Arizona republican., 1902-02-04
LOVERS SECOND DEGREE
&c CO.. ATLANTA Ca

This is 4 bit Of plain history. and the
reader whose mental appetite Graves
adventures Favored with The essence OF
heroism ana self sacrifice viii save
himself disappointment by passing il
by. 1t is. it may be said. the pIainest
OF plain history.
John Delwin. the hero, is j man who
sells groceries. Formerly lie was an
ordinary boy OF numerous frechles,
then a. delivery clerk in the village
store of which he was later part own
er. His life, SO Tar as his acquain-
tances can judge, has been a psalm
from the beginning.
When ne married Emma Hfinkler he
Wore the customary black. and the
bride was attired in the customary
white, and conEra tulations upon the
happy event We're many and sincere,
just as the village newspaper said. So
far IS is known no hearts were broken
or even bruised in the case. John had
10 rivals. Nor had Emma. He want
ed q good sensible wife She wanted a
good sensible husband. They were
married. Everybody was satisfied.
Theirs was the most commonplace of
courtings. He escorted her home from
church one night. and they stood Tor 4
time az the front gate while the little
god Of love performed his duty. Tney
did not realize the solemnity of the oc-
casion, otherwise he would have talked
less nUenJly of butter and eggs. and
she would have subdued her references
to the starchiuS and ironing of shirts.
1t was fate.
John said to himself that there was
a girl who was practical. girl well
calculated to comfort a man who
worked for his daily bread. Emma said
TO herself (mark the coincidence that
here was n man who was practical, a
man who wasted his brain tissue with
70 trivial subjects of thought. And
from that moment the compact be-
tween them was virtually scaled.
He called upon her Sunday evenings
regularly after that. They attended
entertainments AT the village hail arm
in ann, hailinS with especial satisfac-
ton the coming Of stereopticon shows.
At times he hIrnessed his delivery
horse to a top buggy and they took
Ions rides.
\ year passed before he asked her
to share his fortunes. Scarcely an III
slant passed before he received his an
swer. He kissed her then. and they
We're very happy.
John" said she' as they parted that
night. engaged couples are different
from unensaged ones. Come and see
me often. John. for l shall be lonesome
without you. Come Monday. Tuesday
and the other days.
III do it." said John. trying to re-
member . couplet he had laboriously
committed to memory; "Ill-Ill do it
De" said she.
20. 7 will said ne.
Thus it come about that wherever
business was a bit slack in the store
John girded up his apron. which bore
a saleratus brand upon it's bib. and
went forth to call briefly upon Emma. |
And he never failed 10 find her busy /
with household work. her round white I
arms barred to the elbows. her fingers .
often bcdecked with da rs of dough her .
face flushed by the heat OF the Kitchen /
fire. And he said to himself fervently.
in much the same spirit that character
ICES the stock burst of gratitude in the
more thrilling love tales. What a prize
I've won. What Sirl she is Omy:''
And he walked upon air in his leade1
deliberate way straight to the wedding
lay.
Emma was not beautiful. She was
not witty. She possessed not those
qualities which throughout the pages
Of n questionable literature have made
IF the masculine heart. John under
stood this and gloried in it. He him
self had not been a success at holding
Ip one end of even five minutes con-
with more dashing of the
girls who attended the church soci2ls.
he rather feared these girls. He was
lever able to quite free himself from
he suspicion that they We're making
un< of him. He pitied the brilliant
Dung chaps whom they married.
And il was so also with Emma. The
brilliant young chaps adjective used
n the purely complimentary seuse) I
oted her dead dull without dissent +
NJ voice. They said she was cheese, ]
,hatever that may be in the human t
oTm. She was utterly without power S
D set the strings of the gilded male =
arps in motion. And she shifted in !
err sensible solid way. declaring that f
be hoped the Lord would have mehcy {