The gazette-times. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1909-1909, 1909-07-02
HER LUCKY MISTAKE.
sv OSCAR cox.

Miss Buckingham took up two notes
and read them with a bored expression
| on her beautiful and aristocratic coun-
~tenance. Then she threw them down
and on her crest stamped paper wrote
two replies. One was a d~eclination to
a proposal of marriage. the other an
invitation for a proposer to call, init
mating that he would be accepted. Ad-
dressing two envelopes, n to Hamil-
ton Gillis, No. - East Forty-eighth
street: the other to George B. Hilliars,
Union club, city, she laid both notes
and envelopes on the desk before her.
Then she darkened the room so that
she could not see any of them, mixed
them, took up one of the notes. put it
in one of the envelopes, sealed and
stamped it, tore up the other note and
envelope, threw the pieces into a
wastebasket and sent the other to the
mail without looking at the address.
Her intention was to remain ignorant
of the man she had chosen till he pre-
scented himself.
This was a dangerous thing to do,
for the reason that Miss Buckingham
had a number of %suitors, and she
wrote an illegible hand.
The mex evening a card vas handed
to her bearing the name of G. B. Hill
lier. She glanced at it, gave a slight
shrug. fingered her back hair before a
glass and descended the stairs. On
entering the drawing room she found
a very different man from either of
the two to whom she had written.
A great many things flashed through
her mind in An infinitely short space
Of time. First. she had written n OF
the notes evidently the n that had
been mailed, to George B. Hilliars. and
it had fallen into the hands Of Gusta-
vus B. Hitler. This was not remark
able. since both e belonged to the
same club. Second. how was she to
escape the results of her blunder? Mr..
Hitler was one of her many suitors. a
sutton she loved and by whom she had
supposed herself to have been Tilted.
Her pride rebelled against admitting
that she had sent for him to eat hum
BILE pie. and she did not wish him to
know that she had intended to accept
another.
"Marianv he said, advancing, but
stopped. repealed by her expression.
Marian he began again. what
does this mean? Have you led me to
believe that you had seen you glazing
injustice only to give me- additional
pain?"
How did you happen toto GER
"Your letter? | returned today"
mo. no: | didn't know you were
away. ! mean What right have you
to- She baked again.
"Marian!' he exclaimed.
"No, no: / didn't mean that"
There was a short pause, after which
he said. when we parted last | told
you that I could not brook
Brook! 1t was l who could not"
"You? The Objectionable words were
spoken to me-"
What wordsF'
WHAT words? Why. in reference to
that note ! wrote you to which you
: deigned no reply. l sent another ask
ing for the cause of your silence. You
replied that you would not address q
: note to a man at his club because q
friend of yours had done so and her
note nae been shown to others"
"And do you mean to tell me that q
trivial thing like that caused you tc
refrain from favoring me at the next
, %cotillon?"
"a trivial thing like that"
Eyes. Shouldn't l have profted by
my friends experienced"
He stood looking at her in astonish
ment.
=, Then the next time,' she added, /"
, met you on the street you didn't speal
to me-"
;. How could l when you walked b!
: me with your-without looking a
mel"
Judging from your previous treat
=, ment of me. | supposed you intended
to cut me-"
"Did you expect me to bow to you
. shadow? Could l speak to a girl VIII
would not wen look at me-"
e "You men are so"-
Il $50 WHAT"
g Irritating"
Anything else?
Stupid"
There was a long silence. which wa
a broken by the man: II believe you ar
IL right. I've been stupid. There
n something about the feminine makeu
If that renders a woman oblivious to til
frightful imputations she casts upon
D. man. You argued that, because som
s. contemplate cad had betrayed a col
Is fidence. under the same circumstance
H. an honorable man would do the same
ly Miss Buckingham was silent.
We faint glimmer of the fallacy of tt
syllogism began to dawn upon her.
81 81 suppose I ought to apologize" ST
re said. but I'm not going to do it aft
the way you treated me-"
"My apology would be in order afte
net before. yours"
H. 81 prefer it should come first al