Evening journal., 1909-05-05
q Q o Q Q @ Q @ Q Ooc O0Oc
BY HELoIsE AMEs.

pendent"
MY mother has made up her mind
that I--that she-that you
ANY one else in itr'
"You don't help me a BIT. To state
It boldly and correctly, she is throwing
me at you"
IT trust shall make good catch"
ever since she arranged that the
two families should spend the hot sea-
son together here she has kept me In
misery. What could be more cruelty
ing to a girls pride than to have her
mother show every moment that she
wishes her daughter to catch certain
man? Last evening when Mr.. Fitch
called she treated him abominably.
Her motive was apparent to every
one"
Suppose 1 so away?"
"You might do that-thnt is, Il you
wish"
"oh, your mother doesn't trouble me.
l would 80 to get you out OF the mud
die"
But" she rejoined after a pause, s
"every one would say the man was
so persecuted he went to escape being
positively forced to-
"It wouldn't do. Would itT
There was no reply to this.
ut wouldn't do, would it,"
Suppose" he added meditatively-
suppose / propose to you and you de-
cline me. Wouldn't that let you outl'
THANK you. If a man proposes to
me / prefer TO treat his proposal as 1
see fit"
But your motherf"
81 shall neither decline nor accept
any one to please my mother"
well, I don't see how 1 can help
you"
81 don't either"
"Its a desperate case"
"Exasperating."
Il tell you what you do. Accept the
attentions Of another man. Fitch. for
instance. He'll do for a dummy, and
say
"Mr. Fitch is a very nice young
man"
That's it-nice. You can tell your
poother you're doing It to egg me on"
do you dare accuse me Of having
done that5"
II was giving you a plan to induce
your mother &c let us-I mean you
alone"
"You should go into the diplomatic
service"
A pause.
"If there is no way out Of It." he
said presently, Il suppose Wen have
to submit"
"Oh. it isn't as bad as that"
Another pause. this time constrained.
I'VE might go out there on the pier
and jump or"
''Now you're talking silly"
'I have It'll I'll go and propose to
Marcia Eldridge."
1--we always thought a girl with a
face like a pan Of milk would suit
you"
Il don't mean anything permanent
/ could break it off in the autumn"
III you do you needn't come back
to-
She BIT her lip.
why don't you Just tell your mother
you don't want me. won't have me and
she's TO stop her interference at once"
To this there was no reply.
"You don't seem to think much OF
that proposition"
ut is about as senseless as the 9TH
ers."
zone more and I've done. Take the
man you want. go to your mother and
tell her you're engaged"
This met the same reception as the
last-silence.
Il give it up"
81 would advise you to give It up II
you can't think Of anything less pre-
posterous than that"
why preposterousT
"Do you suppose that all the men OF
my acquaintance have made me carte
blanche offers good for all timer"
Il didn't think Of that"
A long pause. They strolled on to
the pier. The sky was blue above
them, and the waves were rolling IN, a
pale green. below them; gulls directly
overhead, ships out on the horizon.
There's a way out OF it II we can
only find It." he said presently.
I'm afraid we're not bright enough.
Perhaps we don't want to find It,"
That's singular. I thought we had
been trying to find 1t all the while"
''Tou haven't contributed much to-
ward that end"
"I? What have you contributed7"
'It isn't my part TO find a way ont
Of It. / took a risk Of being considered
unmaidenly to mention It at ALL"
LET US sit down on this bench, and
I'll try once more"
They seated themselves. He looked
up at the sky and down at the waves,
but saw neither. Then he said:
Suppose / go TO your mother and
ask her for your hand"
zhe did not reply to this at once. but
her features expressed relief
Don't you want my hearth"
II have IT,
"What made you think so. Certainly
nothing that / have said or done"
"That gull up there told me-"