Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 December 1908 — A Second Hand Love Affair. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Second Hand Love Affair.

By MARTHA COBB SANFORD.

* Copyrighted, 1908, by Associated , i Literary Press. <

Dan Hewling, graduate of Harvard, famous athlete and' popular society man, startled his aristocratic intimates by refusing to follow the smoothly beaten trail prepared by his progenitor and by starting in literally at the bottom of tbe milk The mill, a plant manufacturing cob ton thread, was situated in a little faraway New .England town that no one had ever heat’d of until 'Dan discovered it. While bis friends and family stoibd around amazed or weeping Dan laughingly gave his dress suit a farewell pat and instructed his man to fold bis brand new overalls carefully. He wouldn’t have them creased for anything. Fancy making one’s first appearance In mussed up overalls! It .would blight his whole career. But tbe following Monday morning, when he groped his way down to the factory in the sunless dawn, the situation seemed less comic than he had pictured it Dan was no quitter, however. He proved that’ as the long, arduous days went by. The mystery to his friends was on seeing him over an occasional week end that he appeared not only plucky and determined to make a success of his work, but actually happy. No amount of comradely Interest in his fellow laborers, no mere appre? elation of simple country life, they argued, could account for that. And they were quite right The direct cause of Dan’s enthusiasm over his work was Mary Brown. She worked in the room where he was now overseer, but for several weeks they had worked as second hands side

by side and exchanged the scant courtesies of each working day as It passed. Gradually Dan fell Into tbe habit of walking borne with Mary at night, their boarding places being near together. Their conversation at first centered around their one mutual interest—their daily work. About herself Dan could not make Mary talk. She seemed shy and embarrassed, but she was evidently genuinely pleased with his rapid promotion. In the wholesome presence of this pretty, bright, unsophisticated girl Dan came to feel himself better understood, more stimulated and more contented than with any one he had ever known. In fact, he woke suddenly to the fact that he loved her. With this realization came the serious contemplation of his future. What would his family say if he should tell them that he contemplatefTtoarrylng a "second hand” in the mill? Why was! be not free to act independent of all tbe rest of the world? Here was he, young and strong and bound to make his way. And here was Mary, young and strong, too, and beautiful and the one human being toward whom his soul yearned. Why should any one else matter? "Mary,” be began earnestly as they were tramping along a country road one mild winter Sunday—every one called her Mary—“are you happy here In this little town?” She glanced up at him quickly, her cheeks all glowing from the brisk pace they had been going. "Of course I am!” she laughed. "What a silly question!” "How can you be?” he urged so vehemently that it startled her. "Why,” she ansVered slowly, evidently thinking out her reply as she •poke, "I’m interested in my work. That’s the main reason, I suppose.” "What are the others?” Dan demanded. "And I like the people I work with,” •he added frankly. "All the people,” he probed, “or some one In particular?” "I did not mention any names,” she evaded, laughing lightly. "I noticed you didn’t,” Dan continued, entirely unabaahed. “But in my opinion the main reason for being py Is liking some one in particular.” "And are yon happy?” Mary asked naively. “Very,” Dan replied, so emphatically that Mary' Involuntarily glanced up at him and then immediately looked •way again, her heart thumping hard. "And I am going to mention names, Marv.” he said, smiling at, her tea- ■ ■*. . • a./; -ry.t

derly. “I am going to do more than that. I’m going to ask you to change yours* Mary gave a little start of surprise, and her cheeks flashed still more rosily. “I have 'already changed It,” she said in a voice so low that Dan just caught the words. “Please let us forget this—this Uttle episode, Mr, Hewling. I know I haven’t played fair. I ought to have told you before, but I didn’t know it would make any difference.” "Any difference!” Pan echoed bitterly. And for a long time they walked on in silence. “We are going to be good friends, aren’t we, just the same?” Mary ventured at length, her lips trembling. Dan steadied himself. “Of course,” he said. “It has been all my fault. Yon have played perfectly fair. There was no reason why you should have told me anything.” The following Saturday Hewling took the train for his native city. He felt that he needed a change of surroundings. He had just tossed his suit case up into the rack and was about to settle down when he . saw Mary get into tbe car. But she did not see him. So she was seeking a change too. He had a dozen minds as to whether he should join her or not, but finally decided not to. He changed his seat, however, so that be could watch her more closely. Although she had a magazine, he noticed that she did not read it, hat continned to stare out of the window, almost immovable. He noticed, too, how exquisitely pretty she looked in spite of her plain, unfashionable costume. Something of the viking spirit took possession of him for a moment and made him feel like leaping on to'the engine and carrying her off at. terrific speed into some big, undiscovered kingdom. Suddenly—or so it seemed to Hewling—the train came to a standstill .and people began to leave the car. When the crowd had passed by him he looked again for Mary. She had gone too. Jerking down his salt case and snatching up his overcoat, Hewling made a mad dash off the train, landing almost in the midst of a group of laughing girls on the platform.

"Well, Dan Hewllng!” exclaimed one of them, shaking hands with him cordially, “Where did you come from? Is that your usual way of alighting from trains? Oh, Elsie,” she called after one of tbe girls—they had all very tactfully withdrawn—“come back here. Yon most let me Introduce Dan Hewllng. Dan, my college chum, Elale Landers. I’m sure you two people ought to be”— "Yes,' Interrupted Dan, his expression a comical mixture of amazement and happiness as he acknowledged the Introduction. "I’m sure we ought to be.” “Ought to be what, for mercy sake?” gasped Mary Brown’s chum. “Engaged!” finished the irrepressible Dan. "And we would have been If Mary—l mean Elsie—had played fair.” At this Elsie Landers looked up at Dan appealingly, and her friend stared at the two In astonishment "You don’t mean that you—oh, how romantic! I’ll never say another word against that crazy socialistic scheme of yours, Elsie. She’s writing • thesis, as I suppose you know, Dan, on—what Is It on, Elsie? I never could remember.” "It doesn’t matter,” laughed Elsie. “I’ve almost forgotten myself.” “Then you aren’t going back to that dingy little town any more?” Elsie’s eyes met Dan’s In a flash of mutual comprehension. “Oh, I can’t promise that—because, you see, the overseer thinks a lot of me, and I think he’s going to promote me.” “Yon bet be Is!” came from Dan so explosively that the secret was out to a minute. "Oh, Elsie, you fraud!” exclaimed her chum. ‘The Idea of your having such’a perfectly original romance and never?— "It was only a second hand one,” laughed Elsie. But only she and Dan understood, squeezing hands on the sly as Elsie* chum went In to break tbe news to the others.

“IT WAS ONLY A SECOND HAND ONE," LAUGHED ELSIE.