The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-07-04

! and he extended his hand with hearty
good viii
IT'S all right, my boy" he said cor
daily. 'Ill be as good as my word
] cant deny that it's bit of a wrench
Just at the start but you have won her
fairly. and / shall simply have TO be
satisfied. And now, w zen IS the lucky
day 20 be, for I suppt sc you and she
nave already settled thac between YOuY'
No returned Graham, Il thought It
no more than right to consult you first
before saying anything to Gladys. But
now, with manifest impatience, since
You waive all objections III lose no
time I'm laying the case before her and
seeing what She has to say"
But Gladys. strange to say, when her
fiance had recounted his interview with
her father. and ardently pressed her 20
name date for their wedding, WaXed
uncertain and i'll at ease
oh, / can't say" she protested, mot
just now, at any rate What is the need
of such an immediate decision, any
how2 We have waited so long that
surely a few months longer win not
make any difference
But, darling" he argued, cit is ex-
actly because we have waited 50 long
that / am anxious to shorten the time
as much as possible. If j had my way
I'd whisk you out 70 a minister's. and
claim you for my own this very night.
And, by love- he exclaimed, struck
by the feasibility of the suggestion Il
don know that any better plan could
be devised. We'd escsJpe all the fuss
, and tuning and not have to make mon
/ keys Of ourselves for the benefit Of So
clety and the newspapers. Come, what
90 you say Wen just take Dad along
to stand sponsor for us, and have the
| whole thing over I'm an hour"
But she reconed vehementIy from the
proposal 10, no, she insisted she
4 could not think of such a thing And
would he please not bother her any
more tonight to settle on a date There
We're so many things TO be taken into
consideration before one could definitely
decide She would have to see her
dressmaker, and determine upon her
bridesmaids, and-Oh, heaps of things
Please, please, not urge il any further
TINS evening when she felt all nervous
ana OUT OF sorts, anyway.
he had noticed that she was very far
from being her usual sprightIy we'll
poised SELF indeed she seemed TO be
struggling with some suppressed agfta-
ton, though what It could be he was
unable to imagine, since she had been
IN quite her wOnted good spirits when
ne had lett her to 90 to the billiard
It was PLAIN to be seen now, however,
that an ihsistence upon his request
would only serve TO annoy and perturb
nef, so, net without some disappOint-
ment he let the subject lapse. and
stroVe 10 turn the conversation into
other channels.
It was a difficult evening for him
though Gladys alterHated between fits
of GOODNESS toward him, and an equal
~ capricious show Of affection.
She was unreasonable. totally unlike
herself, almost hystericaI at times IN
vain Graham had tried to get her 10
tell him what was the matter, what had
happened. she Insisted feVerishly that
it was nothing.
At last, unable TO make head or tail
Of her strange mood, and thinking she
might be better alone, he arose to go.
but before he could leave the room
che called him back
Bob" she questioned, TREMENDOUSLY.
isn't Dad In some kind of serious
trouble2''
Your father in troubIe?" he laughed.