The Globe-republican., 1902-01-16

They declared that the captain wa.
either impossible to suit or that he
must be suffering from an unrequitee
affection, was absolutely heartlesS
because he fatty refused all offers un
til broken hearts became as common
as candidates for legislative honors-
The end of the season came and
found him still open to engagements
and he confided to one of the young
ladies that he was thinking seriously
OF settling down lest he might make
the mistake of walking clear through
the wood and then at last picking up q
crooked stick.
ssYou accept whatever offers to-
night, captain said she, mischievous
~ Tt was the night of the last dance
of the season
Capt Nee1y, who was not dancing
man. promenaded the veranda with a
combination of blond hair and pink
muslin on his arm, and as they joined
a group of dancers who had come out
side for air, she who had advised him
to make up his vacillati ting mind on this
very occasion, demanded to know if
he had made that conce ession in Peg
gy's favor. The captain replied that
with the full consent of those whom he
had already refused he had done so.
and that the consolation in this in
stance was to be fancy saddle horse.
L
you certainly cannot afford to ignore
such chance You would better
speak now or forever after hold your
peace" laughed this irrepressible
medd1er.
s'How can I propose now?'' asked
Peggy. Whoever heard of a ballroom
proposal where there wasn't a conser-
vatory?"
"Cou1dn't we tunconsciousIy drift
apart from the others ?''' asked the
candidate for matrimonial nomina-
ton.
s'That might do" answered Peggy,
and she drew the tall captains arm
through her own, and together they
strolled among the 1antern-1it trees.
The irrepressible meddler looked
after them, and thinking that Peggy
never appeared 1oveIier than she did
tonight in her pure white gown with
field daisies in her hair, she wondered
if the captain would remember her
Joking advice The lights grew fewer
and farther between.
well, Peggy, why don't you begin; !;
surely you have heard this thing done
times enough to know how?''
She had dropped his arm and the
joke soon they were outof sight
of the group on the veranda, but he
insisted on keeping up the conversa-
tion it had started out
Miss Randall was generally regarded
as young woman without a vuIner-
able point; stony-hearted, in fact. In
reality she was girl of unusually
high ideals and probably because she
had SO much to give she expected much
in return Not perfection, but her
ideal of manhood was a noble one,
and Capt. Neely at times seemed to
her to more nearly fulfill it than any
man she had yet known.
1T always seemed to her that she
never appeared to such poor advan-
tage as when with him, for then all the
ability conversationaIisT with
which she was credited seemed to de-
sert her and she felt that to him she
must appear most uninteresting
person.
Now she dared not let him see that
she was afraid to go on with the farce,
so in the gayest 1-ianner she began
again just a they came upon a seat
among the trees, into which the cap
tain deliberately threw himself, Ieav-
ing her standing: sEMy adorable James
isn't that the way they usually be=
gin?''
every good,'' was the answer, ssbut
I positively refuse to listsn to any pro-
posa1 unless the sgt tor gets down on
her knees
you base man, you evidently mean
to luNuriate in the situation, but I
can't go down on my knees here. I'll
soil my Dress
Capt Nee1y erave1y spread his
pocket handkerchief on the ground in
front of him and impefatively mo-
toned her to kneel. and that she did,
and in the most approved voice of sup
pressed emotion began:
My adorable James; while deeply
conscious of my great unworthi-
ness
Don't mention it,
Il must utter the words that have
SO long trembled upon my lips-I-
..WeH,- utter Them
May L dare believe that the feel
ing I entertain for you is ia a meas
u-e reciProcated, and that at no dis
tant time / may have the unutterab BILE
happiness Of calling my own one
whose welfare so entirely fills nv
soul and whose slightest wish will
ever be my Iaw?''
You may, graveIy answered the
beloved one, and he bent forward to
raise the accepted suitor from her
knees
"oh, you promised you would re-
fuse and Peggy looked as though a