Evening journal., 1909-01-08
How / Got Mixed
In q Love Affair.
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IOrlginal

Cldlly love audlrS. Ever Since bkousul
Len Richmond down on a visit and in
troduced him to my cousin, Myra
Ducher. | have regretted having done
SO. Len is an excellent fellow, rather
inclined to look upon every incident OF
episode seriously and in a matter OF
fact light. / would as soon think OF
cracking a joke to an owl. Myra is a
good girl, but nature did not endow
her with average beauty. Indeed, she
is homely.
/ lost my parents early and wa'
brought up by my aunt, Eliza Ducher
being beholden to her and her family
for everything | had till / came of age
Therefore when / brought Richmond
home and saw what we're at least to
me unmistaRable signs that Myra had
fallen in love with him and that he
was not likely TO return her devotion
l felt as If | had committed crime.
True. there was nothing against he
but her hOmeiness, for she was a I'm
character and had winning way with
her. Len, too, was not handsome. Hc
was a lean, red headed. freckled chap
with a long neck and sloping shoulders
But nobody looks for beauty in man.
He was conscientious as mule. Ont
day he came to me withYa long face
and said he wished to consult me about
very important matter. We were sit
ting on the porch, the doors and win.
dows all open, and he spoke in low
tone. lie told me that he had reason
to suspect. what considered a fore.
gone conclusion, that he had uninten-
tionaly won Myra's heart and that he
could not possibly return that love for
the sole reason Of her LONELINESS.
What was ] to do? The only course
for me was TO convince him that his
reason was no reason at ALL Then II
his inclination moved him toward the
girl all would come out right.
"Len," | said, II have heard that the
best marriages follow from diversities
between the man and the woman. A
quick tempered woman should have a
long suffering husband, an impulsive
man a woman Of self control, home
ly wife, paused. Dare l utter the
thought l had in mind? Then l blurt
ed, "a good looking husband"
Len said nothing for several minutes.
Nor did l. was waiting TO see If he
would swallow the dose.
"You mean," he said modestly, "that
| should not marry a beautiful wO-
man."
That's exactly what / mean"
Then he cut me 10 the quick. ''I have
always felt perfect confidence" he
said, that anything coming from you
is absolute truth. No other being could
make me believe that l am anything
more as to looks than an average man. "
WINGED, but the happiness of two
people was at stake.
Average l said. Average by no
means expresses IT," I took conscious
comfort in the fact that his appearance
was far below the average.
Len intimated to me that my cousins
LONELINESS should not stand I'm his way
II he felt inclined to make her his
wife. He did not speak TO her, how
ever. at tho time, and l fancied he was
waiting for the spirit to move him. He
came down again IN n month and madc
his proposal lie came to me immedl-
ately after having done so and sur
priscd me by telling me that he had
been refused
"And what do you suppose" he add
cd, sis her reasonf'
ct pqu-f sonrpfx-a I ronliad
"She says that l have every require.
ment TO please her fancy save one. ]
begged her to tell me what that one
deficiency is. and she at last said that
she had always fancied homely men. !
wouldn't do"
you don't mean itF' 1 exclaimed
aghast
YES, and she added; Now. there's
my cousin. For locks he'd suit me ex-
actly.'"
The hot blood rushed into my cheeks
then suddenly rushed out again Then
I wanted TO laugh. 1t didn't take me
long to discover a reason for this sin
gular apparent coincidence. While Leu
and had been talking on the porch
the mink had been listening at an up
per window
Richmond stood looking at me rue
fully, giving no evidence whatever that
he had even the faintcst glimpse Of the
truth.
Len" l said, IF l were you I'd 60
home and think no more about it. Aft.
-er all, it would be rather hard for you
to pass your life with a homely WON
an. Besides, everybody nowadays says
that marriage is a failure. It doutSes
our sorrows and halves our joys"
! didn't succeed In getting any com.
fort into him, but he went home all
the same. and | turned my attention t.
Myra.
am one OF the fellows who marched
up San Juan bill in Cuba. but It wa,
nothing TO going 20 my cousin to try tc
undo what ! had done. For every word
spoke she sent back an answer lik,
a Mauser bullet. At last. losing M
temper, I said;
YOU'D better take me. You say I'm
hOmely enough to suit you'
What did She do but turn her heaf
away from me and stare Mt the floor.
Great heavens! Had ] been bark
ing up the wrong tree? Had she beef
using Richmond for n foil? Anyway
here was a beautiful broad road out
the dilemma. I brought up a regimen
Of Cupids and poured a rattling volle.
of love pellets at her that broke hel
down entirely.