Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 82, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 January 1919 — Saving Grace [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Saving Grace

By IMES MACDONALD

(Copyright, IMS. by MoClurs Newspaper Syndicate.)

Young Mrs. Dudley deliberately pawed at her husband’s newspaper and after a little struggle managed to thrust It to one side and deposit her charming person on his knee. “I seem to need a great deal more kissing than I really get,” she Insisted. Whereupon the delinquent Mr. Thomas Dudley strove to do his duty, although his short adventure in the realms of matrimony had already so experienced him In the ways of women as represented by his fascinating bride that he knew this was only the preamble to something else which doubtlessly occupied the fair head of his ardent wife. “Do you remember Grace Morgan, Tommie?” she asked eventually. “Hum,” mused Tommie Judicially. “The prim-faced girl with the brown eyes whom you used to ring in occasionally when I wanted you to myself,?” “That’s the girl!” laughed Louise Dudley. “But she really isn’t prim, Tommie. She just seems that way. She has lots of fun in her when you actually know her, but she’s lived In a dead little sanctimonious town and never had a chance to let herself go. And now what do you think she’s going to do?” Tommy solemnly gave it up. “She’s going to China to be a missionary !” announced Louise tragically. Tommy grinned at the fervor of his

heart’s desire. “If she must spread enlightenment among the heathen,” said he, “why doesn’t she get married and raise some little heathen of her own ?” „ “There Isn’t a single man in her town she’d look at,” said Louise scornfully. “And I think the poor child Is just determined to amount to something in the world and this seemed to her to be her only chance to do so.” “Well,” said Dudley, “that’s hard luck. If I weren’t otherwise married now, I might look into her case, but as it Is, I’m sure I don’t see what I can do about it.” At this bold speech Mrs. Dudley sank two sets of clutching fingers into his thick blond hair and shook his head savagely. “You’re not the only man on earth, Tommy Dudley,” she said, “and when she coines I want you to behave and help your wife save Grace Morgan from throwing away her life.” “When she comes?” asked the bewildered husband. “Yes, when she comes,” mimicked the disrespectful one. “She’s going to spend a week with us on her way to China.” "My word I” exclaimed Tom Dudley. “You’ve already chosen the victim, I suppose.” “I’ve—l’ve sort of had Kirk Lovejoy In my mind,” she said wisely. “But Kirk’s my friend, Lou I” protested Tom. But bjs valiant effort to save his friend was in vain, for on the evening of the third day, as they say In the Scriptures, the pretty Mrs. Dudley cornered Kirk Lovejoy in her hall npon his arrival and lectured film sternly.

“When you meet her, Kirk, I want you to sweep her right off her feet. Now don’t pretend 1 I know Just exactly how you are with girls. You make love to them all, shamelessly, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t turn your talent Into a good cause for once in your heartless life.” “But I don’t want to marry her—l never even saw her!” he objected. “You don’t have to marry her,” she said. “Make love to her, that’s all. Arouse her natural woman’s interest in yon because you are a man—and maybe, if I can keep her here long enough she’ll meet a man worthy of her,” she finished caustically. And Kirk LoveJoy got the point that had Jabbed at his vanity. So It happened that two minutes later he was looking down Into a pair of uninterested £ray eyes and snuggling a languid hand in his strong, firm

grip. "And this,” he said meaningly, glancing at Tom Dudley, “Is what the Chinese get for being heathen 1" Grace Morgan Joined In the laugh that followed, but Kirk did not release ter hand. He stepped close to her and spoke so tensely that her uninterested look changed to one of surprise and then of confusion. “They can’t have youl” he murmured. “I am a heathen myself, and misslonarying begins at home.” However, all during dinner, Kirk's spirits seemed entirely unimpaired by the horrible fact of her early departure for heathen lands, but he lost no single opportunity with both eyes and speech to Impress himself on the mind and heart of Grace Morgan. She pretended not to notice, but from time to time he caught her watching him covertly. The Impetuous young man was something new In her Inexperience, and she found herself responding to his high spirits with a gayety hitherto undiscovered In her makeup. After dinner Kirk lounged out into the kitchen whence came the rattle of dishes and the sound of quick footsteps crossing the bare floor. He still carried the personal element with him, and as soon as she could manage it, without Its being too apparent, Louise slipped out and abandoned Grace Morgan to her fate. “I was afraid I’d never get you alone,” said Kirk, watching Grace Morgan as she deftly wiped a plate. She turned to glance at him over her shoulder. It was getting exciting, he was so sudden and direct. “You haven't known me two hours yet,” she reminded him. “It doesn’t take more than two minutes when It’s the right girl,”' he teased her. * “Perhaps I’d better kiss you while I’ve got the chance.” Whereupon, to Grace's unprepared amazement, she found herself close gripped in his arms, and as with back-flung head she stared up Into his eyes she felt the strength of him. She was overwhelmed with the realization that It wus useless to resist, so with a little hopeless sigh she closed her eyes, and as his lips found hers, the china cup slipped from her released grasp and shattered to the floor.

A few moments later Louise returned to, the kitchen and found Grace Morgan alone On her knees In the middle of the floor staring with unseeing at the fragments of the broken cup on the floor in front of her. Her hand was pressed tight over her mouth and her face was flaming with such a color as Louise had never known she possessed, i “He—he kissed me!” she faltered In explanation. “Naturally," said Louise practically, “anyone could see that he was crazy about you from the moment he set eyes on you—but he needn’t break up all my wedding china in the operation —” “He didn’t! I broke It.” Grace rushed to Kirk’s rescue. “You—you see when It—happened, I was so—so surprised I dropped the cup.” And then sot some unaccountable reason Louise knelt down and hugged her. An hour later, when the four of them were gathered on the front porch, Tom Dudley put In his oar, when he observed that his friend was trying to camouflage a hand-holding contest with Grace Morgan in the shadow of the vines. “There’s a bungalow for sale Just down the street,” he suggested innocently, “let’s ail go and look at it.” And that’s how the ingenious Mrs. Dudley, with a well-trained husband, capably assisted by one Kirk Lovejoy, succeeded in saving Grace.

Staring With Unseeing Eyes.