The new era., 1909-07-01

Dropping into chair, he wiped MS
moist brow and breathed rapidly.
Settled WHAT" asked Hall, laying
down his pen and Offering cigar
why, have proposed to her"
Proposed to whom?"
ITO Mrs. Langston. Hang 1t, man,
have you forgotten my long consulta-
ton with you last Friday?" Willett
bit off the end of his cigar and struck
a match viciously. 81 presume that
you have not only forgotten the occa-
sion, but that the advice you gave me
has also escaped you"
Advice in regard to what? You
are always asking advice about some
thing and then following your own
head"
Don't you recall my telling you
that l was in love-in love with Mrs.
Langston, the loveliest woman that
breathes, and that Jim Parsons was as
hard hit as l, and while l believed
was ahead in the race | was afraid OF
Jim because he had such Sick
tongue?"
"Oh, yes, and l said that you would
best not let any grass. grow under
your feet, because woman who had
been married three times already
would not stand any dilly-dallying-
If you did not speak quickly that she
would marry Jim just from force of
habit
Precisely, but that wasn't all.
What else did | say? You have
interrupted me in the middle of let
ter to my fiancee. and my thoughts
are bit scattered"
We'll, to help you collect them,
told you l had made up my mind to
propose at once, and as l had never
been in love before, and consequently
had never made a proposal, | wanted
your advice in regard to the best way
Of doing it. naturally supposed that
man who had been refused by
dozen women and had finally succeed
ed in becoming engaged to the thir-
teenth would have acres of good
counsel to give me-"
"And didn't I? 1t seems to me I
told you to follow the inspiration of
the moment"
so you did, but it appeared to me
hardly safe to leave such an import
ant matter entirely to chance. In
case the inspiration failed to inspire
l wanted something to fall back upon.
Yes, and l called you fool, and
told you dozen ways at least of put
ting the question"
Good. l am glad to see that your
brain is growing clear and your MEM
ory coming back to you. AS l was not
fluent of speech like that fop Parsons,
you suggested that l make the pro-
posal by letter"
And the plan did not please you?"
Certainly not, and for two reasons.
First. l thought 1t was cowardly. and
second. could not bear the suspense
of waiting for reply"
Then l said you might take the
fascinating widow boat riding, upset
the boat. swim ashore with her, and
claim the life you had saved"
And you knew / couldn't swim!'
Il knew that nothing | could pos
sibly suggest would meet your appro-
baton. But since you have proposed,
and the matter is settled, great Scott.
our last interview"
Merely to show you by contrast
how much better was the plan
adopted after leaving you. By George!
1t was great performance" said Will
lett smoking away with reminiscent
complaisance.
ITO begin at the beginning. man
can't very well propose till he sees
the woman alone. and for six weeks
have never called on Mrs Langston
that l didn't find Parsons there, or
that he didn't arrive a few minutes
after l did. So l decided to go to the
widows, and II l did not find him to
wait till he came and then sit him
out; for it would be most embarrass.
ing to have him drop in in the mid
die of the business and force me to
stop and pick up the threads on an
other occasion. Love is something
like champagne. When the cork is
once removed 1T becomes stale
Accordingly, last Sunday evening
l went to see Mrs. Langston. and sure
enough l had not been there five min
utes when in marched Parsons in
grand toilet bringing dozen Ameri-
can Beauty roses. Mrs. Langston
grSeted him Just as cordially as she
had greeted me, although he Is such
an idiot, and. OF course, had to be
courteous, too. She seemed as pleased
to receive Parsons flowers as the bon
bons l had brought. That is a way
she has. l was sure 1t did not mean
anything. But it did irritate me, after
she had placed Parsons roses in d
lovely vase, to have her open my box
of sweets and hand them to the fel-
low Yet the most exasperating Sing
of all was to watch Parsons devouring
my bon-bons and gazing complacently
at his roses 1t made me wild to
think that before the evening was
over there would not be a caramel
left, judging from the pace Parsons