Evening star., 1901-06-01
SHE LANDED HER MAN

The young woman sharpened lead PEN
| Gil with great deliberation, grabbed up the
| book, pumped herself into a rocking chair,
plucked her gum from beneath the arm of
| the chair, and set to work with q do-or-die
expression.
IF this scheme doesn't work." she muir
INJURED, "then he's a hopeless case and
| won't do, that's ALL
Then she began skimming through the
| book and marking passages.
| " Reginald de Whoopville,'" she read
softly to herself. had but one fault-in-
decision Of character. Brave enough in the
| SELLING OF opportunities. he ever faltered
| at the critical moment. The lack of strong
determination in his nature doubtless pro-
ceeded from a species of careleSSneSS, but
| the hesitancy he exhibited at times when
! he owed 1t to himself as well as to her, to
| display quick-thinking resolution was eX-
| ceedingly trying to Gertrude who found
| herself thinking of him great deal at this
| time
| Well" muttered the young woman.
| sticking the lead of the pencil in her
mouth and marking the passages very
blackly,. that ought to hit him, sure
enough"
" Gertrude,'' sac went on reading after
turning over the pages rapidly had i'm
bibed none of the foolish doctrines Of the
so-called new-woman sect. She was sutti-
| ciently candid to proclaim her belief in
marriage as the natural, as we'll as the
| highest, aim Of woman"
| "Um." she commented as she marked the
passage, lit doesn't make any difference
whether l take any stock in such stuff or
1 do
Reginald, as he rode his prancing steed
over the DOWNS" she continued per
| mitted the bride to fall loosely over his
| horses neck while he reflected. Would he
say to her the few words that would make
such mighty change in their joint ex-
| 1stence? Did she really love him? Had he
read the secret in her eyes Alright p"
1 don't guess there any secrets In my
eyes worth Mentioning" murmured the
young woman. as she bracketed the quota
| ton with her pencil, but If he thinks he
| thinks So all right
Gertrude, while she loved her quiet
home life, yet found some of the unneces-
row-minded old aunt very irksome,'" the
young woman went on reading "'She fell
uncensciously into the habit of peering visit
| fully into the future and wondering If she
should ever have a home Of her own"
And that's no fanciful creation of a dis
ordered imagination" whispered the young
woman to herself, coming down on her gum
good and hard. II wouldn't say it out loud,
but homes just as dull as ditch water and
that's all there is about it,
During all of these MONTHS" she re-
sumed reading, Reginald de Whoopville
| remained, so to speak, upon the brink OF
Long ago his heart had told him that he
| loved Gertrude devotedly, absorbingy-yet
ne lacked the courage to sever, with word,
the ties that bound him to his bachelor ex-
istence. He reflected upon how comfortable
he was in London. His lodgings suited him.
His man was a model of industry and dis
cretion. And, while Reginald was by no
means a dissipated man, he was fond of
roaming about, dining here and there at
out-of-the-Way places, and when the notion
seized him he enjoyed hasty jaunts over the
| continent There was small amount Of
| latent selfshness in his nature. He fully
| appreciated the responsibilities of matri-
| mony, and it was for this very reason that
he feared he might not prove equal to them.
| And yet-the thought came upon him like
| the rushing Of many waters-how he loved
| her! "
| Il hope he reads this through about four
| times, said the young woman to herself.
II don't suppose there's city in the world
| where the young men are so fond of spend
ing all their pay on themselves as they are
| in Washington
| Thus she spent her afternoon.
She was radiant when he arrived that
| evening and just before his departure she
| handed him the book with a few little ap-
| propriate remarks as to how she had en-
| joyed 1t.
| He arrived at the noon luncheon hour
| the next day, and he had the ring along
| with him.
well, just maybe that wasn't a hot
scheme that's all,'' murmured the beautiful
young creature to herself when he had gone
and il was all arranged for next October