Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-02-13
DAILY SHORT STORY
A MARTYR TO FORM.

you why.
was brought up in an eastern city,
in the "best circles" which meant that
| was carefully trained as TO the
proper thing" I was used to two diff
quaintances with young ladies into
calling acquaintances. The first was
for the young man to wait for an in
vitation TO call from the young lady
or some member of her family, the
other to secure the good offices of a
mutual friend, who would give the in
PRODUCTION.
When l was twenty i removed TO Il
western city, where | went into bust
ness and made the place my home. /
found it very different in social way
from being on my own stamping
ground" Mt home. l had never had oc-
casion TO push myself socially and to
do SO would have been repulsive to me.
Nevertheless / gradually made ac-
quaintanceS, in all cases receiving the
invitations without solicitation on my
part. AS i grew toward that age
wherein 4 man tires of society and
longs for Il home | gradually dropped
ont of the gay world. l desired TO
meet some attractive girl who would
consent to marry me.
One day l received an invitation from
an intimate friend of mine-a Mrs.
Wood-to dinner. The only other guest
present was Miss Julia Rivard, a young
lady whom l at once pronounced very
attractSve-just the person, | thought.
judging from appearances, that would
like TO make n nest with. She was
very pretty. very ladylike and had been
we'll educated. She was but nineteen
years old and not self assertive. but
this only rendered her the more attrac-
tive to me. l passed delightful even
ing in her company and went home to
dream of her.
In due time I called upon Mrs. Wood
and told her that / was much pleased
with her friend. This | considered
quite enough to warrant her Offering to
be medium in securing me calling
acquaintance on Miss Wood. She made
no offer to do so. / met the young lady
at social entertainments and paid her
much attention. hoping and expecting
an invitation to call upon her. No In
that best expresses ii. miffed. / grad
ually ceased my attentions, and Miss
Rivard treated me with less warmth.
BY spring there was a positive cool
ness between us.
/ met Miss Rivard occasionally for q
number of years. Meanwhile / picked
up new friends and dropped some OF
my old ones. There was no young lady
that / cared to marry except Miss Ri
ward, and since she did not care enough
for me to ask me to her house / re-
manned bachelor.
Seven years after I had met Julia
Rivard sister OF mine came from the
east to visit me- At an evening party
1 introduced my friend Jack Milburn
to her. While riding home 1 said to
her: II hope you asked Milburn to call
OF course I'll bring him, but a fellow
likes to have girl ask him"
My dear boy, I never ask men to
call upon me-
"Why not?" asked. surprised.
Because IT isn't the proper thing TO
do
What is the proper thing!"
IF the gentleman wishes to know
the girl it Is his privilege to ask per
mission to call upon her"
Il never did such u thing in my
life. We never did it at home
Il believe things were different In
such cases when you were at home.
The custom has changed"
This was a revelation to me- For
years had been priding myself on not
trespassing upon other peoples homes
taI 7 no act
ment between myself and the girl l
wished to marry, and all because con-
ventionai form had changed and 1 did
not know II.
I told my sister of my mistake and
asked her what I could do in the mat
ter. She told me that she would think
1t over and let me know If she thought
OF any way to unite the knot. / wait
ed some time for her reply, but none
came. Then one morning I received a
note from Miss Rivard:
Your sister tells me that you have been
waiting seven years for me to ask you to
come to see me. L meantime have been
waiting seven years for you to ask for
an invitation to call upon me. since 1 sup
posed that to be the conventional form in
such cases. Indeed. / never was taught
any other. / hope you will come soon and
often to make up for lost time.
lost no time in making the call and
when 1 did so displayed such grief at
having through a bit of conventional
stubbornness lost seven years of the |
lady's society that it was equivalent |
to a lot of lovemaking. My courtship |
lasted seven days, or one day for each |
year of our estrangement; then | pro- |
posed and was accepted.
/ learned soon afterward that / was |
I'm the nick of time-that Julia Rivard |
was on the point of accepting man |
who had had the impudence to call |
upon her without even having asked |
permission. He had given as a rea-
son that he feared he might be refused. |
also learned that / had been invited |
by Mrs. Wood to meet Miss Rivard |
with the intention of making match.