Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 193, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 August 1918 — “WANTED” [ARTICLE]

“WANTED”

By MARIAN T. CARTER.

“Say, Jack, that is a crockerjack Idea.” exclaimed Tom Steven*,«s bis chum finished explaining his plan to bring Beth Butterfield, Tom’s sweetheart. to terms. ‘Til bet if she saw such an advertisement she’d answer it, just for the mischief of doing something odd.” The next day there appeared in the Siconset Summer News columns the following: . -v “Wanted—A young gentleman with a good reputation would like to correspond with a young lady in the summer colony. T 88.” A few days later in Tom’s morning mall was a large envelope from the newspaper office enclosing three letters in answer to his advertisement. The first two he opened were very uninteresting and from girls he did not know, but the last one was the one he wanted. Beth had written! It was a very -formal little note, exactly like Beth, but it gave Tom the opening he desired. Tom .answered it and a few days later another letter arrived. Tills was surely immense fun on Tom’s part, his proposal Beth Butterfield had treated him very coolly and now, although unknown to herself, she was corresponding with him. She had said when she refused to become engaged to Tom that she wanted “to have a good time and not be tied to any one man!” Well, she surely seemed to be having a good time from what Tom could make out. Dances, tennis, canoeing, swimming, and all the other things that go with a good time at the beach. After their correspondence had gone on about two months Tom decided it was time to take definite steps, so in his next letter he asked if he could call and meet the young lady who had given him so much pleasure through the summer. One week passed and then another, and Tom decided to write again. The next morning he,found a short note, saying that a meeting would be impossible, for she expected to leave very shortly. But fortune always favors a true lever. There was to be a dance at the Casino that very evening, and Tom knew that Beth intended to go. Yes, he would go, too, and see if things could not be straightened out that very night. When evening came Torn, dressed for the dance and also slipped into his pocket two of the letters Beth had written, including the last one. The dancers were all busy filling out their dance cards when Tom got there, so he Immediately began to fill his own out. As he approached Beth she turned slightly away, but Tom, undaunted, pretended not to notice her' movement and politely asked for her card. He took several of her dances, Including the first, those at intermission, and the last Poor Beth, what could she do? Everyone was watching her, anyway; for they knew that she had refused Tom once before. When he returned her card she bowed slightly but said nothing. At intermission Tom managed to* get Beth out into the, conservatory, and then asked her again if she would marry him. "I think you rather ought to, since you have been corresponding with me nearly all summer,” said Tom. “I have not!” exclaimed Beth, and stamped her foot; but because she remembered that she had corresponded with an unknown young man she flushed guiltily. “Yes, dear, you have; seeT' And Tom held out the letters he had In his pocket. “Oh, how did you get those letters? Why, I thought I was corresponding with a lonely fellow who knew no one here. Tom Stevens, you are the meanest, meanest boy!” And she broke down and cried. This was too much for Tom. He took Beth in his arms arid kissed the little wet cheeks, murmuring: “Dearest, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, but I was determined to make you fove me. I couldn’t live without you, dear. Can’t you say you love me now, Beth, sweetheart?” “Yes. Tom,” whispered Beth. “I’ve had all the good times I want, and I want you now, all the time, Tom dear.” Tom’s voice was husky when he next spoke. “My own little girl,” and he bent and humbly kissed the upturned lips. v ’ _ After the dance they walked home through the quiet streets happily planning their future. (Copyright, 1918, by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.)