Evening Star Newspaper, April 30, 1937, Page 42

DAILY SHORT STORY REVISED By Glenn Reilly. HEN Elmer Brown had taken his heart in his hands and of- fered it to IIillie, along with his per- son and posses- sions, and she had surprisingly ac- cepted his honor- able proposal, the world seemed to both of them to be thickly infested with Cupids and fieecy clouds against a blue sky and an atmosphere reeking with ro- mance. The bride was radiant, dim- pled and cute; El- mer was extremely well satisfied with everything, as was she. “We may as well face the facts, be married. Sim- Elmer.” ple?” Elmer laugh- Ten years of be- ing together had done much to eradicate the rosy tints from the domestic picture in this Chevy Chase home. Of late a subtle hint of dissension had crept into their most casual relationships, and Millie was at a loss to account for it. She knew that she was an ideal housewife. She hadn’t changed much in 10 years except to lose the look of girlish freshness. And even that was replaced by a charming, mature air. And it couldn’t be money pressure, for Elmer had never been poor. If she had bothered to talk it over with Elmer he could have put his fin- ger on the trouble instantly, but, of course, he wouldn't have. Elmer had fallen in love with his young, wise- cracking secretary! The years had brought to Elmer the knowledge that, though it was 10 years since he had promised to love, honor and obey, the predatory in- sincts of the male still cropped up now and then, and in contrast to Millie his placid, uninquisitive wife, Elena was a rather breath-taking and daz- sling creature. Elena, he knew, was always right up to the minute on all the current events, the latest shows, the new books. In addition, it would have taken a less observant man than Elmer to dis- eount the mellifluous charms which Elena so unconcernedly flaunted to an appreciative world. * ok K % PRINGING from a necessarily en- forced intimacy at the office, an affair had suddenly enmeshed Elmer | and his secretary in its throes. And while it brought to both of them mo- ments of practically unalloyed bliss, there were also other moments when they reasoned like normal persons and thought of the anomalous position in which both he and she and Millie were placed. “You know, Elena, this thing has | nearly got me on the ropes,” he con- Zfessed to her. Elena made a few mean- ingless marks in her notebcok before she looked up. “We may as well face the facts, El- mer!” she observed. “I love you, and vou love me. Millie loves you, too, but you say that as far as you care #he might not exist. So what's the Ingical answer to that? Vou'l have to get a divorce!” Elmer Iooked Larassed. “It's not as simple as all that,” he pointed out. “I said I didn't love Mil- lie, but not that I hated her. After all, she’s been a good wife to me and 1 can't hand her a shabby deal like that!” * ok Kk % ELENA looked pensive. “What if she asked you for a divorce?” “I'd give it to her in a minute,” El- mer cried. “But, say, just what have you got on your mind? You must have some reason for making a crack like that!” Elena laughed and snapped her fingers. “I've got just the thing! It's worth & trial anyway.” Elmer bent a quiz- gical brow at her. “I have a young cousin just out of college and like- wise practically out of work. He nate urally has develop- ed a amooth line, and if I do say it, he’s handsome.” Elmer only dim- ly perceived the trend of the idea at first. “What's the set-up?” “Just this — I know that if you hire Jimmy he can work on Millie and lead her gently into the idea of divorc- ing you so that she can marry him. ““You can provide a front for him. That leaves you free so that we can ed heartily. “Sounds silly, but . . . well, we'll see! You send that handsome young cousin around in the morning and we'll talk it over!” Elena jumped up and tenderly kissed him. Elmer thought that he’d try anything for a chance to marry the sweet kid! Jimmy proved to be much better than Elmer had expected. He fitted all the requirements exactly. He was tall, good-looking, well-dressed. And when he talked Elmer saw that he was no dummy. Hope welled in El- mer’s breast that maybe it wasn't a silly scheme at all. “I'm going to send you out to the house two or three times with a mes- sage for my wife,” he instructed. “After that you're on your own . . . and good luck! You'll find a drawing account at the cashier's desk to cover incidentals, and don't spare the horses!” * o x % IMMY didn't need the parting in- junction. His first trip to the Brown menage convinced him that his new job was going to be a pleasure. Millie, he discovered, looked about his own age, and while not exactly a rav- ing beauty, she had her . ints. He even went so far as to wonder if Elmer wasn't just a little bit touched in the head for wanting this pretty incum- brance eliminated from the scene. In three visits Jimmy had the situa- ation well in hand, even to the extent of taking her out to a new show on Elmer's club night. There followed other engagements, as Elmer began to find it necessary to attend lengthy business meetings in the evenings. Millie began patronizing beauty shops, | bought new clothes and seemed to drop | five years from her actual age. Elmer was delighted. It wasn't two months until the blow- | off came, only it wasn't entirely as| Elmer had expected. On one of his' off nights he and Elena had gone step- ping and later went to her apartment for a midnight snack and a final drink. Elmer was affectionately kissing her good night when Millie and Jimmy | burst into the room, closely followed | by three policemen. Elmer glared at the double-crosser. Jimmy had known his plans. | * X ok X | E trial, of course, was a honey. Millie had Elmer with the goods, {and in addition her lawyers called | Jimmy as a witness, who told about the | | underhanded deal he had been hired | to carry out. The judge gave Millie a divorce . . . and $50,000 as a settle- | ment to assuage her bleeding heart. Elmer fumed and swore vengeance upon Jimmy, but there was little he could do about it. It was pay up or go to jail! He paid. | The day after the trial he was sitting | glumly at his desk when a telegram ar- | rived. He opened it and nearly had | apoplexy. It said: [ “Thanks for 50 G's stop married | Jimmy this morning stop love and| kisses stop. Millie.” | (Copyright, 1937.) Italians Best Yankees. ‘When Buffalo Bill visited Naples, the Neapolitan papers featured the story of how some 400 well-dressed Neapol- {ians one night sat in the reserved meats, having got in on 400 forged 5-franc notes, the price of admission to the reserved section. 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