The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-10-26
The Technique of Proposing.
(From the New York Evening Post. In
Three PartsJ
Part Ill

| tIO tOSif'NNS W OHOS'S'
(From the New York Evening Post. In
| Three Parts.)
Part III.
The butler, too well trained TO evince
J surprise at his return, ushered Kendall in
! to the reception-room and departed with
I mis- card. Left to himself, the young man
| listened intently to the receding footsteps
| as they passed up the stairs and through
| the hall above. and then, informing him
| self grinlly that he was now certainly 'in
| for it, he began pacing restlessly up and
! down the room, stopping now and then
| to examine carefully one or another of the
webbing paintings. all of which he had
| long known by heart
| He was conscious of a singular lack Of
| equilibrium, both physical and mental, to
which his nervousness of the earlier part
| of the afternoon was trifing matter; he
| was annoyed to find that he had an unu-
| sual sensation in the region of the bron-
| chial tubes, and to rid himself of it, clear
| ed his throat once or twice in a careless,
matter-of-fact way; ne tried not to let
| himself get out OF that proper attitude
| Of mind, which Hope had said was so i'm
| portant, and kept assuring himself en-
couragingly that IL he could only begin
well, as he had done in the park; to
which end he repeated several times the
first sentence he had used in his recent
rehearsal. Then began TO wonder why she
did not come down, and, convinced that
ne had been waiting an inordinate length
of time, sudden, wild CLEAN of hope shot
across his sky-perhaps she was not at
home, He was just pulling himself to-
gether at this thought, when the heavy
curtains at the door were pushed aside,
and she entered.
Kendall went forward to meet her, look
ing exceedingly d:gnified and intelligent,
and possessed of but one perfectly clear
and distinct idea-that he must now be
gin right
Excuse me ?or coming again, Miss Ar
mold" he repeated with punctilious pre-
ciseness, gazing haughtily at the opposite
wall, but 1 found on getting away that
1 had forgotten something"
''Oh, did you leave something here?' in
quired the young lady in a voice, which.
not altogether steady, seemed to accord
with a certain unusual expression in her
eyes. Kendall, for the first time in all
their intercourse not noticing her, owing
to his sudden absorbing interest in a beau
tiful etching near him, realized that this
was the moment to take the citadel by
storm and answered, with all the elo-
Quence he could at the moment command:
''Yes-when l got away, began to think
that Ito realize that when 1 was here
that two hours ago-to feel sure that after
all-if you would give me the opportunity
and not be too hard on me-in short"
with desperate spurO ito determine
that I would come back and tell you that
/" his eyes having left the etching and
fallen upon a small table across the room;
Heaven is said to help those who help
themselves and KendalFs mettle had been
proved, that 1 had left my notebook
here!"' he finished, in triumph, walking 10
the table and possessing himself of the
little leather-bound article of such STRAIT
egic importance, lying upon It.
Oh said Miss Arnold il strange
tone, drawing a quick, deep breath. Did
you come back for that? i should have
sent 1t 10 you when il was discovered;
but perhaps you needed it at once?"
'T-yes; I needed it this afternoon re-
Piled Kendall feeling great load off his
mind and speaking almost easily. ut con-
tains some figures 1 wished to use at the
club, and of course that reminded me of
it,
81 am sorry you have been so inconve.
nienced," said she, somewhat laboriously.
1T is long distance to the club. Isn't
it very cold for walking?''
Better for walking than for driving,
I should say" he responded. pocketing his
notebook and moving towards the door;
II actually pitied those girls in the park.
They showed pluck; never a white feather,
but they must have been freezing. / have
yet to see a physical discomfort that a
girl can't face if it is necessary in order
for her to do the correct thing
The park?" repeated Madeline you
surely haven't been to the park, too, in
this short timer
oh Kendall hesitated; "well, yes;
I took that in on the way"
Then, having reached the door, and wish
ing to avoid opportunity for what he would
have called further breaks he turned
to say his adieus. MadeHne's response
was only irrelevant.
Are you sure" she said, in strained
unnatural manner. and with apparent ef-
fort, sure that you haven't anything else
to say?'
"Why, don't think OF anything more"
said Kendall amiably, in whose breast a
great relief az having passed his ordeal
had made every other feeling subordinate;
cit was awfully stupid of me to forget my
notebook, and I am sorry to have trou-
bled you: that's all 1 will promise not to
90 II again, ana ne turned once more
to go.
on" cried Madeline. in voice that was
a wall, as she sank despairingly upon
couch and buried her head among the
cushions, then you don't care for me,
after ail,''
"And do you know, Jack" she was
saving to him a quarter of an hour later,
when they were both sitting on the couch
and she had abandoned the cushions. five
minutes after 1 had been so horrid to you
and you had gone, 1 was up stairs crying
my eyes out, and willing to give worlds
10 have you back. Only knew you would
never ask me again. And Hope Brewster
dropped in, and I was too miserable 20
fabrcate, so I told her all about f. She
said she was sure II would turn out all
right; but you see / knew you better, and
1 assured her you would never give me an
other chance-never. And the facts have
proven I was right. for I had 10 do the
second proposing myself. didn: I? Won't
Hope be surprised when she knows il
alp"
And wouldn't you be surprised Il you
knew il alI?" reflected Kendall. as he iooh-
ed down contentedly into the face of the
dearest girl in the world" Yes. OF the
trio. am the only one who knows all
the sides, and who is not in for surprises"
But he would have been the most sur !
prised of any Of them had he at that mo- |
ment seen at the unfrequented north side |
Of the park reservoir a certain lonely little |
figure standing; dropping. girlish figure |
IN a military coat with a turned-up coli !
lar and a sailor hat which had lost ia |
usual jauntiness; for the bright head was
resting dejectedly on the iron reservoir |
railing. and the girl was weeping as |
though her heart would break
LOUIS CORLYN POND. |