Middletown transcript., 1893-08-05

las some OF ner IrlenuS VINO went
! far as to don mannish apparel and ap
mannish vUcabulaiie les, but what aSsur
ance had he that she would not com
to even that, if stop was not put t
, itl He thoroughly expected to com
home, almost any night, ard find sh
had accepted position with som
lawyer as stenographer or typewrite
or both. If not that, it would b
something equally horrible for a girl t.
do, in his estimation. He thanke,
heaven, at least once day, that sh
was of good blood and family, howeve
reduced in circumstances they might b.
her mother had a small pension, ant
he roomed there-and he hoped ant
prayed that she would resist this ultra
independent temptation long enough
for him to get upon his feet financially
and ask her to marry him. Once in {
while it occurred to him that she might
possibly ba in love with someone else
but it was such an unpleasant possibil
ity he always put it away as quickly as
it came to him.
He nodded briskly to the men about
the counting-room and hurried up to
bis desk, next to that Of the city EDITORS
For many years Ingram had held po-
s.tion upon the investigator" and he
was well known and thoroughly liked
by every attache of the place. There
was hardly one Of them who had not
come to him in trouble, and he was
never known to refuse to help him out,
if it weIe in his power. AS he dropped
into his chair and began 10 sort the
mass Of manuscript which had accu-
mulated from the night mails-he was
aominally the literary editor-a small
boy hurled himself into the office with
reckless abandon, and laid handful of
proofs beside him.
"Mr. Foster says please Correct that
Fashion galley right off, sir, /" he said,
half way to the door again as lie spoke,
he wants to run it on the second page
to-day, and I'll be back for it in a
minute"
Ingram unrollsd the first damp strip
of paper and glanced down the freshly
printed colum. AS he did SO smile
came into his gray eyes and about his
smooth-shaven lips.
'''Fashion's Foibles. Something
about the Latest Styles in Woman's
World,'' he said, reading the head
lines-which we're separated at the
bottom Of the column from the other
matter by a wide black line, ''and all
written by Walter Ingram. It's poor
question that hasn't two sides-but
what would she say if she knew?"
1t was several days before Ingram
saw her again for any length If time,
for during the evening she was either
out-at the theatre or some other
social function or else in her room
her mother said. She must
have a goodly number of correspond
ents, thought the literary editor; and
it irritated him to think Of the time he
was wasting or rather losing by her
absence. The second day after their
talk he had sold several large lots in
3 successful Southern boom town and
The round sum he had realizal fro n the
sale had cheered him up greatly and
had thrown some much-needed light
upon the path, which he hoped was
leading to the church doors. Usually.
The had once told him, she did not care
'or the theatre unless it was a ''first
light"-a strange taste for girl, he
lad thought at the time--and it was
his declaration and the manner in
which she had made it that had de-
TERED him from asking her to go there
With him of late. But now that there
eemed to be no prospect of his finding
he opportunity he sought to speak to |
ler-an opportunity VIII ich he felt was |
lis right-he asked her at breakfast if !
he would wit ness new opera that |
vening with him. She hes. i be-
IRE answering, and he wonde lOr a |
q ment what problem it was she
eemed 10 be turning over in her quick
mind; then she answered" Y es" and
hat night found them in his old sea
t the theatre. Then Iagram felt bet
er.
On the way home he had fully de-
ermined to tell her of his love, and he
ad even gone so far as to plan just
That he would say, as we poor men are
pt to do in the innocence of our first
Dye affairs. What was his consterna-
ion, then, to find that the conversa-
ion had drifted around to the old
ubject of discussion between them,
efore he could see to what direction
had veered.
"Do you not really think" she said.
8 they turned into the little gate and
Q began to search for latch key,
that it is quite as absurd 10 say it
,akes a woman 'mannish' to be inde-
endent, as it would for us to assert
ian is womanly when he has toto
Nv a button on, for instance?'
Ingram laughed at her evident en-
in finishing the sentence.
"If a man were to 60 into the button
wing for business and we're TO imi-
tie. by dress and manner, the women
ho make their livelihood BY their
,edles, / should say, most emphati-
lily, YES But did you ever know !.