New Ulm review., 1906-02-07
Copyright. 1905, BY Homer spra0ue

ting room We're close drawn. A tiny
fire cracked and burned in the CRATE.
The glow from red shaded lamp min
gled with the freight and showed to
the best advantage the very different
types Of beauty belonging to the two
girls who were waiting for callers.
you see," said Marian Wilding as
she poked rather gingerly at the blaz-
ing sticks, you've never really told
me why you turned down that Duluth
man. Why did you? And why are
you engaged to an unknown New York
er? The Duluth man was a dear and
awfully in love with you.'' Alicia chuc-
killed.
well. it's quite a tale. guess
will tell you" She looked contempla-
lively at Marian ''You see, Mrs. Fate,
the 'bounteous blind dame,' did might
lily displace her gifts to u.s. She made
a funny mixture of you and me. With
all your height and BROWNIES and top
loftiness, you're meek as kitten at
heart and all any man will have to do
to get you will be to kill garter snake
before your admiring gaze or save you
from drowning in two feet Of water.
But I, with my yellow mop and dimples
and girly-girly appearance, am not to
be taken by any tricks masculine. I
want man, such a one as we read of
and seldom see."
"Well, wasn't that Duluth mortal a
man? He was six feet tall, and his
shoulders were immense"
"a proper mans figure, grant, and
I really thought I'd found the man till
that night WE'LL turn down the light.
I'll get it over WITH She drew both
feet up into the big leather chair
leaned her head into the shadow and
thought awhile.
"You really knew him, did you?" she
asked suddenly.
"No. was at Pratt's that winter.
But Polly told me about it. She said
you'd turned him down"
~ thought SO, and Polly ought to
know. She knew more about his down
sittings and his uprisings than he did
himself But-well, that was the first
winter after papa lost his money, you
know We were living out on the cleo
trio line between ST. Paul and Mime
apolis after our house was sold. It was
cunning little place, but horrid to get
to. We hadn't any horse and went back
and forth on the trolleys. / must say
he-the man-was a trump about such
things. He never rubbed things in the
least bit He was establishing side
branch for his company in the city and
was awfully rich, but he never made
the mistake of acting as If things were
we'll different You see, he met me
while we were still in the big house, be-
fore wheat took flop at the wrong
time. l had all my clothes left, and I
looked nice that winter. He took me
concerts, skating Oh, it
was dream!'' She sighed and was 81
lent moment. But toward spring he
got to be a sort Of sentimental Tommy,
| and it took all my native wit and my
girlish guilelessness to stave him off,
"But what did you want to stave
him off for?'
81 didn't know any better. He was
big and strong and brave, and 1 felt
that I'd have to give in to him sooner Or
| later, but-well, I wanted him to show
me. His siege was perfectly awful to-
ward the last. I was under fire all the
time. There was simply nothing that
man didn't do for me and all SO deli
cately that simply couldn't help my
self. Finally he-well, he did the usual
thing He asked me in manly, point
| blank way to marry him." Marian
stirred the fire vigorously, hoping to
catch a glimpse Of Alicia's face The
attempt was futile.
Il kind of wanted to take him up,
but you see it was largely pride with
me at first. And papa and mamma,
bless their scheming, wanted me to be
! safely settled He seemed to be just
! the right one. But l knew that every
old gossip, lise Polly, would say it was
| because he was rich, and then I really
didn't love him, though at that time
didn't know enough to know the diff
ference. Now She extended q pref
| ty left hand and let diamond sparkle
| in the freight. Then she went on.
SO told him wanted him to prove
his love some way, to perform some
valorous feat or other something to
/ make me love him. Perfectly silly, Of
course!' But he was just that kind he
was sure he could do miracles-for me.
And he actually bought and showed me
q ring which he carried around on his
| watch chain. he was so confident. But,
do you know, the whole spring and
summer went by and nothing thrilling
would happen! refused to drown, abb
solutely. It took some time to convince
him that could swim like mermaid.
He was wild to teach me, so let him
try. After had been hopelessly clum-
sy for six weeks diyed one day under
his very nose and swan away under
\ i 55 Il