The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-10-28
BUSINESS"
Mr.. Percival Houghton was standing
near the door in the Paultons' drawing

Mr. Pereival Houghton was standing
near the door in the Paultons' drawing
room.
Houghton was not very popular
member of his set on account of peril
Gus faculty lie had of avoiding all so
cial functi ms He was to be found at
the Paultons' today-well, if the mat
ter were prebed to the bottom. prinoi-
pally because he was an old friend of
the family and Jack Paulton had re-
minded him he must not send q refusal
at the peril of serious breach in their
friendship.
Some one plucked his sleeve. 1t was
his hostess.
"You remind me very MUCH" said
Mrs. Paulton, ''of statue / once saw
of Achilles, think it was. Why this
heroic Observation-Disclosures"
Houghton had not yet spoken of his
embarrassment when she put an end to
it prettily, sparing him the additional
confusion of an explanation.
"Come, let us descend to things more
substantial than dead heroes, if not less
poetical. have pleasant surprise in
store for you.
"Indeedlh
Eyes. Let me fetch you to an old
friend just returned from over the sea-
Miss Alice Coates F"
She conducted him to the damsel in
question and left them together.
I'm heartily glad to see you again,
Miss Coates, said Houghton. trifie
awkwardly.
"You may call me Alice, as you did
before l went abroad, said the girl
with whom Mrs. Paulton had left hl +
and then mischievously, though am
quite grown up now, you see. y
'Dear me, yes; quite grown up. Do
you remember our chats, when we used
to poke fun at the county old danes at
your mothers at honest l have never
found eongenial company since you
went abroad, and l have gone out of
society entirely-become a kind Of COM
mercial anohorite.
How fortunate you are. But then
you never really cared for society, did
you?''
mo, indeed, nor did you. Are your
ideas unchanged, Alice?"
"Well, in way. | still think, as you
used to say, the world would be better
off if it did not trifie with precious time.
Yet-and know you will pardon me-
/ am surprised to find you single. Is 1t
possible there has been no one charming
enough to break through the pessimistic
ice of your nature?"
"No one, indeed. But though will
not be SO vain as to say 1t is entirely,
yet will be bold enough to say to my
old coufidant it has been largely due
to the fact that have not had the time
to devote to loyemaking. And, you
know, it takes great deal of gadding
about before u man may even evidence
his affections slightly. .
"That' very true :"
"Now, cont you think yourself that
the conventional wooing is very lam
entable sacrifice of timer"
"If the woman in me decides, no;
but if / persevere along strictly common
sense lines, perhaps yes. 7"
How charming you arel Joyei You
have not changed jot, Alice. since
your hair has been turned up and you
have donned the harness of social slav-
cry. But. to continue our subject, l
honestly think this business of love and
marriage might be expedited, for in
stance, in the commercial way. A man
comes into my Office with proposition
that is almost as important to me as
marriage, for it affects my life's affairs
very radically. He wants an answer
that same day-immediately, ifpossible.
True, l take, say, half an hour or an
hour to turn the matter over in my
mind and view it in every light. AS
rule, in that length of time have come
to satisfactory conclusion. Now, IL /
could find woman to whom l might
say: Here, let us expedite matters. Let
US get this preliminary business of love-
making over Immediately and come to
the point without further ado OF
course it should be some one with whom
one is rather we'll acquainted, as, for
instance, you and r.
''Mr Houghtonl'
"There, there; you see heresy will
crop out even in an old adherent. Let
me continue. take out my watch this
way and say: 1t is just 10 O'Clock now,
Alice. love you very dearly. Will you
marry me tomorrow"
Chow charmingly ridiculous.
'"That's right. So it is, perhaps, ri
diculous, and | shall have to turn in
again on my poor. old lonely soul--no
one understands.
"But, my dear friend, am to believe
your peculiar theories carry you serious
ly so far as THAR"
~ am profoundly In earnest. My af-
fairs of business are SO absorbing that l
candidly can give no time to lovemak-
ing"
"Then you deserve never to get a
wife, if you cannot sacrifice your bust
ness for her. Why, lovemaking is the
best part of woman's life. !"
"Ah, WE'LL had expected to find in
you, if not firm believer in my theo-
ries, at Least a strong sympathizer. That
settles it. You are the last straw. l
shall never marry"
Alice. Of course, might have turned
tha oonyoroa tio,, into othar ohannala