Smyrna times., 1906-03-14

all. The sand was white, the breeze
caressing, and Dorothy seemed unusu-
ally susceptible. l judged it to be an
suspicious time to declare my feelings,
so | began:
Dorothy, dear, 1 have wealth through
no fault of my own, social status ditto
and Il moderately good disposition. /
love you. win you mar
To my surprise, Mistress Dorothy
spraug to her knees, crying, Don't,
don'tp' and clapped her small hand
over my mouth.
'.Very well, then, l won't" l said to
the circumstances.
''Oh, but l want you tor was the
next astounding development, while
she dropped down on the sand again.
bowed her head and wept
| thought l was used to Dorothy's
moods, but l realized then that my
knowledge concerning them was small
AS l didn't know what else to do, l
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?"
l sat up 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 little damp brown
curl. II have a 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 it
a vow which we were bound to keep
| if we were-were-hung for it. Nell's
vow was
"Never mind Nelrs VOW" 1 said,
"What was yours?"
Il vowed / wouldn't marry a man
who didn't propose to me in way no
other man ever did"
Ever proposed to your asked jeal-
ously.
mo, no. Ever proposed to anybody,
l vowed, so l have to keep it. Oh
George, I've just lived to have you say
it in some strange wayP'
There's no law against a fellows
proposing twice, is thereT' l asked.
She looked up eagerly. "Oh, you
haven't said it yet. you know. l stop
ped you. Do you suppose you could
think of some original way"
| 'iWell, I'll try mighty hard. But wha
fool thing for you to do anyway
81 know it," she acknowledged, will
unusual meekness.
AS our afternoons at Santa Monte,
were devoted to the surf, we met again
in front of the bath house and hand il
hand walked toward the seethini
breakers. She looked more charming
than ever in her black suit, bande'
with scarlet, and a scarlet handker
chief knotted about her small head.
Heavens, Dorothy, how | love you!
l exclaimed as we emerged from GU
plunge through the first swell.
"And love you, too, DEAR" she mul
INJURED. coloring little. You will fin
: some way. won't you?"
; Eyes, If have to pick you up som
: day and run off with you.''
'That wouldn't do. Some of the say
ages behave that way. 1t isn't the dC
ing anyway; it's the asking"
s Dorothy Allen, see that swell con
ing? When it gets here I'll hold yo
: under it till there isn't breath left /
your body if you don't say you'll MARI
e mer
1T isn't original" she persisted. '"Tl
man Nelrs engaged to said almo
that"
Darn the man, and Nell, tool' sal
viciously under my breath. | didn
- try any more that day, but she above
me one kiss as we sat on the raft. an
that was something.
1t would be d wearisome task to +
late all the ways in which l tried
propose to Dorothy that summer Ii
awake nights trying to think of son
y wild and woolly way to ask her to ma
U ny me- only to face bitter defeat by b
ing told that SOME other John had sa
the same to his Joan. Dorothy's know
edge on the subject seemed prodigior
v 1t would have looked suspicious to /
K had she not really felt as bad as
did over my inability to be original.
The summer was almost gone.
> certain Thursday was to mark Dol
~ thy's departure for her New York hon
On the Tuesday before we, with a &
party, were to visit Mount Lowe
Dorothy's pretty lips read the
] scription from the guidebook as '
left Los Angeles and were borne swi
ly through suburban places toward
$50 fog wreathed mountains. The rest
the crowd was CONSIDERABLY oblivio
II of us two, so | raade bold to interrup
Y Dorothy, this has got to end. | {
~ losing my appetite, and | can't sic
nights have tried twelve times.
/ can't find a way to suit you on L
trip I am off for Africa or Shangl
next week. You needn't look incr
ulous. am in dead earnest
- "Seems as though you might think
something" she replied.
"And II I do you are going to ma
me right away and let me go no