The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-06
sunday-not that the Judge loved walk.

ing, Body, out CQaC ne naLeQ OtNer ouIl-
day callers. Sunday morning one of my
aunt's friends telephoned to me. She was
to have Cleveland man to dinner. He
was rich and handsome and clever and
jolly, and he liked all the things liked,
and he could fiirt in six languages. In
fact, he was a registered ladykiDer, but
was himself invulnerable. She wanted
| me to meet him. I positively must help
her. The baby had been croupy all night
and she was wreck. Her husband was
down with grippe and stupid as an owl
| Humanity demanded that I should save
the Paragon of the World from stupid
| time. wouldn't I, couldn't come to the
rescue and dine with her at 1 o'clock?
Nov, Bobby, that Cleveland man
seemed like direct answer to prayer. I
| couldn't consistently turn from the gift
Of kind Providence. To be sure,
there was the Judge. He was off in the
country for the morning SO I couldn't
send him word. Then, too, I doubted his
thinking the excuse valid. Men have alb
matters, and I've often noticed that al
truism isn't the 'magerful mans crown
ing virtue.
II hesitated. I was too fond of the
old friend to be willing to offend him.
but my soul did thirst for fresh fields and
pastures new. I could have stood the
wealth, beauty, cleverness, ETC., but the
.ladyk1ller' and invulnerable' caught me.
! Never, never should the name of nv
fathers daughter go ringing down the
corridors Of time with stigma Of cow
ardice clinging to it. A ladykiller and
| 1.-THE judge went to the wall. I went
| to the dinner.
The blessed baby was croupy enough
TO need his mother. The father was grip
ny enough to sleep. The Cleveland Para
gon was most OF the things in the ad-
vertisement-but invulnerable? Well, ]
don't know
II had thought might hurry home
erter dinner, and that possibly the Judge
would walt So I had ordered the car
rage at 2:So. 1t came, and I offered I'd
SET the Paragon down at his hotel. II
into the trap. The air was like wine
rhe Paragon sighed something about the
peauty OF the country on such day I
felt that was retiring from the field toe
early IN the engagement. My heart made
one last effort to be true to Poll-mean-
Ting the Judge. Then I said:
would you like country driver
He would.
Il 1--WE had it.
AT e:16 drove up to my aunt's door
The Paragon had been dumped at the no
tel. The sun was down. The color had
remorse had set In. knew hadn't beer
decent, and 7 had an awful conviction
that had offended the Judge, and that he
wouldn't come around easily. liked him
peIter than sixteen Of the Paragon, and
didn't know how to propitiats him.
I've always contended that the way o,
the transgressor Is hard--to find; but
had found 1t, and 1t seemed that the Sun.
day school books were quite right / was
even ready to believe that little boy who
would fish on Sunday would be drowned.
II any other man had been in question
| fr,1H k,,.kt
and allowed him to like it or dislike it q:
he chose; but didn't want the Judge
to dislike it-or me; and was afraid q
nm: Let this story be q warning to you
Boopy. Don't be awesome. You may viii
the girl by It; but you will probably driy,
her from the path Of childlike franknes:
. and veracity.
; II said to myself:
Nancy, my child, verify, descensu.
Averni is appallingly facilis. You must lie
lie stoutly and consistently. So may yot
keep your friend with the bad disposition
, tho You may lose your self-respect. 70,
would probably miss your self-respec
much less than you would miss the FRIEND
. with the bad disposition
Monday morning I called up thu
courthouse on the telephone. The Judge.
voice was honeysd. That made me un
: easy. I apologized. He quite understood
That was llncanny. I confounded rnysel
IN explanations. descended to triyialties
There made fatal error. A well tod
lie never goes into details, you know.
told the man at the other end OF In,
phone how worried I had been because
had to go to the dinner, how I hurried
home the moment could escape how j
reached there just after he left, how sorr,
I YVES that he was too impatient to wal
, even few moments.
He said yes, yes,' to everything. Ell
voice was as the voice Of cooling dove
! Bobby. He begged me not to bother m,
head about the matter. He hadn't mis-
} understood me for a moment.
II rang off. It all seemed too good {;
be true, and his angelic confidence in M
| made ma feel like q 'houn' dog'--as my
T Virginia cousin would say. But made
an offering to Mercury, god of lies: and
, that evening put on my new pink frock
The judge didn't come. He didn't com
) the next evening. Bobby, he never saw
t that pink frock! It was wor,, out befor
he spent another evening with me!
} didn't meet him anywhere in society, TO
} he didn't go out at all during the rest o.
J that winter. Occasionally did meet hin
on the street. He was as genial as a Ma,
J morning. He beamed on me. He eve,
! stood by the carriage and talked to me-.
some one else was with me. Really. 70,
, know, It was maddening. I couldn,t al
him what was the matter, when he CAV
me no reason to think he was offende,
and treated me most amiably. He had
right to stay away from the house II b