The Cairo bulletin., 1910-06-17
.WHATWASON
THE HOOK?
BY MARY RUTH TRUESDALE
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

young man was twenty seven years
old. He did not inherit the misery
qualities Of his father. He was a
quiet fellew aud longed for home.
something his father had considered
himself too poor TO give him. isaac
had not lived the life of a gentleman
and had no idea of meeting and court.
ing lady for wife. He desired to
marry, but had sufficient sense to IN
dcrstand that he would be the target
for designing women. His father had
scarcely been laid to rest before Isaac
was the recipient OF a basketfui Of Of
fers from young women who were
anxious 10 marry him. He read every
one OF them. thinking that he might
see something by which he might de-
tect genuine good sense. the faculty
he most desired in wife He did
find one that Impressed him with its
guilelessness 4 girl who gave her
name as Blanche Tyron and her age
as eighteen said that some Of her
! friends were putting In applications
for his hand and she had concluded to
do the same. not that she had ans
hope of getting the situation. but her
mother. who wars an invalid and whom
she supported. had urged her TO do 50
She sent with her letter her photo
graph. There was such honest limo
cence In the face that Isaac was I'm
! pressed.
Isaac did not reply to her letter, but
few weeks later he appeared AT her
| home ms an agent for sewing ma
| chine company and insisted on selling
| her machine. The girl looked long
| ingly Ut the machine, for she earned
! her living by her needle and needed II
| new machine sadly she regretted
! that she could not afford to buy 1t and
| was turning away when the agent
| made BIER II proposition so favorable
! that she stopped to think. When
! woman hesitates with II salesman ut
the door she is lost. The agent, with
out waiting for her to make up her
mind. removed the machine from the
wagon to the house Then he filled in
! the necessary blanks and before the
girl knew what she was about she had
signed them.
lsaac had made the installments to
be paid weekly on each Saturday
night When the first payment came
due he appeared about y .o'clock In the
evening Blanche had !. the money
ready for him, but instead OF going
m tall with hnr
next Saturday evening when he came
for payment of the note he stopped
longer. Indeed. his visits grew more
aud more extended and the relations
between the two more tender. Some
time before the last installments were
due Isaac one evening when be called
to collect tore up the notes and left her
the possessor of the machine. Blanche's
gratitude klndled love, and not long
after this when Isaac proposed under
the name Of Nathan Griggs she ac-
cepted him. i III 4
She had scarcely given her word
when the postman called and handed
her an answer to the offer OF marriage
she had made the multimillionaire sew
erai months before. He informed her
that on receiving her letter and her
picture he had taken pains to learn
something about her, had seen her and
: had been so favorably impressed with
her that he had decided to give her
the situation OF wife to him.
Here was situation Of another kind.
Blanche had few days before accept.
. ed a sewing machine agent. and now
comes an offer of marriage from a
. multimillionalre.
Blanche fortunately received the lot
/ ter when her mother was upstairs and
knew nothing about 1t. Blanche tool
it up to her own room and hid 1t In hel
bureau drawer. saying nothing about II
p, to her mother. whom she knew woulC
give her no peace till she had broker
with the sewing machine agent ant
accepted the multimillionaire. Isaac
called that evening. He expected t
4 find his betrothed in at least state o.
D uncertainty and had but little doub
! that he would receive his dismissal
I dition than usual. except that thu
/. greeting kiss she gave him was trin'
4 more affectiouate.
| Isaac passed the evening expectln'
y every moment that the letter would b.
. mentioned, but when he arose to g.
q and nothing had been said about 1t h
began to wonder. He had stood behin'
4 a tree on the opposite side OF tn
street and seen the postman han'
/, Blanche letter and knew that 1t wa
: his. for he had purposey put 1t In
pink envelope. He had come expecting
Blanche to tell him Of her offer.
!. The next day Isaac received lette
from Blanche In answer to his pro
posal. stating that since her letter I
him she had received similar offe
from one who loved her and whom sh
loved and that It would not be honora
!. Bile nor could she bear to disappoin
l -. 49, l,f