The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-09-17
THE TIME GAME.

sob, if Dick would only do some
thing!'' sighed Millicent very softly to
herself. 81 do believe if it were nothing
more than getting run over by a car
rage with nobody in it, SO he would not
really be hurt very much, that papa
would be so pleased he would let us
marry each other after all. But Dick
won't. I'm afraid he'll never do any,
thing. He never has," And then she
looked over at Dick, who sat very meek
iy on the other side of the room twirl-
ing his gloves listlessly, and she pouted.
81 suppose you are pouting at me?'
said Dick.
eyes," she answered.
'I'm sorry" he continued. 81 sup
pose it's because don't amount to any
thing2"
ssOf course it is, Dick" she answered.
"Well, what in the world can I
amount tor asked Dick dejectedly. II
cannot go and make fortune, for I'm
rich already. can't found great FAM
lily, because ours has been as good one
for centuries as fellow can wish, and
besides that would take too long. l
haven't the talent to be an artist. ]
haven't brains enough to be a profes'
sional man. Every one agrees on that
I am too small to be soldier, and if ]
went into business it would only be a
question of time before I'd lose my
money instead of making any. They
all agree on that too. All can be is d
gentleman, and no one seems to care
anything about gentleman any more.
] believe your father would like me bet
ter if I were an adventurer."
"Oh, no, he wouldn't" interrupted
Millicent. ''But the colonel would like
to see you once in awhile without such
awfully good clothes on. Papa has had
hard struggle in this world, and he
doesn't seem to have any confidence in
any one who has not. He is always talk
ing about the duty a man owes to the
world to do something for it."
81 would be willing to do anything for
the world could, Millicent, but l don't
know what to do, and don't believe I
could do it if I did know"
81 believe if you had got angry and
called him names when he refused to let
me marry you he would have turned
right around and said yes. But all you
did was to pick up your hat and gloves,
bow very politely, and say good evening
and walk out. That's no way to handle
papa; he needs an iron hand, and he gets
it occasionally from his only daughter
too" Here Millicent shook her head
emphatically.
"But I respect your father too much,
Milly, to say anything mean to him, and
if had, then he wouldn't have let me
come to see you any more, and that
would have been more than I could have
stood"
you're not like other men, Dick?"
t'No, I'm afraid not. I suppose that's
why they call me dude. But Pm not
a dude; I'm not silly. I can't get my
clothes soiled, no matter how try, and
as never seem to wear them out, I
haven't got any that look like old ones.
The fact is T can't help looking what I
ana boy who has been brought up in
a kid glove. If I wore blue jeans and
flannel shirt they'd always look new"
"Why couldn't you get into fight
with some oneY suggested Millicent des-
perately.
'I'm afraid no ons would fight with
me, I'm so small" he answered.
"Papa was awfully delighted with the
butchers boy and the grocery boy the
other day wnen they got into fight i'll
our back yard. It frightened me, but
the colonel went out and gave them each
dollar, and laughed all the rest OF the
afternoon about it"
81 might get the boxing master at the
club to give me a black eye; don't sup
pose it would hurt very much. But if !
did the colonel would find out that I
didn't get it in fight, and he would
think that I had been trying to deceive
him.
Dick" said Millicent seriously, 81
wonder if you are afraid?"
II don't know what you mean"
"Afraid of the dark, or of danger, or
anything like that-for instance, Pm
afraid Of the dark"
''No," answered Dick. ~ don't thinb
I am afraid of the dark. don't know
about anything else, for don't believed
ever had anything to be afraid off,
Millicent sighed again very softly to
herself. 1t was rather a hard state Of
affairs. Here was She man she wanted
to marry; just the kind of man she with
her imperious ways could get along with
beautifully; a boy whom she had known
all her life; whose father had been her
fathers friend; whose mother had been
her dead mothers friend; and man,
too, whom she loved-and always had
since she was a little girl in short dresses
and he boy in knee trousers, and they
could not get married because in the
eyes of her father he didn't amount to
anything. Would he ever amount to
anything? What did she care? Was he
brave and manly? What did she care?
Was he brave and manly?