Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1906-02-15
LUCKY
THIRTEENTH
By INA WRIGHT HANSON
Copyright, 1905, bY Mcclure, Philips & Co

The sky was blue, the ocean bluer,
and Dorothy's eyes the fairest blue OF
all. The sand was white, the breeze
caressing, and Dorothy seemed unusu-
ally susceptible. l judged it to be an
auspiclous time to declare my feelings
SO l began:
Dorothy, dear, l have wealth through
no fault of my own, social status ditto
and u moderately good disposition.
love you. VIII you mar
To my surprise, Mistress Dorothy
sprang to her knees, crying, Don't,
DON'T. and clapped her small hand
over my mouth.
"very well, then, 1 won't" l said to
the circumstances.
ooh, but I want you tor was the
next astounding development, while
she dropped down on the sand again,
bowed her head and wept.
I thought / was used to Dorothy's
moods, but 1 realized then that my
knowledge concerning them was small.
AS / didn't know what else to do,
Just sat still. Finally she raised her
head from the sanctuary of her hands
and looked at me reproachfully.
"Oh, George, I've been waiting a
whole year to hear you say it, and now
why couldn't you have said it differ
ently;"
/ sat up a little straighter. How
should you wish me to approach the
subject?" l inquired coldly.
"Of course you don't understand,
poor boyl" she sighed, poking back be-
hind her pink ear a little damp brown
curl. II have chum at home, and
we were always thinking Of something
that no one else would. One day she
said, Let's make VOWS So we each
took a piece of paper and wrote on 1t
q vow which we were bound to keep
If we were-were-hu for it. Nell's
vow vas
'cNever mind Nell's vow," / said.
"What was yours?"
81 vowed / wouldn't marry man
who didn't propose to me in way no
other man ever did"
Ever proposed to you?" asked jeal-
ously.
"No, no! Ever proposed to anybody.
/ vowed, so 1 have to keep it. Oh,
George, I've just lived to have you say
it in some strange way!'
There's no law against a fellows
proposing twice, Is thereT' asked.
She looked up eagerly. "Oh, you
haven't said 1t yet. you know. ! stop
ped you. Do you suppose you could
think of some original wayT
"Well, III try mighty hard. But what
fool thing for you to do anyway
IL know It," she acknowledged, with
unusual meekness
AS our afternoons at Santa Monica
were devoted to the surf, we met again
In front Of the bath house and hand IN
hand walked toward the seething
breakers. She looked more charming
than ever In her black suit, banded
with scarlet, and n scarlet handker-
chief knotted about her small head.
"Heavens, Dorothy, how love your
! exclaimed as we emerged from our
plunge through the first swell.
"And love you. too, dear" she mur7
INJURED, coloring little, You will find
some way, won't youY
Eyes. II / have TO pick you up some
day and run off with you"
"That wouldn't do. Some Of the saw
ages behave that way 1t isn't the do
ing anyway; It's the asking"
Dorothy Allen, see that swell COM
ing? When II gets here I'll hold you
under 1t till there isn't breath left in
your body IL you don't say you'll marry
mew
at isn't. original" she persisted "The
man Nells engaged to said almost
that"
hDan the man, and Nell. tool" said
viclously under my breath. l didn't
try any more that day, but she allowed
me one kiss as we sat on the raft, and
that was something.
1t would be wearsome task to re-
late all the ways In which | tried TO
propose to Dorothy that summer. lay
awake nights trying to think of some
wild and woolly'way TO ask her to mar
ry me, only TO face bitter defeat by be-
ing told that some other John had said
the same 10 his Joan. Dorothys knowl-
| edge on the subject seemed prodigious.
| II would have looked suspicious to me
bad she not really fclt as bad as /
| did over my inability to be original.
The summer was almost gone. A
| certain Thursday was TO mark Doro-
thys departure for her New York home.
On the Tuesday before we. with gay
party, were TO visit Mount Lowe,
Dorothy's pretty lips read the de-
| gcription from the guidebook as we
| left Los Angeles and were borne swift
| ly through suburban places toward the
| fog wreathed mountains. The rest of
the crowd was conAidcrately obliyious
| of US two, 80 made bold TO interrupt.
Dorothy, this has got to end. | am
losing my appetite, and | can't sleen
| nights. / have tried twelve times. If
| can't find way TO suit you on this
trip ! am OF for Africa or Shanghai
next week. You needn't look incred-
| ulous am In dead earnest"
"Secms as though you might think of
something" she replied.
"And IL do you are going to marry
me right away and let me 60 home
with YOU" / went Qn, ignoring the re-
proach Qf her remark. II deserve some
thing for all I've gone through"
She didn't say yes, but, on the other
hand, she didn't say ne, so 1 felt fairly
confident.
echo mountain" called the conduct.
| or. "Change cars for Alpine tavern,
Five minutes wait"
On the right were the ruins Of ho-
| tel. which we went over TO observe.
Here we found cannon. mounted and