Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-03-25
He WAS THE FELLOW

| ANA>tsS
men are all abominable rot, If you'll
excuse my saying so.'
Don't mention it. All the same, l
know more of women than you do. I'm
pnly putting you on your guard. Tell
me about your goddess"
Cant you be serious? I'm in earnest
this time. I want to talk seriously
about her. l want to know what you
think of her"
"Well, l think she's pretty; think
her eyes are blue and guileless; think
her hair the brightest and her figure
the neatest | have ever seen, and
think-I have met her before some
where. Yet she didn't seem to remem-
Der me, did she? 1t must have been
before l went to the cape. Let me see
two years ago. Tell me, has she ever
loved before? For surely, with so much
beauty and soul yours is not the first
heart she has taken captive"
Look here. Drop poetry. That's just
what want to tell you about, only,
upon my word, you make it so jolly
hard for a chap to tell you anything.
What's come over you? One would
think by the way you talk about wo-
men that you'd been crossed in love or
something, only l can't think any wo-
man would be such an idiot. l suppose
you're about the most popular man
about town. Why don't you drop cyni-
cism and get marriedT
Never mind me, you were going to
tell me that
"She's been engaged before"
"Well, that's not serious. Most of
them have. Who broke it OFF,"
"She, Of course. You don't imagine
any fellow who had once won her dear
little heart would part with it in a
hurry, do you? From all can make out
the man was lazy scoundrel, and she,
to show you the good sort she Is, didn't
care to marry man who lounged
about all his days and never exerted
himself to work for her."
Had he no money!"
"Only paltry $4,000 year. What's
that to girl like her? OF course nat
urally she wants, with her good looks,
to hold some sort of position In town.
She, like the good angel she is, tried to
spur him ON to work, but he as good
as told her that if $4,000 year wasn't
enough for her, well-it ought to be, or
something like that. Then he went
abroad"
(Tom Goring to HIMSELF ITO the cape
and returned Unexpectedly, but in
time" (Aloud) "Yes? Anything else?'
Eyes. Not only that, but he was a
confoundedly jealous brute"
absolutely without cause"
"Of course, just as though girl with
her lofty ideas would stoop to flirta-
ton when she was engaged to be mar
ried."
"Look here, Malcolm, you take her
part. Naturally you're bit down on
the chap she was engaged to. Dyou
think it's quite fair when you've only
heard one side? Suppose l told you l
knew the fellow she was engaged to"
"Well, should still take her part"
"Quite right. l admire you for it.
but give the other fellow chance and
look before you leap. Love is all very
WE'LL but beware of infatuation, my
boy. You've known her how longT
"Two months, and I've seen her ev-
cry day. Last night, as you know, she
accepted me-
"And your 100000 a year and your
future chance-a very good one-of
baronetcy. No, don't get up; keep calm.
l don't want to see you make mess
Of your life. First of all, when you be-
gan to talk about her thought it was
Just another of your larks. / thought
probably you could take care of your
self. But, upon my word, you're bit
too trustful, not to say green, for this
wicked world; so, though l don't like
interfering, I'll just tell you something
you ought to know, and then you can
think 1t over and take your own way.
| I'll have no more to say. You've known
me all your life-haven't you?-and
you profess, l believe, to have a good
| opinion Of me-. At any rate you know
| I'm not liar. / know the fellow she
| was engaged to. | have known him
for years. He wasn't bad sort; bit
lazy perhaps, but stlll-well, anyway,
he's got heaps of friends. | don't want
to say anything bad Of your-your
6ancee but just this-she never spurred
him on to work. She knew work was
out of the question for him. He wasn't
so very young, poor chap. Had to win
ter abroad occasionally, and that sort
of thing-nothing serious. When she
heard his income was only paltry
$4,000 year she just set about finding
an excuse to be out of it.
"Once with his own ears accidental
ly this fellow overheard her talking
to her dearest girl friend, and this was
what she said: I haven't the heart to
break 1t off with him, he's so much in
love, but I'm just flirting about all
can so that he may have an excuse to
back out of it,"
81 don't believe it. It's gross SLAM
der. If could get hold of that fellow,
by Jove, I'd thrash him. That's his
story. Why should you believe it more
than hers? You bring me face to face