness that
she had never had a finer. ,
"Say," "Fat" protested to her as his exaspera
tion and hla meal reached their climax together,
"this is the soggleat potato I ever aaw in my
life. Not even th co-op hall can make 'em any
soggier. This bread la positively petrified. -No
bride ever baked a harder loaf. , And, further
more, I'd like to meet th guy that put hair oil
on my rice pudding." ,
He fumed a moment while Lela looked em
barrassed and murmured: "O, I am ao sorry,
Mr. Franklin."
"Most delightful company I've ever had In
this hall. Mis Mason," mumbled Milt, "and
poorest dinner! Miserable waiter you've got.
We'll eat at my tabl tonight, and we'll get
soms service.
The last sentence of this speech waa framed
particularly for the ears of young Joseph Han
cock, just tkea bringing the soup to the next
table, but It was Lela who answered it, flushing
with Indignant surprise.
"Why no!" she negatived loyally and turned
her blue eyes up to bestow a glance of eloquent
comfort upon Joe. "I've had a delightful din
ner. I think I have the best waiter in the hall.
I wouldn't leave him for anything."
Without appearing to hay overheard, Joe's
Mr. FrmMin.- JW tmd with dignity f "FmL"
features wreathed themselves In a heavenly
smile. Sweet revenge and sweeter reward had
floated to hla ear In a single speech.
"He' rotten, I'll ay," declared "Fat" grump
ily. At the word fresh rag got up In th heart
of Joe, rage and a further thirst for revenge
that. parched and constricted his throst like a
consuming fire, while1 kindly fate Immediately
afforded the opportunity for retaliation. The
fidgety young freshle Just behind "Fat," for
whom the soup was destined, not nottcing the
near approach of th first Item of the luncheon,
chose this particular fraction of time In which
to half rise and readjust his chair. In so doing
hi shoulder either cam in violent contact with
the ministering hand of Joe, or seemed to.
Anyway, the aoup plat waa tilted and sent a
small Niagara of rice-tomato fluid cascading
in a hot douche down the back of the Franklin
neck and inside ths Franklin semester shirt,
thereby. In fact, debarring that garment from
being a semester shirt at all, sine it would now
lose it right to that title through having to be
laundered at a time when th semester waa
only well under way.
"Wow! "What In blinking blazes? I'm scald
ed!" These and other phrases, ldeaa and ejacu
lations did Milton Franklin erupt as he leaped
violently Into the air.
- "You you clumsy Idiot!" he cried, and lifted
his hand to strike. A rather mighty hand It
was; for, despite his fatness. Franklin was some
thing of an athlete and noted for hi strength
of arm.
But already Joe Hancock's next strategy was
developing. ' His glance was bent upon the fid
gety, embarrassed froshle who, guilty or not .
guilty, was to furnish the alibi demanded by th
exigencies of the waiter's situation.
"Now, see what you did!" he exclaimed, hotly.
"When you alt down, why don't you stay down?
If you're going to get up under a plate of soup,
why don't you ring a bell or something? You .
better apologise to Mr. Franklin now." .
"Him apologise!" snorted, "Fat," sarcasm and
anger mingling. "Not him! Tou! And apologies
won't let you off, either."
Actually "Fat" was drawing back that brutal
fist of his and going to awing it against th
smooth but now alightly tanned cheek of Joe
Hancock; arid Joe, full of fight, waa ready for
him. He waa younger by a year he was slighter
by 20 pounds but all that trundling of wheel
barrow loads of bricks had given him arms of
steel, and It Is possible that when he swung his
fists it would have been aa If he had a brick In
each hand, and that one of these, landing con
veniently on the rotund target ot a stomach
which "Fat" presented first, and the other fol
lowing to the chin, might have made wreck of
Milton Franklin, But nothing of this kind hap
pened, for Instantly the little girl waa standing
between them, Straight, taller than she had ever
appeared before, her cheek glowing, her eye
expressing indignation, resentment and biasing
rebuke. .
"Control yourself, Mr. Franklin!", shs said,
with dignity. "I could see It was a pure acci
dent. Mr. Hancock waa not in the least to
blame." '
"An accident?" queried "Fat," incredulously..
"Not much It wasnt any accident This fellow'
- taken a dislike to me, 'sail." But "Fat's" fist
had ceased, to menac. The girl' eye had cowed
him, or elapsing seconds had given him tlm to
s cool off.
"Why, Mr. Franklin! How could you say
that?" reproached the girl, and Milton began
to feel ashamed for his b rashness and to be
more immediately conscious of the embarrass
ments of his physical condition.
Besides, the head waiter was on the seen by
this time, rebuking Joe, staring severely at the
fidgety freshman, and assisting, by ths sacrifice
of many paper napkins, In wiping off th neck
of Mr. Franklin' person and the back of his
coat But no amount of wlplngs and no sacrifice
of napkins could make Mr. Franklin presentable
for the street or the lectur room. He had to
depart lgnomlnously tor his rooms, a bath and a
new set of garments from the Skin out He
went dripping soup from two heels and with a
lowering glance at Joseph Hancock.
Gloating and exulting In th discomfiture
of "Fat" and before her Joe, unaware how
soon hs waa to turn a new page in the book of
his knowledge of womankind, started out to
have a happy afternoon with hla bricks. Never
hsd the toil seemed so light Never had a
panorama of such entertaining memory pictures
reeled before his mind. Whenever these reached
their climax, with "Fat" red-faced and deluged,
sputtering and squawking. Jot was compelled t
Peter Clark Macfarlane
St'
et his barrow down and give way to tits of un
controllable laughter.
It was in the midst of one of these attacks of
the rlslbles that he turned the new page, when
right before his eyes a huge open automobile,
full of merry "studes" of both sexes, cam
whirling down the street and was held up mo
mentarily by the passing of an electric train. In
that moment Joe discerned that "Fat" Franklin
waa at the wheel ,and that the merriest of th
party waa the girl who sat beside him, a girl in
a blue sweater, with a knitted cap ot the aam
color pushed to one side by a wealth of golden
braids, which she seemed aa anxious now to dis
play as she once had been to conceal for It waa
Lela!
She was rocking from side to side In sheer
exuberance of spirit, allowing the cadences of
silvery laughter over aome wit of "Fat's," no
doubt to peal out so that they sounded to the
lover's Jealous ear even above the rumble ot
the passing train. In the same instant that he
saw all this Joe curled up and dropped behind
th screening heap as if one of his own bricks
had struck him where his belt buckled. For a
moment he waa alck with the pain of Just such
a blow. Then; manfully, he sought to master
himself.
"Didn't take her long to make up with him!"
he groaned In a hollow voice, and then raised
hla head cautiously. They were gone. "Me
wheeling bricks and her Joy riding!" he mut
tered, Sickly. , ,
. The afternoon waa apoiled for Joe. But, luck
ily or unluckily it waa Friday afternoon, and
Friday afternoon had always been succeeded so
far by Friday night - Friday night was his night
to be with Lela, when he could see her, step out
With her, talk with her, with no "Fat" Frank.
,11ns, no automobiles, no anything else to make
the slightest claim upon her attention. Yet he
decided this evening, when she cam in to din
ner, to be distant.
' But he couldn't manage being distant with
her. For one thing, it was plain that Lela had
been discovered. Half the seniors in the place
were tossing goo-goo glances in her direction
tonight Humbly, confidentially, Joe communi
cated his intention to visit her tonight "as per
usual." To his consternation, she confessed a
"previous." -
Joe was hurt and showed it; whereupon the
young lady reproached him with:
"I didn't suppose you'd mind if I got. the
chance for a ride. They have come so seldom,
you know; and, besides, the visibility has been
kind of low of late as far as you were con
cerned." , c .
The remark was without emphasis and purely
by way of explanation, but it stung it pierced
and the gall sack of a young heart's bitterness
was suddenly filled.
"Mind? Sure not. Go ahead. I'm glad you
can get 'em. Get all you can of 'em," Joe urged,
and waa careful to urge it cuttingly. "And don't
mind me, I'm nobody. You don't need me any
more." ,-..
. The girl stared with round-eyed astonishment,
and then resentment curled her beautiful lips.
"O, all right" she retorted, "if you want to be
selfish!" and switched her golden braids.
Selfish! He selfish, after all this sleight of
hand! Could she, after accepting his uncounted
pitchers of cream and boneless T-bones, turn
about and coolly accept another fellow's auto
bile rides? And on his night, too? If It were so,
elastic Indeed was the conscience of a woman.
' Jo, turned scornfully from her presence, but
sum tlm during th ensuing sleepless nights
perceived that the fault was all his, that he had
been a' fooL He had argued that because she
accepted T-bones so radiantly she loved him.
Were the other young fellows to infer that be
cause she accepted their automobile rides witb
equal radiance she therefore loved them? Un
thinkable! Quite unthinkable. But the beans
were already spilled, for next morning Lela
Mason did not sit at his table. Upon the other
side ot th room shs ate cereal with thin, blue,
watery fluid upon It, and hot cakes lubricated
with ons little pat ot butter per cake and sweet
ened with one lonesome tiny pitcher of syrup.
Joe was mad for Lela to know that his re
sentment had melted, that his heart was bathed
in the bitter waters of remorse and his soul en
vironed in an atmosphere of deep contrition,
but she would not even look in his direction.
Days went by like this, and even weeks
weeks of agony for Joe, but weeks of giddy hap
piness for Lela Mason. A hard, skimpy life had
become suddenly rich, varied and Joyous. Half
a dosen of the best known men in college con
tended for her idle hours, others among them
besides Franklin owning automobile, and aha
il ' lit rtl mm ill m m. J
took scstful advent! of her opporiunlil Tat
th bright-faced girl wa x full of euniradviy
gratltud to mak Je suffer Interminably fur
thla brash rudeness of uuprt4 youth.
On Might Jo found hr sitting s-rnly at
hi tabts. Rh greeted him with th eld frank
mil .and hi heart plunged Ilk a wild bora
In hi breast lisp dwelt one mor In him,
high hop, bacauaa h fait that th tint war
peculiarly auspicious for him, fr'or on thing,
th brick war almost whealad, and, for an
other, th day of th annual track mt and field
sports between Doneer and Hranai.tt.r univer
sities waa at hand, "rat" Franklin, a man of
sporting proclivities, was bonnd to hsv hi In
terest la romance wllowd up for a brief in
larval bsfor and attar that field day by sbaorp.
ttoa la Its vnt, for flerv wss th rivalry be
twssn th two Institutions.
On th very day b.for th mt Jo wheal
hi last brick and declared himself off of wheel
barrow and bricks for life. Hut ths contrsctor
proved that hs wss a man with a heart by sdd
tr.g somewhat to Jos's stipend.
"You did a neat Job," hs confessed. "!!rr'a a
bonus of $11." '
Bonus! Th word had never had an sdequat
meaning to Jo until that minute. 'Thank you,"
h gulped, hi ty lighting with gratitude aa
h perceived how much mor luatruus a dia
mond could be purchased for $1!S than far 111.
But when Joe, after shfddlng overalls snd
dolling for ths street, coasted Into ths offing
before Boy Lee' Jewelry atora h encountered
th shock of his life. "Kal" Franklin was Just
entering ths plac. Through th window Jo
saw him purchase a giant sparkler, saw him dig
In all his pockets for money, and thereafter
writ something on a cardan I. O. V. for
balance, no doubt And "Fat" was no senU
mentallst. but cold and practical. If. the day
befor a loyal rrioneer man would need all th
money h could raise, "Fat" Franklin had
stripped himself of funds and mortgased hla
futur allowances, It wss because he hsd slresdy
mad definite arrangement with th finger
ahlch that diamond waa to adorn.
Th world turned black befor Joe's eyea II
ctushsd th $12$ down deep In .hi pocket snd
turned ickly away. In front ot him was "Kst's"
car. standing at ths curb. He recoiled from th
csr fiercely and turned north, when that his
heart wound might ba torn afresh hers csma
Lela Mason, looking, If posstbl. mor swest and
wlnsom than he hsd sver known her to appear
befor.
But Jo could have no grievance against Lela
because h had lo ther. Th light of th girt
stimulated while It pained him. He was even
abl to recall that shs always came down from
"lab" about this time, free for several hours,
and Instantly grasped the situation. "Fat." wltjt
his car conveniently psrked at the corner, and
hi diamond ring in his pocket was waiting to
take her for a ride; and during that ride
Within Joe's soul wss the sound of weeping
and wailing and gnashing of teeth, and ths reign
of darkness that was outer and terrible as he
thought of what was to occur upon that ride.
Yet Joe's waa no craven spirit, and prlda had
saved many a face.
"Hello, Lela!" he chirped, bluffing mon
strously. "Gosh, but you're looking snappy this)
aft"
Th girl stopped dead to gas with playful
surprise.
Is this you, Joe, or somebody els?" shs de
manded. "Gracious grandmother, but it's a joy
to see you on evhlbitlon in th p. m. hours one
more. On what aector ot ths educational front
hav you been effacing yourself In th after
noons of lata?"
Jo could only flush.
"Still keeping the dark secret, hey?" shs ral
lied. "O, all right; I won't tease. I'll just b
thankful for amall favors. Whither shall w
dawdle for aa hour?" She tossed him an armful
of books.
Something clicked in Joe's reeling brain. Ob
viously, than, Lela had no dat to rid with
"Fat" yat "Fat" Jo wa perfectly surs, had
In his mind a date for a rid with her.
Now, there 1 something in the male wooer
that can mak hi mendure with stolo fortitude
hi own excruciating agony whll finding a grim
pleasure in tantalising, at th moment of victory,
th rival who ha beaten him. Jo saw a chance
to spoil "Fat's" plan for a ride and th fixation
of a diamond ring, and eagerly he leaped at It
He had th time, he had th girl, and yonder at
th curb stood a ahlny new touring car with
upon it a- algn: "For hire, $2 per hour." In
Joe's pocket were $12$ that were now of no
us to him whatever.
"What say to a ride, Lela?" he proposed, and
jerked his head In the direction ot th public
car. ,
"O, I would love it!" she exclaimed, eyea
sparkling.
Jo gazed at thoss eyes enviously. Looking;
at them so near, so cordial and so warm, It waa
difficult to realise that he had lost them; yet
Within him, carefully concealed, was the knowl
edge of the truth, and sorrowfully, as ona takes
flowers to a funeral, he was paying his last re
spects, f
Outwardly, Joe was a game sport.
"Jump In!" he said to Lela, and held open
he door tor her.
"Where to, sir?" Inquired the mahout
, "Down the line," said Joe in a big way. "Glv
her the gun."
Lela shot a little- glance of, admiration. It
was astonishing how well ho did it She had
never felt admiration for Joe before, only grati
tude; now she nestled close to: his sids, looking
up at him with a vague, new kind of emotion. .
As they rolled slowly down the street, past
tho service station, there was "Fat" Franklin
(tiling his tanks. Lela did not see him, but Jo
lid, and it was worth a million dollars to observe
Fat's" start, his stare, the drop of his jaw.
They passed out of town, and the car swung
jn and on over long miles of polished boulevard
?d surface between a verdant panorama of field
ind garden and orchard, Lela manifesting her
onjoyment In many ways.
"Going to the track meet tomorrow?" In
, nulred Joe.
"I think so," Lela answered, but a bit doubt
fully. . v
Joe's mind seised instantly upon this doubtful
note. She thought so ! It had not been settled
definitely then, but she was depending upon
. "Fat" , ,. ' ; -
Now, It could knock an awful hole in a man'g
pocketbook, taking a girl to that shindig to
morrow and seeing her through on it ail tho
way round, and "Fat" well, Joe had reason to
know that Just now "Fat" was quite denuded
of funds; in terser English, he was broke.
"I'm Just crazy to go!" the girl confessed with
shining eyes.
From under his lids Jos peered down side
wise and assayed the woman critically, thea
asked himself a man's question about this soft
little thing. Would she, engaged to Milton
Franklin, coolly abandon the possibility wlta
hsr accepted lover for a sute-thlng trip witk
on who was a rank outsider so far as her reaj
affections were concerned? The eager, wistful
face gav immediate answer. Joe could not ba
left in doubt for a minute. "The little vamp!"
he murmured under his breath. "The littla
salamander!" 1
The girl went down in his estimation. He had
been reverently afraid to touch her before. Now
he threw an arm around her and drew her to
him. He believed that he could have kissed her.
a thing he had once wanted painfully to do, but
that all at one he did not car about particu
larly. If he had kissed her it would havs been
to crush his lips against hers and then fling
her down like a plucked flower.
The littles vamp! Working us all for T-bones.
for auto rides, tor whatever she can get out
of ua!"
Jo aaw that his love for the girl was dying
a quick and merciful death. It seemed as JJf
mh mil at have read his thoughts. Turaisst atBI
(Tsra to Face Taata. ,
