Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-02-17
SLIP OF IMAGINATION

gether In the big stOreroom at the top
Of the warehouse, and they had been
RECALLING themselves and each other by
telling love stories. real and imagi-
nary. 1t had been particularly stipu-
lated by the brown eyed maiden that
all proposals mentioned should be
wholly imaginary and such as could
never possibly have come to pass. And
now that 1t was her turn to tell a story
she began in way which promised a
close adherence to this stipulation.
"Once upon time" she commenced!
$50 long ago that all the men were so
gallant and all the women so lovely and
so charming that girls never had to
! stand up in street cars and were al
ways paid just as much money for do
ing the same work as men were, there
lived young man. He was so brave
and so knightly that everybody adj
mired and loved him-because they
couldn't help it-and l don't suppose
he was called by his formal title more
than once In a year or two. Sir Gala
had seemed to suit him so much better
than plain PhiP'-
She stopped hurriedly, her cheeks
red, and the other girls exchanged
amused glances But they were kind
and considerate enOugh-and also wise
enough-not to do so until after she
had turned her happy eyes from their
impassive faces up to the dingy old
roof again, and 80 she went on limo
Gently:
"Now, in the village where this chiv-
alrous knight had been born and where
he went back on a visit once in awhile
there lived young woman who loved
him dearly and whom he loved just as
much, although they neither of them
knew it for long, long time. A grim
and ugly ogre, the ogre of dire necessi-
ty, had forced him away from the vii
lage to the great seething city when
he was little more than a boy, long,
| long before he had proved his right to
his knightly plume and spurs. The
first time he went back on a visit-the
ugly ogre wouldn't allow him to do
this for ever so long. and he only let
him stay just a week and day when
he did get back-the young woman
found out that she loved him, although
she wouldn't admit this even to her
self for nearly seven years afterward-
not until she was getting to be a Sc
date, middle aged woman of thirty and
the chivalrous, lovely knight was near
ly thirty-five.
But she couldn't help owning up to
herself that she wished she might see
more of the handsome knight-you see
the knight had gone to school with her
In her childhood and had been her own
special and particular knight and pro-
tector in those days-and by and by
the ugly ogre, without in the least
meaning 1t, served her a good turn. He
turned her out of the village and sent
her hurrying of to the great city alone
and lonely and with her own bread
and butter to earn or go hungry. 1t
| was some time before the chivalrous
knight found her but after that the
great city, which had seemed so dreary
and gloomy and lonesome to her at
first, didn't seem half so bad with a
friend, and such a friend as the chiv-
alrous knight, in it,"
The other girls exchanged glances
stealthily at this point, but the happy
faced girl with the brown eyes never
noticed it. With her eyes still fixed
upon the dusty roof, she was intent
upon her story. And the little smile
which crept from these eyes to the
happy mouth and back again was SO
sweet with happiness that 1t made her
/ Ry11 Of hn I'm
aginative girls were beginning to won
der If the chivalrous knights fair maid
en- had looked like that The brown
eyed girl sighed little, as happy chill
dren sigh in their play and their sleep.
before she went on.
80 the young woman was happy in
the friendship, and she never thought
of anything else" she said, the soft
voice a little tremulous now. "And
then all suddenly the chivalrous knight
sought her out one evening and asked
her to be his wife"
81 have longed to say this to you
for months and months, darling he
said, but l have not dared, and for
two reasons But now that | have
been promoted and am to have money
enough to make a home for you IL you
will only say yes l have plucked up
courage to ask-nay, implOre-yOu to
say it.
"And so"- But the brown eyed girls
face was so full of blissful joy and glo-
ry now that the other girls could be
silent NO longer.
And so they were married and lived
happily ever afterr' they cried in cho-
rus, rushing upon and covering her
with caresses. And we're all ever 50
glad for you both!'
'Why-why," exclaimed the girl with
brown eyes amazOdly. what's the mat.
ter with you all? Oh"-and she broke
OF to blush so divinely that If Philip
the chivalrous knight, had only been
present he would surely have insisted
upon her marrying him then and there
instead Of waiting three weeks longer
1--WE given myself away, haven't Il
And after all l said about not telling