The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-09-26
t~ete-a-tete but Phil. with the man wh,

exclaimed, before you go, 1 want very
much to introduce to you NY friends
husband, Mr.. Huntington-Mr. sen
way"
So you see l know what those smiles
generally meant. Still, that was several
years ago, and Fhil was now reminls-
cling about Miss Lancaster.
Yes, Jack, l always thought a gooc
deal of hat girl"
He repeated this, wondering why J
had not answered him before.
Yes, l know you did. And do you re-
member that Thanksgiving we went or
to New York to see the Y~ale-Princetor
game, and you took me to call Cd har?f
Sure, that was just after the summer
| first met her. And l remember. too,
that you we're not so powerfully taken
with the original rs You had been With
her photo on my desk"
No. and I've always wished I'd never
made that call. Then | wouldn't have
known her, and all those heated dis
cussions we used to have about the girls
worth or worthlessness would have been
avoided"
Still, Jack, you'll have to admit that
she was Il terribly fetching and fasci-
mating girl"
Yes, yes, Phil. I've admitted that n
thousand times, but that isn't the ques-
ton. My point has always been that
she wasn't Il girl who had enough in her
to warrant n fellow of your good sense
going crazy over her. Fetching and
fascinating-Joye, nan there are any
number of your tickle, Eighty. skin
deep sort of girls who are fetching and
fascinating, and she's one of them. But
fiddlesticks, what do they amount to-?
Nothirg-never get married-Trow up
into dctestable old maids with sOuI
faces and still sourer dispositions. Come
now, Phil, I'll bet you ten to one that
Pearl Lancaster never gets even en-
gagged"
NO, no., Jack, l wont do it. It's bad
principle betting on a girl, anyhow.
Besides, you might lose the wager, TO,
she came mighty near getting Il man
last summer"
Why. how do you know"
81 saw her at Bar Harbor."
Were you down there again last sum-
mer?."
Yes"
AND was she there"
yes"
"Hum, then I'll bet you repeated the
foolish performance of your sophomore
year"
Il did, Jack, with compound interest.
We were together most of the time.
Never had such 4 jolly summer before in
all my life"
And the other man you said she near.
ly captured-where did he come in?"
"Oh, he was Il particular friend of
mine, so 1 didn't begrudge him any
thing. Excuse me Il moment. Jack, ]
must get some more coal for that fire.
Better fill up a pipe"
L proceeded to do so and casually OBJ.
served at the time that Phil smoked
the same abominable tobacco. EXpen-
sive stuff, but, CAD! how it burnt 4
mans tongue. Phil was the only fellow
who ever smoked it without swearing.
The other men invariably declined t,
so we always claimed hat he used that
particular brand to keep his friends
from pirating tobacco off him. But
then, that wasn't so, for Phil was the
most generous-hearted fellow of the
gang.
Having filled the pipe I went TO the
mantelpiece for a match; that was
where he used to keep ~theE-when he
had any. I didn't find q match. but
found a photograph that had been laid
there. 1t was Il new one of Pearl Ian
caster-had undoubtedly just COM
with the letter. Twas holding IT in my
hand when Phil came back from the
coal closet.
well. what do you think of it, Jack"
Grand, go~od-looking girl beyond u
doubt. And | suppose if you were with
her again all last summer you must be
more cracked than ever over her"
Phil surprised me by uttering n sigh
and sinking down into 4 chair.
alas! Jack, ! am-fatally So" were
his Respondent words. And now what,
oh, what, do you suppose she writes me
in this letter."
glove! not that she's engaged, is she.
man? Luckily for me you didn't take
that bet"
Eyes, Jack, she says shes the hap
piest little girl in the world, for she's
engaged TO the dearest fellow in the
world. Engaged at last. Poor girl. 1
suppose you'd say poor fellow. And
such n fellow, too-oh my, Well. all
l can say is that I've seen worse fellows
and-and better. Oh. dear!"
But who is she engaged to? What's
his name?"
THE man she was with down at BaI
last summer"
Not the other man.
alas, no, the others other man."
"Not yourself. you fool?"
Poor Phil covered helplessly down in
the chair and feebly held out his hand
as if expecting a whipping.
YES, Jack" he whimpered. "congrat-
and forgive me, old fellow, but
I'm-I'm the man."
"Well-! But I say, Phil. you don't
smoke any better tobacco than you used
TO. do you?"-Boston Budget.
Beats Hrs. Darlington.
This old lady can give Mrs. Parting
fn7 DOinfS on tho uSe of FnrliSh She