Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1915 — BRUNETTE OR BLONDE [ARTICLE]

BRUNETTE OR BLONDE

Girt Always Dreamed of LightHaired Lover, Got Dark One.

By HARMONY WELLER.

(Copyright, 1915, by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) During the 18 months of her engagement and preparation for her marriage Martha had never quite become reconciled to the fact that she had chosen for a life partner a man of brunette type. Always, from her earliest dreams of love, she had pictured a mate whose hair reflected the glory of the sun and whose eyes were blue — blue as the night sky. But alas for 'ideals when flaunted by facts. Martha had fallen in love with David McVicker, and hid hair was as black as the raven’s wing and his eyes were the deep brown of the Arab’s dusky orbs. “Oh, dear!” she sighed, “I seem to get so weary looking at dark hair.” Martha cast a fleeting glance at her reflection, which revealed tresses as black as the shadow of the mountains and eyes only less dark because of the glow of dull red within their lovely depths. “But I suppose since I am to sail Saturday for London and to meet David again, I had better cheer up and forget my golden-haired knight of fancy." Martha had not seen David McVicker for 18 months.

Martha blushed over the fact that she had succumbed to David’s wooing after a scant two weeks’ acquaintance, one of which had been spent on shipboard. After a second week David had returned to his native land, leaving Martha with a most lovely solitaire on her finger and a more or less startled acknowledgment of her engagement. The six months that were expected to intervene between meetings had dragged into 18, and it was with slightly lessened enthusiasm that Martha made preparation for the long-de-layed trip. When the New York sailed into British waters and the mail came on board Martha got a letter from David in which he regretted the fact that he could not meet her at Liverpool. He had been sent to Belfast for at least three weeks on business. Martha sighed, but was not desperately disappointed. David had Informed her that Andre Lequeux, a Belgian, who wad stopping with him, would meet her and pilot her safely to London. Martha found herself wondering what Andre Lequeux would be like, and thinking that she would rejoice in knowing anyone from the now famous country of Belgium. She pondered on the question as to how he would be able to find her among the passenger list, but Martha had not reckoned on David having provided Lequeux with a photograph. It was not difficult then, upon reaching the wharf at Liverpool, to find herself facing a most wonderfully golden-haired young man who introduced himself as Andre Lequeux. Martha smiled and enjoyed the firm grip of the Belgian's hand. She smiled again inwardly when she observed that his eyes were the deep blue of the night sky. If she sighed, Andre did not know that she was comparing him favorably with her dream man of past days. ■>> Lequeux seemed a most capable person and had seen to her luggage, and a customs inspector had put her and her small bags on the train before Martha quite realized It. She found his slightly foreign accent delightful, and realized that she was going to like David’s friend very much indeed. The trip up to London passed without event, save a swift sense of understanding between Lequeux anp the girl to whom David was engaged. The Belgian did not leave her until he had seen her comfortably ensconced in the little private hotel in Holland Park.

After Uat it seemed, as if all life centered in that which concerned Andre Lequeux. Perhaps it was the absolute calmness with which he accepted the fact that he was a refugee, deprived of his home and robbed of the business he had built up in Antwerp that first attracted Martha to him. He had been in the civic guard at the time of the bombardment of Antwerp and after seeing his home and his business premises blown up by the enemy's shrieking shells he had come to England—that haven for all refugees. David McVicker had taken Lequeux into his home and friendship.

The state of affairs began to look ominous. Martha knew that she could never marry David. She had fought desperately against the charm of the Belgian but her struggle had been useless. It was as if a mighty torrent had rushed down from the mountainside and swept her completely into his keeping. Apart from his being the ideal of her youthful dreams in physical beauty he possessed a gentleness of manner, a keen sense of humor and personal charm that Martha loved in spite of herself As for Lequeux, the situation was tragic. He had never before loved a girl and now fate had elected to rob him of home, business and the right to tell that girl that he loved her. Life seemed a queer medley of untold sorrow to him, but his smile was. as ready and his manner as gentle as if the world of joy lay before It was beginning to be most difficult to follow David’s instructions in the matter of entertaining Martha. Lequeux was forced into the girl’s

! presence through David's desire that she be not lonesome while in London and until he himself returned to take her about. More and more the Belgian was falling in love with David’s girl, but he was constantly on guard lest he betray his secret and thus precipitate a crisis that meant a final separation from David and David’s sweetheart. In the meantime, David, over in Belfast, had lost his heart to a little Irish girl and felt himself a cad. The long time that had passed since seeing Martha had worn down the enthusiastic desire he had felt for her and now only a deep regard, such as he would have felt for his brother’s wife, remained. David cursed himself and his fickle nature, but knew not how to stem the current of events that seemed likely to hurl him and Martha over the matrimonial borders. He felt vaguely that Martha was not desperately in love with him and that it would not break her heart were he to be quite frank with her, but David recoiled from the hurt he might inflict. The little Irish girl smiled upon him and David’s business held him another fortnight In Belfast. Martha had intended to wait until his return to London before terminating her engagement to David. Upon learning of his intention to remain away from her another two weeks, she felt as if this would be a good opportunity. She wrote him a letter which blamed him not a little for his neglect of her —blamed him for having placed his friend in such a position. And then she told him everything. It was hard to post the letter and yet Martha could not help feeling that the hurt would not be severe; if David had cared so much he could have found excuse for seeing her before this. It was five days before she received her answer—David had been unable to put his answer to her letter on paper. He had wanted to be honest with her—to tell her all as frankly as she had told him. And it had been difficult.

When Martha read the letter telling of the little Irish girl she laughed. The Belgian was in the room when she received it and he had asked permission to read David’s letter. “It’s an Irish girl!” she said. The Belgian started. , “What—Da vid?” he asked, as if he had been guessing at the truth. Martha nodded. “Write him that it’s —a Belgian—with you,” he laughed. Martha blushed. “I —I've already done it,” she confessed. And then she explained everything to him to hi* entire satisfaction.