Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-23

ones girl friends. Now, you were never
nice to Priscilla
There's only one being I dislike more
than Priscilla. and that's your skye ter
rer. 1t makes me vicious to see you
spoon with either of them,'' said the man,
calmly
ugly, envious disposition you have! Jack
was different. He said he thought loyal
friendship between two girls was beautiful
thing, and he would let me rave about Pris-
ella by the hour l was ashamed some
times. after he had gone, to think how much
had talked about her and how patient
he had been. She admired him tremendous
ly, never was tired of singing his praises.
l went to sleep every night with the chant
in my ears. She wouldn't stay in the room
when he came always made some sort of
an excuse and fled, although l stormed
about it. 1t looked horribly pointed Pris-
ella wouldn't go out with us once in a blue
moon, either. Shed promise; but, at the
last moment she would have neuralgia or
tonsilitis anything short of smallpox.
She even sprained her ankle for the Yale
Princeton foot ball game, and sat around
with it bandaged for days. I'm positive
there wasn't a thing wrong with it, but
mother did the bandaging. Jack didn't get
along as fast as he might have done with
all the help he had He was devoted and
chummy, but he seemed diffident By and
by he reached the quiet dreamy stage,
where he sat and stared at me by the hour
and opened and shut his mouth once in a
while without saying anything. Then he
got where he talked about love-in the alb
stract you know about what a woman
could mean lin a mans life, and what
man ought to be for the sake of a girl he
loves, and mems unWorthiness, and wom-
ems angelic attributes, and homes. and
children, and old age, and all that sort of
thing
The man who came often sat up.
BLESS my soul! Is that the way to do
It" I'm afraid I-well it's so long ago that
1 don't remember distinctly, but wasn't 1
You were. You didn't follow any of the
rules of the game"
NO wonder l wasn't a success. Still
there's Vardon. His golf form isn't at all
win out On the whole, I'll just try to keep
my eye on the ball. and won't change my
form. Did Jack put well?"
Nancy frowned
This is a serious story, Bobby. It's rude
to interrupt. Jack asked my opinion about
all sorts of points in love and matrmony.
He couldn't get away from the subject but
he stuck TO glittering generalities. He
didn't have the moral courage to partic-
ularize"
Il thought so. He may be good on
long drive, but can beat his putting" muir
INJURED Bobby.
Now. l liked Jack, liked him heartily.
didn't want him to ask me to marry him
unless intended to say yes. There's a great
deal of entertainment in finding out
whether man is in love; but. having salts
the humiliation of being rejected If she
can"
The man who came often looked i'm
pressed.
Then, if she allows him to propose it is
because she intends marrying him?
Nancy, this is delicate way of breaking
the glad news to me- You've made me a
happy man. Suppose we drop Jack and
celebrate the joyous occasion"
| Naucys cheeks were red.
Il mean it, she said, hotly. Il detest
| proposals. You propose every other day.
| but 1t doesn't hurt you because you aren't
| in earnest. I'm talking about sensitive
| men, capable of real feeling. 1 was very
| serious about Jack He was honest and
moral and clever and rich. There didn't
seem to be a flaw in him. He would make
| a splendid husband much too good for me,
| and it would please the family. OF course
| l wasn't in love with him. 1 was more
| nearly in love with several other men, but
| then my tastes are low. l felt that l ought
! to marry Jack.
| AT last / talked very frankly about it
| with Priscilla. | hadn't done that before.
| If l have anything to say about the men
| who fall in love with me ! usually say it to
| them, not TO my girl friends. But l did
| talk to Priscilla. She treated to dis
| courses that sounded as IL she had cribbed
| them from Epictetus Marcus Aurelius
| She was positively oracular. Her ideas on
| the holy state of matrimony ought to be
published and found in every home. She
didn't think ought TO cherish foolish ideas
of love, the volcanic absorbing passion
hadn't any decent existence. 1t belonged
to French novels and the lower classes
Respect and liking and confidence were the
things on which to begin housekeeping.
| Incidentally it was we'll TO have a bank
| account. 1t fostered the respect and conf
| dence. Here was a man of men, a paragon
| of all the virtues, much too good for me-
| He adored me and couldn't help making me
| happy. 1t would be absurd. mawkish, sui
/ cidal, to say no to him just because 1t
| didn't give nervous chlls to hear his
footsteus in the front hall. I had heard