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THE BEAUTY SPOT
By Warren Eldridge Boyden
With a rude shock the gentle cur
rent of an ideal girlhood life was ab
ruptly drifted into the fierce, raging
torrent of tragedy. It came about to
Lura Denison on a slumberously
peaceful June afternoon and in a
garden redolent with the swaying
odors of violets and roses.
This was the situation: She was
one of a party of friends visiting Ells
dene, the pretty summer resort at
Crystal lake. Lura was only a school
teacher and dependent on her own
employment for a living. She was
one of a coterie, however, represent
ing exclusiveness as to wealth and
social position. She could not dress
as richly as her cousins, the Worth
ingtons, but her garb was neat, taste
ful, her figure perfect, her face beau
tiful and her manner full of sweet
ness and fascination.
To the power of those kindly mag
netic eyes Clyde Rawson had paid
full tribute, lie was a favorite with
everybody, a heedless, impulsive
young fellow avowedly at the end of
his resources, but enjoying his "last
dash of folly," as he termed it, be
fore going forth to grapple with the
practical issues of life.
From all Lura had learned he had
recently been discarded by a rich un
cle. It was not that Clyde was dissi
oated, but in his independent way
he had gone contrary to the wishes
of his mandatory relative. There
had been a tiff and Clyde had left
home with the announcement that
he need depend upon John Griffiths
for no further financial help.
"Ifs sort of rough to have your
expectations cut off all of a sudden,"
Clyde confidentially told Lura, "but
a certain half cousin of mine is will
ing to truckle and lie to Uncle John,
while I am not Perhaps it's a good
thing for me, though," he added in
geniously, "for I was leadintr an irilp
motiveless life." ' j
And now just at this moment Lura,
half hidden by the thick verdure of a
tall flowering shrub, stood gazing
pensively, almost sadly at Clyde
Rawson, lying fast asleep in a ham
mock. She had always admired his
frank, chivalric character. She had
quite cherished certain tender -words
he had spoken to her. Lura was go
ing back to the hard dull grind of a
little red schoolhouse within two
days. She wondered if they would
ever meet again more than that, if
she could ever forget him!
Even as he slumbered, the inevita
ble sunny smile of perfect love for
It Held a Leveled Revolver
the world and all its creatures lin
gered upon the handsome face.
Lura's heart beat faster as she noted
that he wore in his buttonhole a
dainty little strawflower she had
given him the day previous. Then
she drew back, for there was a rustle
in the shrubbery opposite. She
flushed hotly at the thought of any
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