The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-10-25
Miss Kerrison s Heart.
BY EDWIN PUGH.

GOney, my informant, lis he married
much?"
"Oh, frightfully!" said Goney.
who is the creature?" I inquired,
after a tense pause.
And when he replied, 1.-THE eldest
Miss Carruthers," I was more shock
ed than ever. That Lilian-my beau
tiful, wild white dove-should con-
sent to become a mere tame domes-
tic fowl-and for Tom Frisby's sake,
sake, CALLED my sensibilities. l re-
membered how I had laid the offer
ing of my own unfledged affections
at her feet, and how she had danced
on the elaborate embroidery of, words
In which 1 had clothed my passionate
avowal
''Ah, can nothing induce you to
listen?" I had cried.
Another man might" she had an
swered cruelty.
And another man had, it seemed;
and that man, Tom Frisby.
Of course, my love for her was
dead, and even If it had still fingered
on, this last mortal blow to my self
esteem would have slain it. / have
nothing to say against Tom Frisby.
I happen to know that he wears bed
socks; but I suppose "a man may
have a quarrel TO marry when he
WILL" as Bacon says quantity, even
though his circulation be as indie
Gently defective as Tom Frtsby's.
The thing that grieved me most was
the dismal pitifulness of it all.
II shall go and see them," l told
Goney
"They are we'll worth SEEING" he
nodded, 'I'll come with you, if you
like"
And so we went together.
l found that Lilian-no, Mrs.
Frisby!-was already by way of be-
coming a social success. She was de-
veloping into that dreadful thing, an
ideal hostess. She was obtrusively
| tactful and extensively managing. 1t
was said of her that she had knack
of bringing the right people together,
which, being interpreted, means that
she strove to pair off her guests as If
they had been vases.
Frisby himself was boisterOusly
happy and rosily content and, more
over, most beautifully trained to
obey his wife's lightest word. He in
vited us into his den, cupboard
over the pantry, to drink inferior
Italian vermouth, and having got us
there, he at once proceeded to pat
ronize u.s.
"Ah," he said, "you will find your
affinity some day"
(Which of us do you mean"
asked Goney, with creditable haut-
eur.
Both of you,' he smiled.
eff both of us find my affinity"
said I, there will be trouble"
But he was in nowise disconnected.
He merely waggled his fat head at
us and said: 1--WE must look out for
a wife for YOU"
To which Goney replied, obviously
plagiarizing me, Of course: 1--WE
would rather have one apiece. Fris-
by, if we must marry, and you don't
! mind"
Il think there are enough girls to
go round" said Frisby.
And from that moment began the
unconscionable crusade against our
cloistral bachelorhood, in which Fris-
by and his wife took a meddlesome
part, and which terminated in the la
mentable contretemps that it is the
purpose of this story to detail. She,
Of course, was the more subtle sim
ner.
II was in Bond Street the other
day." she said to me one afternoon,
land saw such lot of
people,"
| London" I remarked, sis dread
fully overpopulated-esp dur
| Ing the season.
81 saw you,' said she.
'I am fatally conspicuous,
know" said l; and then asked her,
! What was | dOing?"
And | confessed that it was my
favorite occupation.
''You were not alone" she went
| On.
ut is a fact that [ suffer from
more friends than I have any real
use for sighed.
eff you are in the habit of speak
ing of them like that, I don't think
you deserve any at ALL" said she.
81 DON'T" said l. Il have done no.
| body any harm"
There was little pause, and then
she said gently: 'Mr. Craven, don't
| you think that yours is a very useless
sort of life?"
ct is useful to me-" l murmured
meekly.
"You waste so much of your
time"
'tIt might be money" I pointed
out.
Perhaps it is, as we'll. You
keep bad hours"
But which are the bad hours,
Mrs. Frisby?"
'As if I knew!" she exclaimed.
"You smoke a great deal, too. You
go to music halls. You belong to too
many clubs"
But 1 only frequent the others"