Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-11

ticularly communicative mood. Jenkins
who carried off one of the girls to Gretna
Green. told the why and wherefore OF the
series of elopements.
You see, it was this way. My father-in-
law preached to the girls from babyhood
that he didn't want them to marry Didn't
put 1t on the grounds that he was selfish
enough to want them all to himself but
that all men are scalawags, and especially
all who begin to search for their respective
better halves at the proper time So when
l went calling on the girl who is now my
wife he promptly came into the parlor at
o'clock and stated that it was high time
for all good little children to be in bed, and
he guessed I'd better be going
:" 1 went. A fellow can't stay in another
mans house after he's been requested to
get out. But | was back in a few nights
This time he stood at the head of the
stairs, and, before the clock was throue h
striking .. beloved down that it was time
1 left. l went back the third time. Again,
at 8, he called my attention TO the hour and
added that he didn't approve of children
making formal calls on one another any
way.
That was the climax-practically closed
the door in my face for good and all. So
/ struck up a secret correspondence with
my wife, and we arranged to meet at the
houses of friends. and in less than year
we went TO a nelSnDOrlnS town ana were
married, and then let the old man get the
news the best way he could.
We'll, that didn't cure him. He tried the
same tactics on the young men who called
on the other girls. Most of EN- he scared
off, but two stuck Just as L did and as the
girls weren't of the dropping kind. exactly,
there were two more Opponents.
And, say, what do you think? Our
mother-in-law. who aided and abetted her
husband, says she simply can't understand
he life her why her SDnS-ip la w
don't display lively desire to call her
mother" Eh-whatT
so far as I'm able to make OUT went
on the married man. the chief fault which
lies at the door of the young man awooing
seems to be that he evidently loses all track
of time once he gets into the parlor where
the object of his attentions sits enthroned.
Or. if he does realize the hour. he is at
loss for method to break away. forgetting
that the only way Is to break away.
Higgins was one of the sort that know
not the art of taking leave at the psyche
logical moment. Wherever he went he in
variably stayed late. The longer he stayed
the more evident his embarrassment at
staying became He would look at the
clock every few minutes, make a move as
If about to go and then sink back helpiessly
into his chair.
'One night he sent up his cards to two
sisterS-seemed to be a case of If the other
dear charmer were away At any rate,
the sisters exhausting their stock of light
talk about IL o'clock, began to feel the eff
fects of the strain. The younger, in de-
spair finally threw out a yelled hint about
home and mother but Higgins neglected to
improve the golden opportunity and lin
gered on. At IL they had him on his feet,
showing him the painting over the mantel
and other adornments of the room that he'd
seen all evening from his chair He in
spected them to his satisfaction, then-re
sumed his chair!
Half an hour later one of the sisters
slipped into the sitting ROOM where her
father was reading, and induced him to step
into the parlor and say good night. and
add that the household would have to get
up early in the morning. But his good Of
fees We're in vain. and it was not until after
the chances politely offered him, Redeemed
the color of a beet. stammered furiously
that he guessed he'd better be going,
grabbed his hat and vanished, to the untold
joy of the sisters.
II know of a man who, whenever 10
o'clock came and there was a young man
in the parlor, went to the front Loor. fun
bled noisily with the lock and opened and
banged to the door, All the young men
who ever called on the Smith girls in a
certain western town were invariably
startled into taking their leave at 1890 by
noise overhead akin to that made by
shoes falling to the floor. There is at Iaas,