Free press., 1907-12-28
THEIR POINT
OF VIEW

en- to them by Derrick Atchisen hiM-
self that he was going to be mar
ried
What stunned them most was his
way OF telling them this quite natur-
ally, as if it was nothing unusual. It
was just as if he had been in the habit
of announcing every day OF his life
that he had matrimonial intentions.
1.-The idea of his thinking of getting
married." almost wept Mrs. Atchison
that evening to her husband. Why
didn't you tell him he was foolish in
stead of just sitting there! Derrick 8
a mere boy yet-he's SO awfully
young!"
He's 2S," commented Derrick's
father, gruff1y, biting his cigar and
| froWning.
"It seems just the other day that he
was playing marbles and wearing out
his stockings at the knees" said Mrs.
Derrick, tearfully. Il just came to be-
| lievc IL! II seems TOO ridiculous! Why
can you imagine Derrick-that ire
! sponsible boy-at the head Of house
hold?"
Fiat" corrected Atehison. with the
VI q NJ, S~A soy
! that l have a picture of Derrick pick
! ing out good steak on his way to the
! train to be sent up or frequenting in
! telligence Offices. | don't believe he'd
! know a steak in it's natural state from
a sofa cushion or have courage to face
a cook in search OF a job. II seems
funny to have boy you've taken
across your knee and spanked talk
about getting married"
Il don't suppose we can stop him,
either" said his mother, gloomily.
Hes awfully set in his ways. And to
think that he's going to marry girl
I've never laid eyes on but once! 1t
seems SO unnatural. somehow! He
might have considered me little! He
knows it takes me so long to get ac-
quainted with strangers. I'm sure
there were lots of nice girls around
home here. l expect she led him on.
She had on a brown dress the day 1
saw her and l never did like brown.
She's not at all his style of girl
Grace Little said Derrick's faith
er, meditatively. 81 never heard of her
father. 1 don't believe he can amount
to much in his line
mo doubt she just worked Derrick
into proposing said Mrs. AtchisOn,
twisting her handkerchief She is
probably one of the scheming kind
and thought she'd never again have
such chance. A boy as handsome as
Derrick and with as good salary
and everything-he has always gone
in such good society-Oh, it's a scheme
clear through! He says she is only %,
but I've no doubt she's years older.
I suppose she is wild with joy at hay-
ing landed him. And her mother-oh.
I can imagine how complacent her
mother must be these days at having
got her daughter settled at last! How
she will talk to the neighbors and en-
JOY herself! Horrid, designing, ordi-
nary peOple!"
But we don't know them,' ventured
AtchiSOn, with a lame attempt at JUS
tice.
"I don't want to-" flashed Mrs. At
| Gibson. Il suppose that's where Der
| rick is gone now since dinner. All
these years in his own home and now
he deserts us for Grace IIittle's moth
| er's house! They've simply hypnot-
lied him! My boy never would treat
his parents so if he were not bewitch-
ed!'
Still, it's the natural thing to get
| married" said Atchison Its done
every day
He said that l must go and call on
the Littles,'' said Derrick's mother.
I'D rather be killed! l simply can't
RI IiSfop fO
eush over Derrick and congratulate
herself that she's to have him for a
son-in-law, She'll be so full of her
triumph that she'll talk nothing else.
III have to smile and pretend that
like it! It's a big feather in any girls
cap to marry Derrick
He's a fine chap admitted his
| father even if he is my own SOM"
Several days later Derrick's mother
went in state. haughtily tolerant to call
on Grace Little and her mother. who
| by arts and wiles had lured her only
son into their net and now sat trium-
phant over the sacrifice. She began
| telling her husband about the call be-
fore he got inside his own door that
| evening.
Il never was so indignant in all my
hfe! Mrs. Atchison said, excitedly.
do you know what that woman did?
She had the nerve actually TO weep
to shed tears-over the sacrifice of
her daughter! She didn't seem to ap-
preciate what she was getting at all!
She said Grace was so young and she
| hadn't wanted her to marry for years
yet, but that Derrick was so impetuous
and persistent-her very words. She
| did admit that he was nice young
man. but she did it in grudging way.
She didn't talk about a thing but her
daughter. You'd have thought that was
all that mattered! She almost congrat-
ulated me on getting such a daughter
in-law, too. / must say that / never
saw such a narrow point of viewI