Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-29
THE TIME CAME.

thing" sighed Millicent very softly tt
herself. 81 do believe if it were nothing
more than getting run over by car.
riage with nobody in it, so he would moi
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
ly on the other side of the room twirl-
ing his gloves listlessly, and she pouted.
II suppose you are pouting at me?''
said Dick.
"Yes," she answered.
"pm sorry" he continued. 81 sup.
pose it's because don't amount to any
thingr"
"Of course it is, Dick" she answered.
"Well, what in the world can
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.
haven't the talent to be an artist. ]
haven't brains enough to be profes-
sional man. Every one agrees on that
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 a
gentleman, and no one seems to care
anything about gentleman any more.
believe your father would like me bet
ter if 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 1 could, Millicent, but 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 I had, then he wouldn't have let me
come to see you any more, and that
would have been more than could have
stood"
You're not like other men, Dick?"
''No, I'm afraid not. suppose that's
why they call me dude. But Pm not
dude; I'm not silly. I can't get my
clothes soiled, no matter how try, and
as I never seem to wear them out,
haven't got any that look like old ones.
he fact is I can't help looking what l
ma boy who has been brought up in
kid glove. If I wore blue jeans and a
annel shirt they'd always look now"
"Why couldn't you get into a fight
nth some one?" suggested Millicent des-
perately.
"Im afraid no one would fight with
lie, I'm SO small" he answered.
"Papa was awfully delighted with the
tutcher's boy and the grocery boy the
81 ther day when they got into fight III
our back yard. It frightened me, but
the colonel went out and gave them each
a dollar, and laughed all the rest of the
afternoon about it,"
II might get the boxing master at the
club to give me black eye; don't sup
pose it would hurt very much. But if !
did the colonel would find out that !
didn't get it in a fight, and he would
think that I had been trying to deceive
him"
"Dlck," said Millicent seriously, 81
wonder if you are afraid?'
"I don't know what you mean."
''Afraid Of the dark, or of danger, or
anything like that--for instance, I'm
afraid Of the dark"
sNo," answered Dick. 81 don't think
am afraid Of the dark. don't know
about anything else, for I don't believe
ever had anything to be afraid Of"
Millicent sighed again very softly to
herself. 1t was rather hard state of
affairs. Here was the man she wanted
to marry; just the kind of a man she with
her imperious ways could get along with
beautifully; 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?
The question gave her an inspiration.
1t wouldn't be much Of trial, but it
would at least be little bit of fun, and
all they had done in all their courtship
was to sit on opposite sides of the parlor
and talk to each other. She rose and
went out into the hall. Dick eyed her
as she went out, but he never questioned
anything she did, so he said nothing.
She walked back to the stairs leading to
the basement and looked down. Every
thing was satisfactorily dark. The light
in the lower hall had been turned out,
and from this she knew that the serv-
ants had gone to bed. 1t was nearly
midnight she noticed by the dining
room clock. With a satisfied smile she