Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1910-10-13
THEIR
ARGUMENT

her electric brougham vicious little
jerk.
Il think you are particularly silly
to-day, Billy" she declared.
wouldn't have agreed to let you ride
into town with me this morning II
had known you were going to talk
such nonsense"
Let me demonstrate with you for
trying to take these corners on the
fly" meekly retaliated Billy. You
have a habit of confusing your cleo
trio with an aviation machine. How
ever, to come back to the subject at
issue, | have never before talked quite
so well or so seriously in my life as
did just a moment ago. AS ! have
covered the same ground on numer-
GUS occasions before, perhaps 1t is
just as well to let me down at the
next suburban station"
"Oh. no." said Hortense, noncha-
lantly. Its really a very warm day
to ride in on the train, and besides
you missed the last express while
you waited for me to have the cleo
trio brought around. l hate to take
the run in alone, anyway You know,
Billy, II isn't that l don't care for
you a lot-a big lot. just can't
think of being engaged to any one
person. There are others who need
my friendship and advice"
81 see," remarked Billy dryly. You
might manage a little arrangement
whereby you could be engaged to Tom
on Wednesdays, to Jim on Fridays
and to me on Sundays"
Don't be fippant," commanded
Hortense, turning corner at an an
gle that caused Billy's hair to stand
on end.
you see" she went on, pensively,
Il really feel that | owe something
to those who are dependent upon me
for my advice and inspiration. Tom
has just got into corporation law and
he says that / have helped untangle
some of the knottiest cases he has
had. Not directly, of course, but just
by my interest and encouragement
If were to become engaged to you,
Billy, / could no longer help Tom and
keep a record of his failures and sue
cesses. When he wins a case, use
red pencil to make a record with,
and when he loses a case / use a
black one"
How interesting" commented Bill
ly. From what I've seen and heard
infer that your red pencil had not
been worn down very much"
81 hate jealous men," remarkei
Hortense. Besides, it isn't just Tom
There is Kenneth, too. He is up
here doing engineering work and
every time he loses his temper and
tries to run the manager he tele-
phones me and think up a nice lit
tie sisterly talk to give him when he
comes down. He says he benefits
wonderfully by my calm, even dispo-
sition and cool, logical views. He is
southerner, you know, and they
have such tempers. don't you think
so?"
II should say they do" agreed Billy.
"In fact, temper takes the place of
brains with some men that l could
mention"
81 have near me now a most strik-
ing example of that Sort" retorted
Hortense, showing her dimples.
There's another thing, Billy. If I
did become engaged to you / should
be dreadfully exacting. l should
want you to give up your clubs, and
should run away every time you
talked about baseball and prize fights
You know, ! hate all those things
You would have to talk about grand
opera and higher education and
and domestic science and all sorts
of things that you don't know any.
thing about. You would hate me in
a week. wouldn't you. Billy"
"Ill take chances on that any time, 8"
returned Billy. 81 can buy the libret-
tos and read up on grand opera and
have a college degree tucked away
somewhere that could haul out.
Then can cook and sew on buttons
really remarkably well. In fact, com
Ing down to a specific comparison of
tastes and ideas In common, / appear
to be the one man in the world for
you. You can see that yourself"
Were almost in town." said Hor-
tense, hurriedly Would you get
white poplin or pique to pipe a Law
ender dress?"
"Why, If were the sweetest little
girl in the world-which you are-I
should turn down this next street and
go to a certain iewelry shop and let
a certain man have the third finger
of the left hand sized for"
"put | have loadS of pbon,ix. -