Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-03
WHEN THE RING Is NEW

ccene-Snuggery OF Etheldreda Richpa,
whose engagement has been announced IN
the papers. Etheldreda, reclining on rose
pink couch, is reading "Heart-to-Heart
Talks With Engaged Girls in a monthly
publication. which she holds upside down.
Etheldreda (solus)-They'H all be flock
| ing in, OF course. and asking me all about
| 1t. As If I'd tell theml
(Enter Imogene. Alberta and Edwyna, ali
| visibly excited. and pointing reproachf,ll
| fingers at Etheldreda)
fhe Three-Oh. you sly thing, you, And
\ none OF US know word about It'll Oh,
what mouse! You didn't 80 much as
breathe
Enthusiastically, how stupid you all arel
George has been
The Three-Yes. but who In the wide
world would ever have thought that you'd
not even whisper to US
Etheldreda-How could I, when didn't
lmogeue-What did he say?
AIberta-Did he tell you that you were the
only girl he ever
Edwina-Did he go on his knees like Fa.
versham does in
Etheldreda-Sillies, you all know that
George Is the most matter-of-fact old thing
| in the
The Three-Begin at the beginning and
ten US just exactly how it happened, and
cont skip a word for worlds! When did
Thursday, and t1SS
The Three-Mercy on us, and we've seen
you every day. and you didn't so much as
iee on that anything of the kind was like
Etheldreda-But, you see George had to
go away on business. and he wanted to be
mere to receive his Congratulations. so we
ahangeu that the announcement
suoutdn De made until he returned from
Imogene-How many times day did he
write and telegraph while he was
AIoerta-Seems trife odd, doesn't It,
INA. ne could find the heart to go away for
"Iy oio business matter just after
Edwyna-But you haven't told us how he
popped the -io
Observation-Disclosures Bigcoin, how can
SHu employ such perfectly horrid phrase!
VOW tnere wasn't anything romantic about
II at all. George and went to the recep-
ton at the art gaIlery-auntie chaperoned
aE,,na, while auntie was lost-George SOL
lose her. but he is awfully deep in some
ways-why, he 80 ~
The three-You don't mean to say that he
glare Of Ia GIL 'ie
Etheldreda-Weli. there wasn't any n,er
70 walk out to the end Of and George
me, and ' ~ al a.
The Three-But there are lots of ou;a+ III
tie corners at the art gallery, and
Itneldreda-Oh, We knew that and NAV
pe we aldn't find them all while we were
lrGOrRa
seemed to have chart of the whole huil1.
ing right in his memory, and we might az
well nave been in the middle of No Mans
Land when he
The Three-When he asked Won, Now toll
us Just exactly what he
:, Etneidreda-Oh, he didn't call me the
nght OF his life. or his ideal. or the dream
OF his soul, or the pulse of his existence
or anything so stupid
me Three - Stupid. Why. Etheldreda
h1ehpa, how can you say such
J., E III el, simply asked me If I'd
nave MIN, and l said yes So there, now
imogene-I don't believe one word of it,
Alberta-Story-teller!
EdWyna-1tS dreadfully mean of Won to
try to evade telling us,
Etheldreda-Of course he told me- that no
thought he liked me some, and
Inc Three-Liked you some. Why the
idea! Is that all he ~
Observation-Disclosures might baya baep
even little more emphatic-I don't remem-
Der
The Three (deprecatingly)-she doesn't re-
member nien AS If any girl is liable to forget
single, teentsy-weentsy word that
Etheidreda-I believe he said something
ABOUT hiking me some ever since he was a
boy In knickerbockers and I little girl
with pig-taii and aprons, and
The Three-How funny! Men are such
frlshtful dissimulators. When he was
thinking about marbles and tops and kites
sstheidreda tsternly)-George is the most
truthful man that ever lived. Well. then.
he said that he'd never cared yery much
for girls, but that
The Three Exchanging glances)-WelI. he
naaynt nave cared really for that mysteri-
0as countess at the beach last summer
horrid thing:-but If he don't, why, he
took a queer method Of
Etheldreda (haughtily) - That will do.
now! george has told me all about chat
She was almost old enough to be his
me1her and she had been frightfulIy
abused by everybody, and George felt sorry
for her-he Is SO chivalrous-and in spite Of
everything he acted nobly in trying to
Make 1t pleasant for the poor creature.
The Three Exchanging elances)-1t was
good or him. to be sure! The countess WAS
as handsome as picture
Ethelreda-He told me then that he felt
ne was getting old-George is all Of twenty
e elgh5' you know-but that he thought he
Imogene-But didn't he squeeze your
hand and tell You that
Aiberta-Dtdn't he get all red and hoarse
worshiped the air you
Edwyna-Now. Etheldreda Richpa, Won
guilty creature. you know very we'll that
ne kissed you about five hundred
Etheldreda-Im sure / didn't count the
number Of times he
lmogene-And did he ask you If he Was
the first man you'd ever-er-iet salute your
I've been told that all the Door ignorant
benighted creatures ask that foolish Gnes
ton when they pro
Alberta-And then they say that If thew
.tooSHt for moment tflat any other Inns
but theirs had p'
Edwyna-As If a. girl had to walt with
her hands in her lap for Just one big.
eroWn,up boy to come along and
Etheldreda-He didn't ask me ANYTHING
OF the sort. If he had I'd have told him
that he ought to be sufficiently contented
to
1mogene-Did he threaten to take pulyer-
lied glass If you refused him?
Alberta-Or a solution of sulphur
matches?
Edwyna-Or go and fight for the Boerse
Notwithstanding Of the kind There
was no occasion for him to say anything
like that l. Ae
The Three-You don't mean to saw that
you fell right into his arms and promised
instanter to-
Etheldreda--Well to hear you silIy crea-
lures talk you'd think I'd never had a sin.
gle, solitary chance in my whole
Imogene-Wouldnt he be whoppine mad
If he knew about the horrid way YOU Tilted
poor Jack Quickclip when
AibertaEAnd what desperate case you
had with Tommy Spendswift last
Edwyna-And how Eddie Puiptop went
assigning out to Japan
Etheldreda - Blackmailers! I told him
everything-everythtng- is-erLaIl that
he had any right to-
The Three (rising) - Well, au revoir.