St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-22
A MATTER OF EXPRESSION.


possible expression was one OF tender
ness. He would approach you with a
business proposition of some serious
statement, and while he was going over
the ground his eyes would twinkle and
dance till serious attention was lmpOSSl-
BILE, and the conference would end in a
laugh. OF course he was engaged, and
to the dearest girl in the world; he had
looked her heart away in her first sea-
son. and equally, of course, there was
no prospect of their being married, be-
cause even the most uneXactlng mamma
in toWn,a as the dearest girls mother GEL
tainly was, stood out for definite
something, be it ever so small, III the
way of income, before letting the young
people fix a date.
Ii had been very nice to have Meta
engaged in her first season, especially
to such a Winsome fellow as young
Hayes, who had nice, caresSlng, respect
full ways with the doWagers, paid them
the little attentions the other men be-
slowed on the young married women.
and was good fellow generally. But
now the engagement was an Old story,
and half a dozen girls who had not be-
come engaged till the season after Meta
were calling themselves "old married
women" already.
Now, Meta was the most sensible, as
we'll as the dearest girl i'll the world.
and she knew that to love and be loved
by Charley Hayes, who had neither
money nor vices, was ever so much bet
ter than to marry some fellow with
plenty of both. Still. she was SOFT
hearted little soul, and dropped small
tear now and then after an expedition
in search of wedding present for some
more fortunate couple. The spring and
fall weddings went as far as anything
else to keep young Hayes poor, for no
one gives silver any more, anu those old
things that clerks bring out and show
you confdentially are dearer than dia-
mondS.
She would have made. she was sure, a
very credtable housekeeper, and. to
quote one of her auntS, who always
brushed her hair smoothly back and
turned her gowns, except strictly within
her income" There wasn't any income
to keep within. Of course. young Hayes
had enough to buy coats that were cut
right, and never wore ready-made shoes,
and, of course, the dearest girls mother
would have the third story done over
and given it to them if it came to that,
but Charley Hayes didn't think 1t would
he the thing for a fellow who had wife
to let her go to her mother every time
she wanted gown. so, even though
his ewes tWinkled and laughed, his heart
was heavy.
He knew fellow down at Hull who
had been engaged to girl for seven
years He had seen them spend whole
afternoon on a yacht once and never say
a word to each other, and he didn't want
things TO get like that between him and
Meta. He was thinking of this IN
sunny window at the athletic club. and
turning over in his mind two or three
ideas he had which struck him as rather
good. when he heard man he knew
telling about little box he had taken
at Arlington aid what good times he
and his new wife were going to have.
HAYES determined to do something
then and there, and made his way as
fast as possible to number on State
street where a clever business man had
all office. He put the two propositions
before him conciSeiy and jOtted down
the figures with a pencil on manila
pad that lay on the desk. The business
man followed the argument with atten-
ton, till, looking up in interest at a
clever point, he saw Hayes blue eyes
twinkling and laughing as if it were the
best joke in the world. ''Well," he
said, 'before | looked at you thought
you meant IT,"
They started down Washington street
to see a man who had some lovely uncut
diamonds. The ceiling of the mans
place was being repaired, and as they
passed through to the back office where
f L., CT ,H
men were using splashed, somehow,
into HAYES right eye and burned like
fire.
They got him into herdic and round
to the hospital as fast as possible, and,
of course, everything was done, but the
lime worked quicker than the doctor,
and when the dearest girls mother let
him see her there was a dOleful black
silk patch lined with green fastened
round his head with a thin black elastic.
Her mother was very kind, and
s'Would always be friend to him; as
there was now even less prospect than
over of marriage, she was sure Mr..
HAYES must see -" But here Meta
managed to get between them, and got
her arms round his neck and kissed the
patch and then the well eye, and said
she loved him twice as much as If he
had two. And he kissed her and choked
a little and asked her TO please 90 away
now, and she went and got out picture
of him she never used to like and took a
girl out of a silver frame and fastened
him in, and put him opposite the other
one on her desk, and then went down
fremont stl eet and looked at the silver
things, and wanted them for him, and
cried little, and tried to think how it
would seem TO be an old maid for his
sake, and was quite indignant with her
mother for being unwilling to give up
the Anglers tea that afternoon. She
woke up the next morning feeling very
constant and loyal indeed, and wrote
young Hayes very pretty letter an
nOuncing herself ready to wait forever,
and was quite disappointed to receive a
very prompt and busineSs-like answer
by night saving she wouldn't have to
wait six months, but he should be busy
in the meantime, and would not be able
to call very often.
Nobody saw much of young Hayes
about that time, except very clever
but unknown oculist who had an Office
near the museum. Then people began
to see him about again, and after little
he reappeared one day at the Office of
his clever business friend, and resumed
the conversation where it had been
broken off at the time of the accident.
He looked serious enough now, and laid
the plans before the clever man clearly
and we'll.
A month later he showed the same
firm expression to the dearest girls
mother while he was telling of his new
prospects. But the dearest girl did not
seem entirely satisfied even if his arm
was around her waist and an early date
being fixed for their marriage. She
got him off in corner as soon as she
could and said she did not like the Sc
rious-minded expression that he had
developed.
Nov. Charley Hayes, that hateful
lac man did something awful to your
e! Then, way up in G, Charley,
only one of them twinkles!"
THAT'S all right, darling" answered
young Hayes coolly. Il had to have
glass one put in, SO got them to make
it with good, determined expression,