The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-03-25
Mrs. Gibson stood up.

NOT any Oh us, proceeded the
Bachelor, falling in love with you"
Mrs. Gibson advanced a step and
leaned forward. For the first time in
his life the Bachelor felt uncomforta-
BILE in her presence.
81 mean" he began But if he really
knew what he meant he never got
chance to say it. He had his mouth
open, ready for speech, whereas Mrs.
Gibson's lips appeared almost closed,
yet when the pause was broken it was
she, not he, who broke it.
Good Lord" she said. "Why can't
anybody fall in love with me? Why?
Why? Why?
Agitated though the Bachelor was,
bis first thought was one of gratitude
that nobody was within hearing dis
lance. So far as he was concerned
there was nothing for anybody to
hear for he sat before his accuser
merely gasping and staring, but Mrs.
Gibson's first vehement outbreak hal
dropped as a volatile essence into the
condensed wrongs of many months and
they effervesced noisily
why" she demanded again, sis
there no danger of any man loving
me? What is wrong with me? Am l
physically 1ideous? You know I am
not. l am not handsome, it is true,
but there are other women in the
world far uglier than l, yet men love
them; then why not me? Have some
serious mental or temperamental de-
feet? Do | appear dull and stupid?
Am nagging and peevish? Am spite
full and mischievous? But what if l
am all that? Other women are any
and all of those things, and still men
love them; then why not me?"
To all these emotional interroga-
tions the Bachelor had returned a SER
les of vigorous cephalic negations,
which Mrs Gibson evidently trans
lated as complimentary to herself.
Then" she continued, plaintively.
eff l am fairly good looking, as you
say | am, and fairly clever and fairly
amiablc, as you also intimate that
am, why is it absurd for any man to
think of loving me? Tell me, please"
This is serious mater with me, and
| really want to know"
"The Bachelor found his voice then
"You misunderstood me-" he said. 81
didn't say that | simply said that
us fellowship fact is, Mrs. Gibson, it
never occurred to any of us that you
wanted anybody to love you. Do your"
Mrs. Gibson had been sitting for
few seconds, but at that question she
stood up again and curved her long
slender body towards the Bachelor.
"Of course l DO" she said. 81
shouldn't be woman if did not"
81 didn't know" murmured the
Bachelor "You always seemed So
so comfortable and so happy and made
everybody else so comfortable and
happy that I thought you must surely
be content with mere liking and
friendship. At any rate, thought it
very wise arrangement. There are
never any rows when people are will
ing to get along with just that, yon
know"
Willing to get along with Just
that she repeated slowly. II hate
Just that I'd rather, a thousand
times rather, take part in regular
hair-raising fracas every day of the
world and get the worst of the battle,
too, than to get along with Just that
l don't want to be liked-to be just
friends. am sick and tired OF it. For
the past five years / have ben liked
by all the milk-and-water, namby.
pamby people l have run up against,
and | want change. / would rather
be hated than just liked want
somebody to love me, that's what I
| want, and If there's anything about
me that makes it impossible, then, for
heavens sake, tell me what it is, and
go away and let me alone"
The Bachelor had by that time par
TALLY regained control of both his ma
tural and spiritual bodies. He slipped
sideways from his chair and backed
off toward the piano.
"Oh, Good Lord, Mrs. Gibson" he