Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 282, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 November 1916 — Delmar’s Vacation [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Delmar’s Vacation

By GEORGE ELMER COBB

(Copyright, »16, by W. O. Chapman.) “A leave of absence for a month,” spoke the manager of Morgan & Co., “and your salary check for the full month In advance.” ‘‘But I never asked for a vacation,” explained Lionel Delmar. “That’s why!" smiled the manager. “The firm considers that a man who has worked without a rest for five years needs and deserves a vacation.” *Tm sure I am grateful—yes, and glad,” observed Delmar, warming up to the subject as he saw untrammeled freedom and variety ahead of him. “By the way, I’m going to bury myself with gun and rod up in the wilds of Wisconsin. I’ll send you some deer. How would that do?” “Famous!” “And the cashier, who has been almost as good a friend to me as yourself, a hamper of rare brook trout, eh?” “He’ll appreciate it.” Quite jolly Delmar felt over It all as the idea of a vast pleasurable change began to grow on him. Time was when he could not have afforded the jaunt. But he now felt that it was coming to him and he had two hundred dollars saved up. Saturday was only two days ahead and he spent half of the evening looking over sportsmen’s catalogues and selecting a list for his hunting and camping outfit Then he went out 1 and purchased a basket of fruit and some bakery tri-

fles and proceeded to a near, but much less pretentious, building than the one in which he roomed. “I mustn’t forget poor Dalby’s widow and little Ned,” he soliloquized, “ril slip a tenner into the lad’s hand so they won’t suffer while I’m away.” It was not the first time Delmar had shown little helpful attentions to the Dalbys. John Dalby had worked by his side for years and they had been good friends. Since his death a year previous Delmar had more than once eased the poverty of the patient, plodding widow, who went out as a day seamstress, but«earned barely enough to provide for herself and her little, son, Ned, aged eight. The latter was* an invalid and his illness and needs were a great drawback to his faithful mother. , Just as Delmar was about to enter the street doorway of the old tenement building where the Dalbys lived, a young lady came out. He stepped aside politely to give her room and she flashed a pleased, courteous look upon him. He stood staring after her, for her grace and beauty were a revelation to him. She entered an automobile, the chauffeur started up the machine and Delmar stood like one in a trance with the memory in his mind of the most beautiful girl he had ever gazed upon. “Here we are 1” he cried cheerily, us be entered the rather bare but neat and clean room where little Ned lay ou a couch. Mrs. Dalby was hurrying to the door. She halted as Delmar entered. *Oh, Mr. Delmar!” she exclaimed hurriedly, “won’t you do something for me? A Miss Delicia Warner has just been here. She belongs t 8 'the church guild and they sent her around to see if she could be of any help. She has given me some flannels for Ned, which he badly needs, and when she comes back from a week’s visit 6ut of the city she will get me steady work at good prices among her friends. I just noticed her handbag. Look, her purse is in It and some diamond rings. She and she is going to leave the city tonight." “I met the young lady,” explained Delmar', “but she is far away in her automobile by this time. Have you her address?’’ "Yes, she left her card.” "I will try and reach her quickly.”

promised Delmar, anti was d! like * shot. He took a taxicab and within ten minutes was shown past the portals of a palatial home on an exclusive boulevard. Delmar never forgot the gracious reception awarded him by Miss Warner. She thanked him for his great kindness. She spoke of the gratitude the Dalbys had expressed for his charitable efforts in their behalf. She hoped they would meet again, when she returned to the city, to discuss some plan to make life more tolerable for the widow and her invalid son. Delmar left this beautiful girl, his heart in a flutter, i or'the first time he.ioved, and knew it. Then he faced sore trouble at the Dalby home. The widow was weeplag, the son looked more wan and disheartened thua usual. “Oh, we have sad news!” she apprized Delmar, sobblngly. “The doctor was here while you were gone. He says that an operation only will save ray dear boy’s life. He says it will restore Ned to health, but —” and she broke down, weeping bitterly. “Cheer up!” spoke Delmar heartily. “We’ll have it done.” “But he says it will cost one hun iJ dred and fifty dollars, as he has to engngea specialist." Delmar was slightly “stumped.” Then a noble resolution made him draw himself up two inches taller. “I will provide, the money,” he said. “My dear, good friend, throw all worry off your mind. Be as glad as lam that fortunately I have the money directly on hand to give this poor little fellow the chance of his life.” Then Lionel Delmar proceeded to stay indoors days and skulk about cautiously at night, for he was supposed to be in the great woods of the North by his employers and office associates. He spent most of his time at the Dalby home, and fancied no man w|s happier than he when the operation was gone through with successfully, and the doctors proclaimed a new life for the little sufferer, Ned. About a week after Delmar “had left for the North,” the office managers aL Morgan & Co. received a haunch of fine vonison and the cushier a hamper of splendid fish. Delmar had arranged with a local game market to deliver these with no trace of their city storage. A stupid truckman left a tag on the hamper, Delmar was seen on “the streets and the cat was out of the bog, r “A rare, good-hearted fellow, all the same!” voted the manager. The incident got to the ears of the senior partner. By the time Delmar came back to work, untanned and showing the fatigue of his devoted nursing of little Ned, his employers knew all about his noble sacrifice. And Miss Warner, returning to the city, heard of it, too, from Mrs. Dalby. “Mr. Delmar,” spoke the senior partner one day, “we have decided to give you a twenty-five per cent raise in your salary and another month’s leave of absence, but no nursing this time. You take a genuine vacation, or we’ll fire you!” It was too late in the season then for hunting and fishing, so Delmar went down to a pretty tourist resort, and, oh, wonders! —the Warner family arrived there the following week. Delicia was simply delightful! She needed rest like himself, and they enjoyed quietness and nature together. The sterling qualities of the-man, the generous nature of the girl proved a foundatibrr for mutual attraction, and life was all roses to them the day they realized that there was no shadow of future parting for them.

A Young Lady Came Out.