The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-03-28

the one condition Up0n whIeh I promised
to marry y0u was that you were to give
| Up bet;ing~
I remember your saying something o.
the sort don't remember making any
/ Promise" he young man answered.
nevertheless you did promise and |
| am woman % my word. What Is 10 be
done? II you forget once. you u,.y forget
again can't overlook sueh a warning az
ihis without being false TO the principles
/ OF a ilfe'iue,
vas ever more tempting way Of g.
cape offered to one who stood in sore need
Of lPophoies? For an instant. but onfy
Tor an instant, Philip hesItated. Then
since he was. after all. gentleman. he
cast temptation bsaind him. ard said
m awfui!y sorry. Bob; really didn't
know had broLen my word. But I'll
tsu you what I'm do. I'll promise you
| upcn my honor never 70 have another
Oct as long as ! live. VIII that satisfy
your"
Yes" replied Miss Bob. slowly and de-
Eberately, that will satisfy me. II Is
distinctly understood. then. that you are
/ bound in honor neVer-never. under any
imaginable circumstances--to bet AGAIN."
Philip nodded. Yes, that is the under
standing"
Thank you. very much That being so.
feel that my mission is accomplished.
and that l may remain with a. quiet con-
science IN the estate Of independent SPIN
s'erhood which l so greatly prefer 10
IN? That you may do what?"
That 1 may hand you over, with my
blessing and my best wishes. to Lily
.Aeade who does not appreciate the privi-
leges Of independence. Ny dear boy. are
you under the impression that I engaged
myself 10 marry you for the sake of vour
beaux yeux? You are. are you2 We'll
disabuse your mind of that fattering hut
slightly ridiculous idea. am sincerely
attached 20 you. 1t is true. and I hone
we snail always be the best of friends.
but II isn't al my time of life that one
rails in love, Ike a schoolgirl. with ones
Juniors / like you, 1 always have liked
you, Wei enough to BE- anxious to save
you from yourself BY anv available
means, and there was a moment when
espousing you seemed 10 be the only
method open 10 me; but the situation has
changed since then. You have money
enough TO hTe upon in comfort now, and
have your word of honor upon which 7
implicitly rely, that you won't sauander
IT. am fairly entitled, IL seems to me.
to consult my own wishes. ard retire in
Miss Lily's faver"
Bob, gasDed Philip. do you really
mean what you saw"
DO j, returned Miss Bob. look Iik. a
liar?"
Her frank, good-humored countenance
certainly bore no appearance of belonging
10 a member Of that ignoble class. vet il
may be feared that if there be a record
ing angel whose function it is to note
down our misdeeds, she did not escape his
vigilance. Whether we deserve, and re-
ceive, black mark for sheer stupidity or
not, who can tell? Let us hope thar we do
not, and that Philip and Lily CrossIev.
now happily united In holy matrimony,
are held blameless in that they impute no
blame TO themselves.
Lord Pennington is pleased to proclaim
aloud TO all and sundry that ne regards
himself as having had deuced lucky es-
cape. AS for Miss Bob II must be OBJ
viOus to everybody that her satisfaction
with union which she voluntarily
brought about is genuine. Philip still
owns modest stud. 1t is a pity, ne some
times thinks, that he should be precluded,
as an honorable man, from occasionally
putting a trifle on dead certaintfes; but
since the dead certainties do not invari-
ably come off, there is, perhaps, no need
to compassionate Kim very profoundly on
that account.