The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-02-17

took her home. Before his departure
from her house she had quite recov'
cred and asked him for his address
that she might SEND him some more
formal acknowledgment of the obliga-
ton than verbal thanks. He gave her
his card, at which she stared. STAN
mered something. hen babe him good
day. She sent him a token of her graf
itude-a dozen cambria handkerchiefs
with his initials embroidered in the
corner by her W hands.
At the time of this episode Harring-
ton had spent two of the three months
allotted for his conversion under Miss
Spencer'S influence and had quite lost
his antipathy for women. Indeed, he
was beginning to feel that with her
for a helpmeet life would assume d
roster hue. He had about made up
his mind to ell her so when the trolley
car incident occurred. But suddenly
Miss Spencer noticed that he was be-
coming Indifferent to her.
The truth is that, being on excellent
terms with two women, he was enabled
" COuLI dSL luC III II Nv OlhCi LIS
trolley car lady appeared friendly. but
otherwise Indifferent. This revealed
to him the fact that Miss Spencer was
| trying to catch him. The latter re-
doubled her efforts, but this only tend
ed to make them more apparent and
rendered him more ~appreciative of the
girl whom it piqued him to believe felt
for him only a natural gratitude for
having been the accidental cause of
saving her life.
And so it happened that the man
who had given a woman an opportu-
nifty to prove to him that woman's
| standard of honor was equal to that
of man found himself in an equivocal
position. He had gone $ far with
Miss Spencer that he doubted ii he
were not in honor bound to go further.
At any rate, he shrank from what he
considered a backing out. When the
end of the three months he had given
Miss Spencer to convert him came
round she had made the conversion,
but he had fallen in love with another
girl.
Harrington decided to make a clean
breast of it to the girl he loved. He
told her that he loved her, but before
meeting her had become ~entangled
with another girl. Then he contided to
her his affair with Miss Spencer. His
confidante manifested no surprise. In
deed, she seemed to be cognizant of
the whole affair. But she astonished
Mr.. Harrington by telling him that she
could not accept a proposition from
him because such a course would place
her in an unfortunate position. When
he asked her what that position was
she declined to inform him on the
ground that she could not honorably
do so.
Mr.. Harrington was astoniShed.
That a woman should decline an offer
of marriage on the ground that it
would place her in a false position and
decline to give that position through
motives of honor opened up to him a
new thing in the world of morals. He
had not been insensible to woman's
charms, which he had considered mar
red by their want of a high sense Of
honor. Here was a woman with
charms and s~crupulously honorable.
He begged her to put him in the way
to get the desired information from
another, but she said that such a
purse would be only a subterfuge and
no more honorable than telling him
herself.
Nevertheless the information came.
Miss Spencer was met one day by Miss
Hunter walking with Mr.. Harrington.
and, looking up at him In the fashion
Of a oma who means to be seduc-
tive, Miss Hunter at once invited the
members of the cabal to meet at her
house the next day at afternoon tea.
Miss Emerson. having declined to cut
the victim. was not notified. When
they were assembled the hostess an
nounced the perfdy of Miss Spencer.
Great was the indignation of the
"signatory powers" Miss Wadsworth
declared that Mr.. Harrington should
be saved from the wiles of such a girl.
and after much elaboration it was de-
c1ded to send him an anonymous note
stating that for the protection of the
sex certain girls had decided to cut
him, Miss Spencer having made the
proposition. The decision had been
unanimous except for one girl. The
note having been mailed and tea hav-
ing been drunk, the girls separated.
When Harrington received the note
he took it at once to Miss Spencer.
telling her his opinion of women who
could write such a note. Miss Spencer
showed unmistakable signs of guilt and
finally in tears confessed her part in
the matter.
"Will you inform me-" asked Har-
rirgton, "who was the girl who de-
clined to enter upon this-conspiracy 2"
Irene Emerson" sobbed the culprit.
"Irene Emerson
eyes. Do you know her?'
81 didn't when this boycott was de-
c1ded on. l had never seen her. Since
then it has been my good fortune to
have been the accidental cause of her
avoiding a serious accident, and in that
way l made her acquaintance. | have
been converted to the fact that a stand
ard of honor may be lived up to by
persons irrespective of e x but l re-
greet to have to tell you that my con-
version has not come through you. but
the girl who, though she had never
seen me, declined to join the conspir-
acy that you instituted. | beg to bid
uar1 rood dawn