The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-01-02
TWO FLATS hid
| IN ACCIDENTAL.
How a Lover Brought Dallying
Girl to the Point.

pSSSSSESSSSSS SSSSSSScSGScSSSSSs~s
The suggestion that brought it all
about came fronisme. | believe.
Suggestions of any sort usually came
from me rather than Margery. for
have in my veins the adventurous blood
of stanch New England ancestry, who
had burned witches and fought Indians
and later pursued relentless traffic in
wooden nutmegs with the same high
courage and fine disregard Of conse
quences, while Margery is of Dutch de-
scent and inclined to be cautious, if not
a bit pig headed. as ] often told her.
But no one could help loving her. in
spite of her little touch of Dutch OBJ
stinacy, least of all myself. for of all
the provoking little women that We're
ever created for the express purpose of
charming and tormenting their fellow
men Margery was the most deliciously
dear, and | loved her so well / could
forgive her ything-that is, anything
but the way she treated Jack Beasley.
The dance she led that poor fellow
was something to move even bearded
Turk to pity. For whole year she had
kept him dangling after her as abjectly
as a dancing doll at the end of a string.
and yet, as far as we could see, he had
made no progress whatever in her way
ward affections.
We had been talking things over,
Jack, Ned and I. In Margery's absence
U never dared mention Jack to Mar
gerry for fear of still further exciting
that famous obstinacy of hers), and
even Ned, the most hopeful of mortals,
had had to admit Jacks chances looked
blue. Ned, be it known. was the daring
youth who had undertaken to guide my
New England enterprise and other vir-
tues (too numerous to mention) through
life's pilgrimage.
He and Jack were partners in law
office and occupied the fiat on the TOP
floor, where they INDUCED in certain
mysterious rites they called light house.
keeping, while Margery and l taught
music and Delsarte and practiced the
modest virtues of hospitality in the fia1
below.
Nothing, therefore, could have beer
more fit, suitable and otherwise to b.
desired than to have Margery and Jacl
fall in love with each other, even al
| Ned and / had done Jack was willing
enough, poor boy. but Margery balked
1t was too provoking.
As ! said before, we three had beel
talking it over the day before Will
Margery was absent teaching the luck
less children Of a rich soap manufac
turer to play Wagner on the piano ant
| had all agreed that the situation locke,
| hopeless.
Jack had been in the depths of de
spair because the tenor of the choir fo
| which Margery played the organ ha
| called three times that week, and
| though | didn't believe she cared pi!
for the tenor, had never known naugh
ty Margery TO appear more willfully re
gardless of Jacks feelings.
We had parted, therefore. gloomil
enough, after fruitless conference
and had relieved my mind by bein
especially cross to Margery all day
| though ! must own she didn't seem
mind much
1t was an awful day, raining cal
and dogs, and in the afternoon ! &c
tired of being cross all by myself an
proposed that we should shampoo ou
hair and dry it on the parlor radiator
the only one in the flat large enough fc
the purpose OF course Margery objec
ed Visitors might come, she said, an
then WHO would let them inf l scoute
the idea of visitors on such day III
less, observed with sarcasm. she Wa
expecting the tenor again.
She didn't notice this stab, so | pr,
ceeded to say that as the radiator WI
in the corner we could pull our big Jal
anese screen up in front of it and, s
cure in our hiding place, let our enti
visiting acquaintance, including me
senger boys and duns. knock at Il
door till they got tired and then d
part. blissfully unaware of our proxir
ity
Accordingly it WASH t long before v
were snugly ensconced on pile of so
> pillows on the parlor floor, wrapped
1 our bathrobes and with our wet loc
streaming out behind US across the +
diator, over which we had stretched
steamer rug We were armed with
q novel apiece. but soon got to talkil
girl fashion and We're deep in a discu
sion of Amos Judd when there came
loud knock at the door
Great Scottr | exclaimed in
stage whisper, the rosy advantages
T. my plan suddenly fading in the &C
light of reality
There. told you soi' cried M;
= gerry ungenerously. sitting up abrupt
so that her hair fell all about her il
| great shining, coppery shower
l "Sh-shut upT" | whispered, reat
ing out with an agitated stockinged I
for the bedroom slipper | had careles
kicked off a moment before.
Again the knock came. this ii
g. more imperative
to "What. in heavens name, shall
= dor gasped Margery-
Keep still. said sotto voce
X Then the door handle turned. and
hserd Ned's voice saying "There's