Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1904-01-22
FAIR OR DARK
~oNNO~o00~

dldnt, or you wouldn't look so cross
and streaky this morning"
Lady Margaret, whose temper some.
times matched her hair, was lolling in
her W particular arm chair beside
the fire. Raising lack-luster eyes from
the pages Of the Morning Post, she
treated her sister Celia to a CLASSY
stare.
Gross and s%treakyT' she repeated,
slowly. well, l suppose it takes a
fair woman to look beaming by II
o'clock in tho morning"
Celia, on tlptoe before the fireplace,
smiled at her own pink and white re-
Election In the mirror.
When a man does not propose"
she announced, apparently addressing
the coal box, ut is invariably the WON,
ans fault. Why did you manage so
baJllyT
Silrace.
"Either," proceeded Celia, "either
you 3aubbed him atrociously, or you
encouraged him indecently. Which
was It|
Still silence.
Celia, though delighted with her
own eloquence, felt she had missed the
bull's-eye.
Twisting round on the fender stosA,
she faced her sister.
Margaret" in a tragic whisper,
Margaret, were you mad enough to
laugh at himT"'
The Morning Post rustled impa-
tiently.
"You, think. you know everything,
Celia, but you don't"
"But 1 lean to-" replied the other,
significantly, land good intentions
count for something. It's no use qnib-
bling" she went on, you did or said
something to gag Godfrey Pelham.
What was it,"
Lady Margaret gave a mirthless
laugh.
"Oh, he proposed, right enough" she
said.
The blue china eyes opened wider.
Proposed, did he? Then why on
earth"
Then Lady Margaret dropped the
Morning Post.
Celia" she asked, "you admire
dark men, don't you"
The whilom inquisitor blushed.
Most awfully," she murmured,
'but what of that?'
Nothing, only 1 don't; and last
night /"
Good %heavensy' gasped Celia, Il be-
lieye you told hiIa So"
Silence.
Margaret (sternly), l give you up.
You tell that peacock of Il Geoffrey
that you don't admire him. and then
weep inside the Morning Post because
he didn't propose"
"Oh, dear" moaned the culprit. 81
only said how queer it felt to find my
self accepting him when I'd loathed
dark men all my life"
And, pray, what did he say?" in
quired Celia, with the air of the kind
keeper to the prize imbecile.
"He-he jumped up, turned blacke-
than ever, and said since he was per.
sOrally repugnant to me he would re.
tract his unfortunate proposal
Him." said Celia, in scornful pity.
Il should think you and Sidney Rendle
had better marry each other
'Silnpy Rpndle2 Whv1'
why not? He's almost an Albino;
fair enough to please even you, | im-
agine, and he loves dark women"
How do you known"
He told me So"
Told you so! When? Last night?'
"Yes; he was quite charming to me
TIL we went out to find a glow-worm,
and then-then l thought he was going
to, but-but-"
But he didn't" supplied Lady Mar.
garet. Drying her eyes, she sat up.
when a young man doesn't pro-
pose," she quoted, ut is invariably the
woman's fault. Why did yon manage
so badly?"
1T was not my fault" cried Celia.
az neither snubbed nor encouraged
him. l didn't laugh at him nor n
sure his appearance. 1t was he who
said, all of a sudden and without any
warning. that he had an aversion to