The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-20
THE WAYS OF DIPLOMACY
BY GEORGE sHEDD.
(copyright, 1905, by Daily Story Pub
 Cn

U Copyright, 1905, by Daily Story Pub.
 Marian Loveless was referred 10 among her acquaintances as the living statue, and with good reason. Beauti. full, accomplished. with the figure O. a Venus, of perfect health ana strength, she had arrived well into her twenties without feeling tremor or the heart And 1t was not that efforts in plenty had not been made to arouse the warmtn in her gentle breast. 10. she had many lovers who had used all their art to inspire the diVine pa"- sion In her heart. ,.,... ',
 T must have been born deficient. she said frankly to one of these m rejecting his suit. For certainty do not have any warmer feeling for you, nor any other man than hearty friendship. I admire you, l respect you, I have not criticism to make of you. But have no such emotion as you express, nor such as my girl friends tell me of, and of which read in books. I am lacking somehow. l am sorry, both on your account ano on my own. can not conceive or such thing as giving up my inde- pendence and individuality and fners-- ing my life into that of a man; I shall always respect and like you and will be a sister to you"
 ..sister!' exclaimed the man, and he went to the Klondike and never saw her again.
 And that was the story she was compelled to tell her most ardent wooers
 T like the men first rate." she said. Indeed their robust way Of looking at things and doings things IS quite a relief at times from the pet ty little ways the women have, and they are very handy in dancing and rowing and driving and running auto mobiles, and that sort of thing, but to go away and live with and become part of--I simply cannot understand it."
 This was the state of affairs when Gerald Mann appeared on the scene and was attracted by the beauty and the personality of Miss Loveless. When he went slap up against sexlessness so to speak. he was dumbfounded. then interested. He was thorough man of the world, widely travelled and of much experience with women. That a wo- man in perfect health. with red lips and swelling curves and flashing eyes should be perfectly passionless was in- credible. preposterous. Hence he was stimulated to try his powers and in the trying he lost his heart
 For the first time in his life Ger ala Mann was in love. It was the real thing. too, and a hard attack of it. He struggled violently and rfdi- cuIed hlm6eII meTClleSbly over pFC- slumber cigar, but to no avail He had had many affairs and indulged in some engagements. but this was diff ferent. This woman he must have to complete his life There was no question about that.
 In the meantime her adament atti- tude was not even scratched. Mann rather interested her with his we'll stored mind and his Knowledge of men and places and things. but that was all He never quickened her pulses-unless when he put an added dash of recklessness into the speed of his automobile.
 Finally, after struggling in the meshes until he was sore and tired, he surrendered and poured out his declaration of love to the object of his desires.
 "Oh. dear, how dreadful!" she said. calmly. Just when things were rum ming along so nicely. too. and We were having such jolly times. And now must lose you"
 Never" he exclaimed, passionately.
 "Yes, I will" she replied in dis .couraged tone of voice. "I don't know where you will go or what you will do. but you will go away from me. And you knew 1t all the time. too YOU knew l had no capacity for love. Why did you do it?''
 He breathed some fervent words about 1t being written by fate, and ordained from the beginning of time,