The Mena weekly star., 1910-04-21
SHE TOOK
 A CHANCE

"Clarice," cooed the brides dearest girl friend. you've never told me how you and Jack happened to get en- gagged"
 The bride held back her head and studied the effect of an embroidered | initial on something white and fluffy. I've never told a living soul," she said.
 "Goodncssi How excitingl What in the world"
 Not one living soul! But If you promise you'li never tell anybody" "Clarice. You know me better than to think I'd ever breathe a word"
 Well, it was one night last spring I'd been writing letters in my den and was bored to death. I'd just broken off with Howard, and I hadn't any hopes of a caller, for Tom was in | Canada and Martin was working nights on his law cases and Herbert was out of town and that nice MT. Selbert you. kirls were all crazy 1 over"
 q wasn't, if you mean me, Clarice, you horrid thingl I didn't think he was nice at all and 1 always said he'd turn out something we didn't expect" Well, he did, when they arrested him for bigamy. But, then, that hasn't anything to do with how Jack and l got engaged
 Tt was one of those lovely spring nights, all lilacs and full moon, and people out walking, and I was cooped up In my den all alone, with every blessed man knew out of the ques- tion and nobody at home except Mabel studying her Latin on the porch. You know my den opens right off the end of the front hall"
 The bride paused.
 "Fd just fixed up that den," she went on, land I felt so proud of it that had everybody come in there So when I heard somebody mount the front steps as If he belonged to the family, and they say something to Mabel, didn't budge.
 When Mabel called, Somebody you know to see you, Clarice,' just said Tell him to come straight to the den' thought maybe Martin had got tired of his law cases and come over for g few minutes.
 Whoever 1t was walked in as con fidently as if he'd been to see me the day before. I liked his step. Don't you think there's lot of character in the way people walk? This mans walk was firm and even, just as if he knew what he wanted and never would stop until he got it If 1t took him years and years.
 Then, what do you think? You'd never guess in thousand yearsi"
 How perfectly romantic!" mur- mured the girl friend q never could guess, so hurry and tell me"
 He came right into the den and before could turn around he put his hands over my eyes and said in the incest voice, Guess who, q racked my brain for minute for knew I'd heard the voice before, though whom 1t belonged to I hadn't the slightest idea He might be al most anybody, but knew he was nice, just the way he walked and the way his voice sounded. Besides, l was half crazy for some excitement, and-I think 1t was Just direct inspiration said softly:
 There's only one man in the world who has a right to do that, and I'd know him among a thousand What do you think of that for nerve. But, goodnessl I didn't have time to reflect on what I'd done. Things happened too fast
 "The next thing remember is that I was all punched up in Jack Phelps coat collar and asking him why he'd never written me from Colorado all these years. He'd been away ever since he left college, you know, and he was my first sweetheart--in fact we were about half engaged when he went away.
 "When I saw how perfectly dear he was and how handsome he looked don't you think he has the loveliest nose ?-why, never said a word; any way, I was in love with him before knew what was happening. He. still thinks I remembered his voice and knew who he was when l said that--he thinks it's perfectly wonderful Maybe. when I'm an old married woman and Jacks baldheaded I'll tell him about it"
 But not now!" murmured the girl