The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1907-08-23
HOW SHE
EXPLAINED
MI,llcent Had a Change OF
Views.


with an air of one speaking by the
merest chance, as her parent pushed
his chair back from the breakfast
table, Mr. Downing will call on you
this evenin."
81 don't want to see him. What's
he going to call on me for?"
why, you see-I think he thinks -
perhaps he feels" Millicent's forced
air of indifference vanished suddenly,
and, blushing furiously she brought
out: He wants to talk to you about
marrying me-"
But, my dear child, after your re-
peated refusals, surely it isn't neces-
sary for me to mix up in the affair.
Can't he take his dismissal like a gen.
tleman? Does he need me to show
him the door? / should think after
what you told him the other night, ac-
cording to your report to me, he would
have had enough"
II know you might think So" re.
piled Millicent, avoiding her fathers
eye, "but you simply can't get rid of
that man. He actually proposed to
me again last night, and-well, you
see, father accepted him!"
"Millicent! Are you crazy?"
mo, father, I'm not"
Didn't you tell me only two nights
ago when | asked you why he had
stopped coming here that you had sent
him away because he persisted in
making love to you against your ex,
press wishes?"
Millicent nodded.
And didn't you tell me that he had
fairly persecuted you, followed you
and annoyed you continually"
Millicent nodded.
"And didn't you say that he was a
conceited, egotistical creature who
thought every girl he knew was in
love with him."
Millicent nodded and tried to speak
but her father was not through.
Didn't you say that you had re
fused him several times and that you
wished you would never see him
again? Didn't you remark that you
would not wipe your feet on him
Wasn't that the very expression you
used? Now, answer me clearly, did
you or did you not say these things?'
Millicent met her parents stern eye
and said, family: Il did, but that was
day before yesterday"
Her father snorted. after getting
me all worked up about it you slide
out that way! l wouldn't have spoken
to the fellow If | had met him after
what you told me- And told you that
| had always liked him and had
thought that he had more sense than
any of the other me- who come to see
you. And you became quite excited
at the bare mention of his name and
succeeded in prejudicing me thorough
ly. Now you right about face with g
suddenness that makes me dizzy What
are you going to marry him for?"
Because | love him." said Millicent
calmly.
Hear the girl! She loves him
Was there ever such a situation be
fore,"
II can explain if you will give me g
chance. 1t is perfectly simple. Yes
terday morning his sister was here
and she began to talk about him, anl
she said he had told her about me
And she said she knew it would make
me happy to know that he wasnI
breaking his heart over my refusa
and that he had decided on reflection
that | never could have made him
happy, anyway. And she said he fell
perfectly friendly to me, and that his
other feeling was all OVERHEAD en-
tirely and completely vanished
81 had intended not to go to the
Browns dance last night, because
knew that he'd be there. But | wasn't
going to have him think that he could
fall out of love with me so easily; sc
| put on my prettiest dress and went
And | smiled at him in the sweetest
way, and danced with him, and pre-
tended that | wanted to sit out lots
of dances with him, and all the time
was gradually losing the big lump in
my chest that I'd had there ever since
morning. | could tell that what his
sister said about him wasn't true, and
it made me happy, and then he said
everything all over and l said yes, anc
that's all"
And you call that an explanation"
exclaimed her father.
Now, father, if you can't under
ctapd ~ isn't NV fault Of courcp vo1
are only man, and you mustn't ex
pect to understand everything. But
promise me that you'll be very nice tC
him when he comes to talk with you
and that you won't tell soul not
even mother, when she comes home
that l said what | did night before
last"