The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-07-30
II Q 6e, Ib e
Shared Him.
LorIgLnaL.l


punches; then she asked what We
should do next. "oh. I know and she
ran into the house and brought out .
book ON the left page were a number
Of printed questions: on the rirht
blank spaces in which to write the an
swers. II was impossible to determine
which were the more stupid. the ones
lions or the answers that had been
written in it. The book was about
half filled. the writer's having been
both masculine and feminine.
/ ran my eye down the column OF
questions, such as What is your IA
yorite color? Your favorite proyerbF
Your agef" When l came to the last
| paused and asked If the women an
sWered that question. She said only
one had, but she didn't count: She was
a practical creature and earned her
own living. l went on down the nsf.
Is life worth livingg" Think of that
TO be answered by people from sixteen
TO twenty-six, as most OF those who
had filled In the answers were. ..Xyhat
Is your present thoughtY" / paused
again and hogan to write. THAT the
man who She stopped me.
Don't write anything disagreeable.
won't have my book spoiled"
l had intended to write, THE man
who got up this book did SO for idiots
and TO I'LL his pocket at their expense"
Instead l wrote, THE man who is
asked to write in this book should feel
highly complimented"
That's very nice" she said. II
know how cynical you are, and l
feared you We're going to put in some
thing horrid"
My second thought was that had
narrowly escaped making an ass OF
myself
| went on down the list and paused
at What is your ambitiong" These
questions were goading me TO ruin.
ana again l came near making slip.
started IN to write ITO drink all the
champaign there is in the world" but
caught myself when | had written
TO drink and finished dew from
your sweet lips" l had no sooner
written this, which ] had considered
q high flown compliment. when | real
lied that it was tantamount to decIa-
ration. She was looking over nv
shoulder, and to get a glimpse of her
face ! turned my head Ny beard
came in contact with the almost invisi-
BILE down ON her cheek.
'Oh!" she exclaimed.
Excuse me- l said.
The glimpse l got satisfied me thar
| had stepped off the river bottom and
must swim. l was startled at the dis
covery, had never been before beyond
my depth and an Indifferent swimmer
at that. Still 1 confess 1 had been pad
ding around the girl who was about to
well, TO drown me. She says I'm
cynical, and l suppose / am, though
am somewhat excusable in this in
stance, for the word drown" carries
out my smile. l struck out wildly.
That won't do" said, .'in book to
be seen by any and every body. They
might think-I meanwhile it's true
its-shall l scratch it out?"
"Oh!"
Thls was no reply to my question.
but it expressed a lot. Others NAV not
understand what it meant, but | did.
| was ratified. / made dash for the
next question and read aloud. DO you
consider marriage a failure?"
| wanted to write as | felt. II wish
l knew which it viii be for me If
settle this matter now" but OF course
| couldn't write that. so l temporized.
and a man who temporizes with the
girl he courts Is lost-that is, if mar
riage Is failure. / wrote, 1T depends
upon whether one gets a good wife"
It's wonder she didn't laugh when
she saw what | had written. but she
didn't This was serious business.
Don't you think that a one sided
view to take Of itT' she said in a soft
voice.
Upon my word!' l exclaimed. / was
getting more and more ratified every
III fix it." and l wrote on
Dut In this case I stopped again.
What case? she asked in the same
soft tone.
Why, the case we were talking
weren't we talking about a case? So
We weren't. How stupldw
"ohw
What a convenient word and how a
sirl can use it. I've since tried If nv
self, but without the slightest effect
rink OF a man using 1t and with
'ut the softness OF voice, the surprise
\ the eyes, the injured look about the
mouth. One might as well expect a
woman to produce an effect by the use
4 swear word. And yet this girl was
'naring me with it
You seem to think began and
paused. Yes. she thought, and she had
right to think. but what I was about
Q say wouldn't help matters. She
iidn't say "Ohw I wished she would
II anything to start me afresh. I turn
q to the book for way out. What
5 your faYOTita method If Tronora1 ~