Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-02-22

ting room were close drawn. A tiny
fire cracked and burned in the CRATE.
The glow from n 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 Sec" said Marian Wildlng rs
she poked rather glngerly nj the bla2-
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
or? The Duluth man was dear and
awfully in love with YOU" Alicia chue-
killed.
We'll, it's quite a tale. guess
will tell you She looked contcmpla-
lively at Marian. "You see. Mrs. Fate,
the 'bounteous blind dame did might
lily displace her gifts to us. She made
funny mixture of you and me. With
NJ, your height ana BROWNIES and top
holiness, you're meek as kitten at
heart. ana all any man viii have to do
to get you Will be TO kill a garter snake
before your admll'ng gaze or say" you
from drowning in two feet Of water.
| But |, with my yellow mop and dinples
and glrly -girly appearance. am not TO
be taken by any tricks masculine
WANT man, such Il one as we read of
and seldom see
"Wcll, wasn't that Duluth mortal
man? He was six feet tall, and his
shoulders were Immense
"a proper mans figure, grant, and
| really thought I'd found The man till
that night. Well turn down the light.
III 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 your she
asked suddenly,
mo. | was at Pratt's chat winter.
But Polly told me about it She said
you'd turned him down
81 thought so, and Polly ought to
know She knew more about his down
sittings and his uprisings tdGn he did
himself. But well, that was the first
winter after papa lost his money, you
know. We were living ont on the elec-
trio line between ST. Paul and Mime
apolis after our house was sold. 1t vas
cunning little place. but horrid to get
to We hadn't any horse and went back
and forth on the trOlleyS. | must say
ho-the man was trump about such
things. He never rubbed things in the
least bit He was establishing a side
branch for his company in the city and
was 'awfnlly rieIi, but he never made
the mistake Of acting rs if things We're
well, different You see. he met me
while we were still In the big house, be-
fore wheat took a flop ut the wrong
time. | had all my clothes left, and l
looked nice that winter. He took me
anywhere there was to go-thoaters,
concerts, skating every where. Oh, 1t
was drcam!" She sighed and was ST
lent a moment. But toward spring he
got to be sort of sentimental Tommy,
and it took all my native wit and my
glrlish guiclcssness to staye him off"
but what did you want to stave
him off for?'
Il didn't know any better. He was
big and strong and brave, and | felt
that ia have TO give in to him sooner o.
later, but-wcll. | wanted him to show
me. His siege was perfectly awful to-
ward the last. | 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 ho-well, he did the usual
thing He asked me in a manly, point
blank way to marry him" Marian
stirred the fire vigorously hoping to
catch glimpse of Alicia's face, The
attcHptWas futile.
Il Kind of wanted to take him up,
but you see ii was largely pride with
me az first Ana papa ana mamma,
bless their scheming, wanted me to be
safely settled. lie seemed 20 be just
the right one. But knew that every
old gossip like Polly, would say it was
because he was rich, ana then really
didn't love him. though at that time l
didn't know enough 10 know the diff
ference Now she extended pref
ty left hand and let a 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
a ring which he carried around on his
watch chain, he was 50 confident. But.
do you know. the whole spring and
summer went by and nothing thrilling
would happen! ! refused TO drown, alb
soluteiy. II took some time to convince
BIN that J could swim like a mermaid
lie was Wild 10 teach me, SO / let him
try After ! had been hopelessly clum-
sly for six weeks | diyed one day under
his very nose and swan away under
water.
And there seemed to be no bears in
the woods, no rattlesnakes IN the fields
where we picnicked He was getting
desperate, poor man. leased him and
trembied inwardly, because | knew
that some time something was going 10
happen, and was beginning to believe