Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 170, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 July 1919 — THE SUBSTITUTE [ARTICLE]

THE SUBSTITUTE

By GRACE WEATHERBY.

(Copjright. 1919, by the McClure News paper Syndicate.) George Thompson, familiarly knowi to his shipmates as “Jake,” idly thro ed over in his hands the letter thr mail orderly had just given him. Hi scarcely glanced at it. It probabl was from Sister Jo, anyway, as sto was the only one who wrote to hin lately. Jake was homesick. Just ai present his ship was in drydock for re pairs, and Jake had a 24 ; hour “lib erty” hanging heavily upon his hand* There was no place to go, and noth ing to do. Suddenly he rememberet his letter. Without glancing at thaddress, he tore it open, but repent ed of his act the next moment, so - he realized that the letter was no Meant for him. As he looked at thaddress on the envelope his suspicion were confirmed. The letter belonged to “Jacob Thompson” and not “GeorgThompson.” It was easy to see hov the mall orderly might get the tw» confused, as the latter was known ai “Jake.” Shamelessly Jake read th< short note written in a girlish hand “Dearest Jake, I am so glad you ar> home. ’ Please do come up and see m< very soon, won’t you, for I am anx lous to know what my sailor looki like. With love, Mildred.” In spite of himself Jake laughed. Jacol Thompson was surely not much ti look tft! He was a short insignifican looking man, with wisps of colorlea hair. Amused and a little .puzzled Jake went in search of him. He fount him busily writing, and the young fel low noticed what a perfect penman hi was. “Say, Thompson,” he began, “! got a letter of yours here. The mat orderly opened it. I’m very sorry.’ A half hour later Thompson himsell approached Jake. He was gruff ai usual but plainly disturbed. Without a preliminary he said, “You know that letter you so thoughtfully opened foi me?” Jake nodded, curious. “Well the girl who wrote it is a friend oi mine. She made this sweater and I found her name in it and wrote to her I am a pretty decent writer and sh< thinks I am a good-looking young chaj who is* in love with her. “That doesn’t happen to be the case for I’m no lady's man, so, my lad you take my place!” VBut why,” asked Jake, “don’t you go yourself? Thompson twisted his ungainly figure uncomfortably. “Why—er—she won’t be disap* pointed if you go, while one sight of me would knock her. air castles to nothing. You’ll go?” After thinking It over. Jake decided to agree, on condition that he might tell her who he was. Accordingly, at three o’clock Jake presented himself at the home of Miss Mildred Campbell. A little serving maid admitted him, plainly confused at the sight of the handsome sailor. With many bows she showed him into a cozy little room, where, at one end, an old-fashioned fireplace attracted his attention. He seated himself stiffly on a straight-backed chair, but be could not the temptation and settled himself comfortably on the wide 'couch, soft with many pillows, his boyish head buried in the pillows. It was thus Miss Mildred Campbell found him when she came downstairs. He did not hear her when she came and her girlish laugh aroused him. He sat bolt upright in an instant, a deep flush staining his cheeks. “Oh, I beg your pardon, I just couldn’t help it; that couch looked so Inviting!” Mildred soon put him at his ease and before long he was felling her numerous tales of his adventures in the navy. When he left at ten o’clock that evening he had promised to come again. Thompson was waiting for him when he got back to the ship and in Ms customary gruff way demanded to know what had taken place. Jake was only too willing to tell someone of the wonderful Miss Campbell. That young lady ready for the night was engaged in earnest conversation with her pet cat, “Funny Face,” and she confided to that feline that Jake Thompson was absolutely the nicest man she ever met!

The days flew by and the heart of Jake was in grave danger. As yet he had not told Mildred of his deceit and each day made it herder to do. Thompson paid no attention to him whatever except to listen silently to Jake’s accounts of his visits to Mildred. At length one day Jake summoned courage and told her. She did not speak until he had finished, and then she only said: “You must bring the real Jake to see me." Accordingly Thompson accompanied Jake on his next call. Mildred greeted them graciously and poor Jake was quite astonished when she said to Thompson, “You see, you were really more than kind to us, for if It weren’t for you, Jake and I would never have met, and that would be terrible for we love each other, you know!” When they were alone for a moment, Jake asked her, “Why did you say that, Mildred?” The girl’s eyes sparkled with happiness. “Well, it's so. Isn’t it?” she whispered. “Yes, of course it is, but how did yon know?" From the depths of a dark blue shoulder came the muffled words, “As for me, I knew when I saw you on the couch that day.” The Thompson-Campbell wedding was a gay affair, anti more than one person wondered why, out of that throng of good-looking men, the bridegroom should choose the short, insig-nificant-looking feHow for his best