Middletown transcript., 1906-02-24

tiful.
Alfredo Saurez, the third mem
Der of the recently formed, bu
apparently persistent, group, wa
as Templeton had remarked, IN
| mistakably Frenchitied, though
her name and face both indicated
that she could liark back to q no
| remote Spanish ancestry. Sll,
too was dark; but there all resenl
| blance to her chosen companion:
ended. Unlike them, size wa!
! short, restless and yivacious
with noticeable fancy for point:
| of bright color in her costume:
and an equally characteristic ia
cility for saying things which the
average young man could not in
stantly determine how to take
This latter trait, in part at least
accounted for the fact that, in
spite of her olive skin, flashing
eyes and even, white teeth, she
was distinctly the most unpopu-
lar girl at the hotel.
This was the situation which
confronted Lyman Templeton
when lie arrived at Seabrook
Beach; and with the serenity and
unclouded judgment of an en-
gagged man, whose fiancee hap
pened to be travelling in Europe
he was not long in grasping the
salient feature with which bis old
friend John DeCamp was SO in
timately associated. When, some
days later, the double entangle-
ment, which he had found vastly
amusing, was referred to him for
solution, Tenpleton's S outward
gravity did not at all reflect his
mental attitude, and it was with
considerate surprise that he
found DeCamp resolved to take
seriously advice, which he Linn
self regarded as purely facetious.
He became aware of a GaRning
anxiety on DeCamp's account.
The fellow was such q likable
mixture of straightforwardness
and hopeless practically that
there was no forecusting what he
would do; and Templeton sat up
rather late that night thinking
the thing over.
The following day at noon De-
Camp reported to Templeton that
the first test had wretclledly
failed.
We went over TO the courts
about half past ten, the young
fellow said, and | managed TO ar
range that Martha and Alice
should play singles. Neither of
the girls put up very strong
game, but things moved along all
right until the score stood four to
four. Then suddenly that little
Suarez girl, saying she just had
to have some exercise, rushed in,
grabbed Martha racket. and
won out in two straight. Of
course, as we had decided it was
the first set which was to count,
she spoiled everything.
I don't like the idea of attempt
ing to duplicate an experiment
which has failed, remarked Tenn
pleton meditatiyely; so I'll think
up something else. In the mean
time go ahead with the other
tests. | must be back in Boston
tomorrow, and before leaving I
should like to know how this af-
fair is going TO end.
Say, Templeton, observed De-
Camp some hours later, unless
we can devise some way 10 get.
rid of Alfredo Suarez this whole
business is going to be hzzle.
Those three girls have been
hanging together like grim death
all day; butin spite Of this, bile
ago on the veranda I worked up
that second test, taking the idea
you suggested of pretending to
want to know and then lining out
something which vaguely resem-
bled the dictionary definition Of
counterpoint Well, almost be-
fore | got the words out Of my
mouth, Miss Suarez said 'Coun-
terpoint. | didn't suppose she
4 e -
knew anything more about music
than | do about astronomy; but it
seems I was mistaken, and natur-
ally her putting in knocked the
experiment sky high.
Too bad, said Templeton sym
pathetically. Louks as though
we must arrange a new series of
tests to be applied when Miss
Suarez isn't present. However,
you still have one untried expert
ment to go ahead on while I'm
the matter and try
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