The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-03

L14iio De4hS ieQ 10 the slaughter
He did look rather sheepish. I agreed,
sympatheticaHy, recalling the picture Of
poor. pale Van Ripper, in his stiff new
coat and choking collar.
And white about the giIls and weak in
the knees, added Kitty And they say"
she went on. gathering a bunch of silk
and velvet skirts in one hand, and trying
TO hold three-foot muff gilt chatelaine,
and a bouquet of violets in the other,
that they found him at the last moment
out In the stables in a state Of mental
alteration bordering on paresis'
1T was the panicr' I declared dramatic
ally.
"The-what2''
THE feeling you always have" I ex-
plained. before doing anything rash, like
piungins In the surf or looping the loop,
For proposing. or getting married. or sign
ing a contract. or telling lie. or doing
something you know you've got 10 do.
and ought 70 do and want 20 do, but
but Haven't you ever had It. Kitty?"
] finished desperately.
Kitty shook her head doubtfully, and
led the way into the avenue, through the
stream Of afternoon promenaders.
Haven't you ever" I persisted, stood
half an hour on the beach. shivering in
your bathing suit and envying the people
out in the breakers, but dreading to take
the first plunge and half wishing a big
wave would come along and drag you
in? Well. that's the way a man feels
when he's on the brink of mauimony."
And a girl has got To come along. like
wave, and-and drag him in." exclaimed
Kitty. dlsgustedIy. ''Or he'd never take
the plunge at all"
Why How do you know that?"
asked IN astonishment.
kitty's Chatelaine dropped with jing-
ling crash TO the pavement.
on" she said nonchalantIy. when ]
had restored the bauble, 'you-you see
il everywhere Ask any married woman
You meet and, if she is honest she will
acknowledge that some time during her
courtship her husband had the love panic.
il may have been when he first saw her,
and realized that she was going to be
dangerous to his peace Of mind and his
bachelorhOod. or it may have been just as
IL may have been at the very altar, when
his lips went dry, and his teeth chartered.
and he couldn't get the words out loud
enough for the minister 10 hear. But
usually" went on Kitty, its in the early
stages of love"
when be suddenly discovers that he is
saying things that he shouldn't, and doing
things that are foolish?' I suggested
Kitty nodded.
And loses his appetite, and catches
himself neglecting his business" she
added
And reading the Rubaiyat.' and buy
ing fancy neckties." I sighed. reminis-
Gently.
and wakes up finished Kitty, with
a start of horror TO discover that some
girl is beginning to mean more 10 him
than "a mere pasume."
II know broke in quickly. I've had
it
"Had-what?" Kitty nearly dropped
her muf and her violets in her astonish-
ment.
The waking-up feeling" I explained
It's like suddenly finding yourself walk
ing along the edge of a preeipice or the
crater of a volcano, with an insane desire
to jump over 1t. You feel chilly ali over,
and hot and cold. and happy and miser-
able and scared and
And then you shut your eyes and rum"
said Kitty. swapping her lips together in
a tight line
Kitty" 1 said. reproachfully. when
you talk like that your dimple doesn't
show at ali"
Kitty tossed her head defiantIy.
IF a man only knew" she remarked
coldly, what the panic habit does for
him"
Does it do for himg' I asked
anxlously.
It's as disastrous" said Kitty. ignoring
my fippancy. "as getting frightened when
YOU are halfway across the street AMI
running back to the curb again. You're
sure 20 get crushed under the wheels Of
the very thing you are avoiding, and 20
end in smash-up or the gutter And
even if you don't you know perfectly
well that you have got to turn around
again and cross that street"
Not always" I protested, cheerfully.
You might go round the corner"
ITO another crossing another girl, 8"
out of ten you don't"
You don't understand. Kitty 7 argued
gently If a man doesn't want 10 marry.
or can't marry, or-or-"
Wont marryl' suggested Kitty, help
fully
1T isn't fair" went on patiently for
him 70 go on-even half way, and lead
the girl TO believe What are you laugh
ing at?" for Kitty's mirth rang out in
dIscordant tones on the wintry. air, ana
she walked so fast that I could scarcely
keep up with her It's dangerous to the
girl" I finished, stoutly
Kitty regarded me with the scorn of q
Medusa, and I'm perfectly sure that If I
had been susceptible I should have turned
into stone in that moment.
7 never saw man" she declared. in
tbs voice of BrUtus spurning Cassius.
who worried himself about the danger
10 a girl. never saw a man who hest
tated to encourage any woman whom he
cared nothing about just so long as she
amused him. When "a man runs away
from woman he pays her the biggest
possible compliment. 1t is the surest sign
in the world that she has acquired such
d strong hold over him and that he is so
far under the spell of her fascination that
nothing but flight viii save him from pro
posing 10 her He never gets panic
stricken until ne realizes that he is in
danger himself
And that the wave is upon him, and
going to drag him under" I suggested,
And that he hasn't got the whip hand
Of the situation"
And that the wheels of fate are about