Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-01-12
THE MIND OF A MAID
CHARACTERS.

CHARACTERS.
Margot Carpenter .......A young LADY
Reginald OldeTcheek ......-.......
...,...... young gentleman
Grimes ..................... A tramp
Margots boudoir, afterwards
Woodchester High Road. and after
wards Margot's bedroom.
Margot had no very particular reason
for refusing the young gentleman who
was so desirous of being her Reggie.
Yet had she spoken that fatal mono
syllable which has struck cold to the
hearts of suitors since the days of the
stone age.
Margot looked at her rings, and her
face assumed an expression that was
meant to represent a compassionate
negative. The shake of her head was
intended to imply sympathy with Mr..
Oldereheck's feelings; the tap of her
little foot gave him to understand that
no amount of imploring on his part
would affect her decision. 1t was not
her first refusal. Already she had said
a fat cne of 40 nay; already she had
turned her heel on the obese mans
thousands, his dog-cart, his high-step-
ping horse, and his unlimited expecta-
tions. So, in a manner, she was an
experienced maiden, and so when Reg
inald proposed to her she did not fiut-
ter and blush to any great extent, al
though she did flutter and blush
little.
Reginald Oldercheck was not wise to
propose at 10: 80 in the morning. | do
not intend to discuss the hour at which
man may most prudently suggest
matrimony to the lady of his choice;
] will limit myself to the statement
that 1030 a. m. is certainly not that
hour.
With considerable trepidation, clean
ly shaved, irreproaehably clad, but, as
regards his inner man, very vacant
(for he had eaten no breakfast), Mr..
Oldercheck was shown into the draw
ing-Ioom, where, being too nervous to
sit down, he toured the apartment, gaz-
ing at the pictures (but not taking
in their merits to any appreciable ex-
tent and looking out of the windows
(without observing anything there
from), until indications of Miss Car
penter's approach fell on his ear. For
MAJ got collected new three-penny bits
bearing interesting initials, and wore
them on a silver bangle, and these in
their jingling generally heralded her
advent.
When she entered, looking, as Regi-
nald could not fail to observe, very
fresh and nice, Mr.. Oldercheck scorn-
ing predatory remarks relating to moth
ing, intimated that he would like to
marry her. He said it stammeringly,
working a button off his waisteoat in
his agitation, and then started intently
at cameo near by.
YES" said Reginald Il know I've
no chance. | know you don't-per-
haps in time"
This was an indiscreet interruption
on Reginald's part, for it made Mar
got's task the easier.
"Yes, perhaps in time," she returned,
playing with the bangle, "but-but not
now"
do you like me?" demanded Regi-
nald, letting his eyes steal up her form
until they reached her neck, but not
daring to look her in the face.
"Oh, yes-I like you" she replied,
in q tone that Reginald didn't at all
relish, hut nothing more-at present" :"
Thank you," said Reginald. "Er-
good-by."
"Good-by, Mr.. Dldercheck."
And so Reginald went out into the
morning breeze, feeling that at any
rate he had broken the ice.
Six months passed away. During
that period Mr.. Oldereheck proposed
fiye more times to Miss Carpenter, but.
to quote a common phrase. to no avail.
for on each occasion he suffered what
amounted to rejection. Miss Carpen-
ter did not summarily say NO" As
Reginald put 1t to a friend;
She seem to play about with a
chap-doesn't send me clean away. and
yet won't have me. can't make her
out, old man"
"Ahl" responded the old man. sage
youth of something under twenty, "wo-
men are queer cattle"
The fact was that while she was de-
cidedly partial TO Reginald's society,
Margot (although she tried hard, ever
SO hard) couldn't bring herself to feel
any particular longing for that society
as a fixture rather than as a movable.
For that, after all, Is what marriage
means. Men who make extremely
nice movables often fail altogether as
fixtures.
So Margot dilly- -dallied with Regi-
nald, and Reginald had not sense
enough to demand a plain reply. Had
he done so, there Is little reason to
suppose that It would have been other
than another hesitating negative
II.
Miss Carpenter generally went rldine
on that dreadful invention OF modern
Pickerel hooks. lines and tip-ups
~ XVn1looafa