Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-07-21
ing been born as he was.

Ing been born as he was.
"Your illustrations are beside the
facts" she retorted at last, with digni-
ty. II was not asserting that girls wish
to be men,
"Well tlfen''-his tone implied an
amiable desire to please-'cver hear of
the little buttercup that insisted that it
was daisy In spite of appearances and
the testimony Of its yellow petals?
Well, that's like the foolish little girls
who want to be judged by mans stand
ard"
Two slender hands were clapped
noiselessly, but their owner enuncated
with some heat: How would you like
to be woman yourself and be put up
on and-and snubbed and forever
taunted with the fact of your inferiori-
ty? Oh. not in so many words" she
went on hurriedly, lest he should inter.
rupt her speech. Not that, of course,
but by being told that you couldn't un-
derstand, being patroniZed, having al
lowances made-'Oh, well, she's only
woman" Just tell me, honor bright,
how would you like iti'
himself in the predicament suggested
was not without its humorous side. The
figure of speech he had used IL few min
utes earlier came back to him with a
new force. 1t was like being caught
under n net, though the meshes We're
silken.
"WellT' she demanded, with n ring
OF triumph in her voice.
Il don't suppose l should like it," he
admitted between puffs. But that
doesn't prove anything, you know" he
went on hastily. That's because I'm
man" Then, as an afterthought,
when you're once used to being n wo-
man-er-I should think you might get
used to it-grow to like 1t. Mans good
angel. you know, and all thatr'
But what If one wearies of the role
OF good angel-what If one longs to be
just oneself? For my part, l don't
see why man shouldn't be woman's
good angel for awhile-he's so strong
and brave and, above all, superior"
Her voice was deceptively mocking.
Being only man, and man In the
dark at that. he had no way of know
ing that her eyes We're dancing mis-
chievously and she was wondering II
he were horribly shocked. What he
did know, however, was that the voice,
with its youthful, almost boyish treble.
was the sweetest in the world to him.
that he would rather be Knocked and
founted by those lips than flattered by
any others. Still he had a point to
prove, and he tossed the dwindled ci-
gar Off into the bushes that fiankcd the
porch, squared his shoulders aggres-
sively and demanded:
Would you propose to a man if
er-you loved him"
His listener gasped. This was car
rying the war into the enemys country
with Il vengeance. Propose to a man
she loved. Not for rubes and dia-
monds-not for principalities and pow
ers. One might propose to a man one
didn't love, but to the man-never!
NO" came the answer i'll a voice
grown suddenly small and meek.
And she talks about wanting n
mans rights" he groaned to some in
visible person. And she hasn't the
nerve to do II little thing like that.
My, oh. my!
I'm afraid you'll have to stay In the
good angel business awhile yet-until,
for instance, you can stand up and tell
a man you love him. I don't see any
other way"
There was pause. in which he wait
ed for her to speak. but she said moth
Ing. Then he leaned forward, and in
the gloom she could see the shining of
his eyes. lie, too, must have seen
some secret thing in her face. TO-. with
laugh-soft. eXu!tant-he took her
hands in his and pressed them fervent-
~ to his lips.
You are such funny, helpless, ride
ulously superior creatures" were her
last words upon the subject Il little
later, that suppose it will have to
be--yes"