Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-04-11
II Realistic
~Xn1roSpecfiue Tale.

curtains looking out on the falling
snow. Donald Forsythe was coming
that evening to propose to her. He
had not said this in so many words.
but be had been attentive to her for
a long while and had said, This even
Ing l shall call to ask you a very i'm
portant question" There was but one
Of two explanations to the
m~ent-either he intended to propose
marriage or he was IL fool.
Was he a fool? 1t had never before
occurred to her to ask such Il question,
but Miriam was a girl who followed
things out to a logical conclusion.
Were her premises correctly laid? She
doubted if they We're. Might he not
call, ask a very Important question
other thar the one she supposed and
yet not be a fool? What would con-
stitute Il fool in his case? That he
was honorable she did not doubt.
Could an honorable man be attentive
to a girl and make such a statement
as he had made, leading her to suppose
that he intended to propose to her, yet
not meaning anything Of the kind.
without being a fool?
After all, what is a fool?
Meanwhile Donald Forsythe was put
ting his sleeve buttons in cuffs fresh
from the laundry. They had been pol
ished, not washed. Either the dirt had
been driven in or vanished over, for it
did not appear. The cuffs were as
white as snowfakes.
He, like Miriam, was thinking.
He had been graduated at two uni
versities in America and three in Eu-
rope. He had delivered a lecture be-
fore the ladies of the Woman's club, of
which Miriam Swift was secretary. on
the influence of Egyptian Inscriptions
on certain Greek roots. His thoughts
were therefore on a plane with hers.
| What view would she take of his an
nouncement that he would call to ask
a very important question? He was
putting on a sock when the proposition
occurred to him and, seeing a hole in
the heel, was diverted for Il moment to
u different train Of thought-an unholy
train. But Forsythe vas a man to fin
ish one subject before entering fixedly
on another. His brain saw things as
through an inverted telescope, in
groups rather than as parts of groups.
Would Miriam expect from the con
ditions under which his announcement
was made that his question would EN-
body Il proposition of marriage? Was
it not possible that a man, eve if he
had been attentive to a girl, might
| M l., c,yp1 ON prn,,,oap,nn ovid ,,nt
mean that he intended to ask her to be
his wife? He thought Of many ques-
tions that would not in any way refer
to love or marriage. Therefore, if
Miriam expected that he would call for
the purpose Of making Il proposal,
would she not be q fool?
His meditations were again diverted
temporarily at the discovery that there
was an ink stain on the bosom Of his
shirt, after which he resumed his train
Of thought-this while he was putting
a bit of polish on his boots.
Would the question as to Miriam
should she assume that he intended to
ask her to be his wife-be affected by
his intention? That is, if she assumed
it and he did not so intend, would she
be any more Of q fool than she would
be If he did so intend? He divided the
%supposition into five heads and was
disposing of them c~onsecutively when
he didn't hear the clock strike in the
neighboring church tower, for there
was neither clock nor tower near-he
looked at his watch and saw that it
was twenty-five minutes past 8. He
hastily finished his toilet and, boarding
a trolley car, soon found himself at
Miriam's home.
Miriam as soon as she heard the ring
Of the doorbell snatched a book on
psychology from the library and, hur-
riedly seating herself by a table, under
q light with a rose colored shade, had
only time to open the book when her
lover entered. She could not look up
from it, for she had not had time to
look down at it. She looked at Don
aid, a sweet smile lowering about her
lips.
"Don't rise" said Donald as she
made a move to do SO. He seated him
self in a blue damask and gold chair.
Miriam, who had a pronounced taste
for contrasting colors, had placed it in
position for him, since he was a blond.
Then be opened the conversation.
'"This new theory from Germany"
he said, "has upset all our psycholog-
ical platforms"
Miriam, who was expecting the all
important question, had cast down her
eyes and seen that the book in her lap
was upside down.
His words, under the circumstances,
were unfortunate. Were they satlrical?
He saw color rising in her face and
fastened to correct the contretemps.
81 told you," he said, "when 1 saw
you last that I would call tonight to
ask a very important question"
She bent her head we the book. She
did not turn the volume right side up.
Was she distract. or did she hope that
he might not have seen that it was in
verted?