The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-05-19
AsUMMER's DIVERSION.

the vines of my own verandah in suit
Of pajamas, and have not the fear of fe
male callers in my breast. After jim
Reynolds consented TO come dOwn and
halve my solitude there was not ever
loneliness for a drawback.
was more than glad to see Jim. He
had come down at the request of rich
old uncle, who was president of oul
company, to "learn the business" with
the understanding that large new CAPT.
tai would go in with the young man.
And then Jim was just the gay young
| fellow that l had been before family
cares had clustered about me. After a
man has weathered the measles, whOOp-
ing-cough, humps, and chicken-pox, to
say nothing of five sets of teeth, with
five young Otfsprings, his gayety, TO say
the least, lacks some of the effervescing
qualities which may have distinguished
it earlier.
Jim was only engaged. That was a
silken harness that man rather prances
under than otherwise. So far as my en-
gagement was lucky Il am speaking in
the light of after results), Jim's belonged
to that category.
Miss Bedding was the daughter of
Webster Bedding, who cornered iron ten
years ago, and retired upon his millions.
Julia wrote me from the Piel that
Madge Belding was a perfect beauty,
and pattern of sweetness and discre-
zion, calmly announcing her engagement
from the housetops instead of flirting
with the young Philadelphians, as most
girls would have done. / knew from all
this that she must be Julia's dearest
friend, for my beloved wife had no such
praise for any but those who are near
her own shrine. Poor girl! l suppose
she sought Julia as being half of a pair
that was associated with Jim ON the
other side. AS after developments
proved, however, they were most con-
genial spirits.
1t was hot night in early July, and
Jim and had been resting from our
long day at the factory. We had in one
corner of the veranda bucket of ice
containing half dozen bottles of mild
and innocent soda water. With the
glasses on the table above, associating
with box of cigars, was bottle of
brandy. One needs stimulant after
such work and heat as had been our
portion. The veranda floor was literally
covered with slippers, and my stocking
feet were lifted higher than my head
against the veranda pillar.
l couldn't forbear an eXultant feeling
as thought how any of those several
arrangements would have met an imme-
date arrangement in the presence of my
beloved mistress of my house and heart.
And they were no end comfortable. Jim
had been sitting in the doorway where
the light from the hall lantern shone on
his smooth blonde head, and brought
out the print of his paper. He had beer
reading the paper an uncOnsciousable
time, considering that he was depriving
me of the meat and drink of his high
spirited talk.
Finally he said, as he flung down the
sheet:
'Dick, what kind of people do you
suppose they are who answer perso-
nals?''
ooh, schoolgirls and adventuressesr
"Well, now I'm not so everlastingly
sure of it. I've been tempted at times
to answer one myself. If any woman
had had as strong temptation as l have
had she would have fallen. / believe
nice women do answer 'em sometimes"
''No, no my boyr
''l'll bet you a dollar they do. I'll
bet you dollar-two dollars-that can
write an advertisement that nice girl
will answer"
''Makelt twenty, and We'll try it,"
"All right"
"What will you say?"
81 don't know. How would some
thing like this do2 Two gentlemen,
stranded in lonely country town for
the summer would like correspondence
with lively young lady"
''That certainly betrays its impromptu
character. Am in it?''
"Why, yesl Why not? Let's go in
side and write a few on paper. Words
look different in black and white"
AS the crudity of the wording would
insure my success, l was probably very
foolish to accept that invitation, but our
minds were in L fallow state. 1t was
pleasant to be foolish.
In half an hour we had evolved a pair
of advertisements that we fondly mag
ined contained elements of delcacy and
self-respect calculated to catch the eye
of the mice girl"
"Where shall we send them? The Her.
aldo"
mo. Too close home; and then its
agony column has bad reputation. l
am going to try some conservative West
ern sheet"
"Well, I'll leave them here, and you
send them where you choose"
Jim walked off, and left me at my
desk to write my daily stint of lines to
Julia. After that was done 1 wrote a
little note to the editor of the Cincin-
natti Commercial, put it in an enclosure
and addressed acknowledgements to that
journal. And so it began.
l had asked that when the personals
copy of the paper should be
sent to us. l don't suppose any young
author ever hung over his first produc-
ton in PRINT as Jim and l did over ours
l had long ago given up any idea of win
ming that twenty dollars. No woman
with any spark of coquetry or magma
ton could help answering those adver-
ments, especially mine.
In a few more days they began to
come in, and molly assortment they
were. There were dozens of the school
girl variety, and double dozens of the
type. 1t became sickening
to read them after the first day or two,
and when the stationary or perfume too
plainly betrayed the writer they were
destroyed unopened.
But the fourth day there appeared, in
each mail pearl that won Jim his TWEEN
ty dollars without further controversy,
and interested us both. "a mans a
man for a. that" EVENT. "that' happens
to be wife:and babies.
They were very much alike, written
on the same paper, and had evidently
been the product Of a partnership very
much like our own. We both felt com
pulled with pride that our