The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1908-10-30

serious one, for could not dedect that
she was lower In the water.
Mrs. Maltrevor seemed to have
brought about twenty people to witness
our ridiculous plight.
Were awfully sorry" l began, as
the party bore down upon us.
lawfully sorry" echoed Dulcinea.
"But we sprang Leak"
"The water simply rushed in,' Dull
cinea corroborated.
And just as was going to SEE
whether l could stop up the hole, it
drifted away" / concluded, with a
complete and desperate disregard for
the rules of syntax.
Mrs. Maltrevor's smile simply fascin
ated me. l think she said she quite
understood. At any rate, she was In
an excellent temper-this, afterwards
learned, was because Matilda, her eld-
est and most hopeless, had that very
afternoon brought to book the senior
curate of All Saints; while the broken
down baronet, fortified with cham
pagne. was at that very moment firt-
ing openly and outrageously with
Evelyn, another of Mrs. Maltrevor's for
lorn hopes, to the complete discontinue
Of Mrs. Neville Ponsonby and the Hon.
Ethel POnsonby.
1t is against Dulcinea's principles to
let a little thing like Mrs. MaItrevor
disconcert her, and 1t is due to her to
say that she never lost grip of the sit
uation. She conversed amicably with
the junior curate of All Saints, then
with Mrs. Maltrevor herself, and
kindly inquired after Mr.. NAL
trevor's toothache. She was rapidly
disarming suspicion when young
Perkins, who had been landed on
the other bank with a view to the
salvage of the Saucy Jane, suddenly
called the attention of the party to him
self by loud exclamation.
what is the matter, Mr.. Perkins?"
said Mrs. Maltrevor sweetly. "Is the
leak bad one"
Young Perkins laughed. Il detest
him. every serious indeed" he re-
piled, holding up in each hand the half
Of lemonade bottle, which he had ex-
tracted from hamper behind the steer
Ing seat. "As you see, the bottle not
only leaked, but burst. It's quite done
for"
"But what about the boat?' inquired
Mrs. Maltrevor, still more sweetly.
"The boat? Oh, the boats all right,
remarked young Perkins, as he boarded
her, and with vigorous shove brought
her over to the island.
For moment there was q silence.
Then roar of laughter In which Dull
cinea joined and l tried to- l think
Mrs. Maltrevor repeated that she quite
understood; at any rate, in her most
ostentatlously tactful way she gathered
her party on board and announced her
intention of departing forthwith In
search of tea.
"You can follow at your leisure,
DEAR she remarked to Dulcinea, with
meaning look at me. / knew the look.
1t said, "If you haven't proposed, do it
now."
Dulcinea had gone back to her old
seat. AS Joined her l noticed that my
old friend the wasp was still there, but
l carefully avoided kneeling on him. r
"Dulcinea," l said, "Dulclnea, it's no
good my trying to tell you all the nice
things l think about you, because you
know them already. And you know
that shall be waiting for you to marry
me ten years hence-if you won't do it
before, Duicinea."
felt was doing 1t very badly;
was convinced Of it by Dulcinea's next
remark.
1--WE never been so badly proposed to
before" she said serenely. "Why, you
did it better when you were eighteen
However, this is the last time"
''The last time," queried. "Why,
Ducinea, you're not angry with me, are
you"
A smile spread from the corners of
her mouth, dimpled in her cheeks, and
| knew my answer even before she
spoke.
"This is the last time," she said SLOW
ly, because the answer this time Is
Yes, "-Philadelphi Telegraph.
Too Argumentative.