The times., 1889-12-20

"If you believe ev'rythi1 you hear abort
men an women, my boy, you'll be off your
course al your life long Take good grip
en- that"
Again Phil went into brown study, frona
which he emerged suddenly to say:
Its just what you did when you supposed
YOU learned she wasn't engaged, isn't itl You
believed IL and wrote it at once to me-"
"Oh, mo-" said tie old man, with an air o6
Superiority, as he put very sharp point on
what remained of tho toothpick. "Not
m2ch. Two learned always to go to head
quarters Cor information"
''Why, father" Phil exclaimed, excitedlE,
you don't mean to, say, after what you
promised me, that you went-and-and
'SPoked my nose into other peoples busi-
nessa Not l. Mr.. TramlaY took me home
to dhner-say, ,whatian outlandish way theso
city folks have go5, of not eatin' dinner till
nigh onto bedtimel an after the meal, long
about the edge o. the evenin', when TramlaH
had gone for some papers to show me, an ths
old lady was out of the room for somethin,, Il
took 'casion to congratulate the gal on har
engagement; that's the proper thing in such
cases made an purvided. Won know. She
looked kind o. flabbergasted, an at last SHE
said twas the fust she'd heerd of it. tried
to git out Of it by sayin' if it want true it
ort to be, If young men IN York had eyes. in
their heads. But 1T didn't seem to work. She
asked how heerd.of it, an had to say that
somebody in thsscity bad told my son about
it"
Phil frowned
'Then," contained tho old man, .'she, bust
out cryin'."
"Oh, dearr' gsghed Phil
"Well," said the old man, ''I see samsthin'
had to be done, so put my arms around
her"-
"Why, fatheri'' said Phil, in alarm.
II put my arms around her, an said that
when gal was cryin' she ort to have her
parents to comfort her, an, as neither of
'em was present, hoped she'd make b1ieve
for a minute or two that l was her grand
father. So she took my advice; am it seemed
| to do her a.sight o. good"
What advice did you give berq' asked
| Phil.
"None-in words" said tho old man.
SWAT till you're my age; then youth under
stand"
~ don't see" said Phil, after moment OF
two Of silence, 'that things are much better
than they were. Perhaps she's not engaged
| but that fellow Marge is hanging about heI
all the time. From what Two heard people
remark, he's been paying attention to her fol
| a year or two. When the family were at oul
house last summer he was, the only man she
| talked about. I'm pretty sure, too, from
what I've seen, that her mother favors him
! So, putting everything together, and think
| ing about it a good deal, as I've had to do liz
spite Of myself since I've been up home, Nv,
made up my mind that it's a foregone CON
clusion."
| $50 you're goin' to Dop like stuck pig an
let it 60 on, are your just because youvs
thought somethin' you're goin' to do nothin'
| If I'd thought aAat Of you don't b'1ieve I'd
have brought You down here to be a. business
man in tho city. A fellow that hain't got
the grit to fight for gal that no wants il
likely to make mighty poor fist of it fghtin
for fortune. No, sin; you're not goin' to
knuckls under while you've got father Il
egg you on. I don't say she's. sn ev,ry way
the gal I'd have picked out for you, but any
gal thatM live up to the best that's in her
| good enough for any man alive. If you care
as much for her as you Thought you did
when mot you in the street that day, thas
gal is the one for you to tie to, unless she
breaks the rope. A man sometimes gets @
bad hckin' in love fight, an a powerful big
scar besides, but both together don't do him
as much harm as beekin' out an playin
| coward"
''I'm not a coward, father" protested Phil
and his eyes flashed as If he meant it.
"You don't mean to be, my boy" said the
old man, with pat on his sons shoulder
but ev'rythin' in this affair is new to you
an you're in the dark about some things that
mebbe look bigger than they are. That sort
Of thing'll make towards out of the best OF
men, il they give in to it; that's the reason
I'm crackin' the whip at YOU"
81 wonder what Mr.. Tramlay wants oi
me-" said Phil, moment later.
"Rcckon you'd better 60 down and fine
out" the old man replied