Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1911-12-21
An Important
Request
tcopyrish,. 1914. b, Associated Literary Pro...
By Annie EIinnchsen


whistled few summoning notes.
Prince, beaming delightfully."-, hur-
ried across the room to her.
cot course you came" she said
exasperatedly. "T whistled as I do
to my dog and you, man, came"
The young man grinned cheer
fully. "You wanted me, didn't
your" he asked. 81 was so glad that
you wanted me that | didn't care
what means you took to call me-"
81 didn't want you. wished to
see if you would come at a whistle"
swell, 1 came" affirmed Prince,
cheerfully.
'Ralph, have you no spirit? You
obey the most ridiculous commands
/ give you. Are you devoid of pride ?
Can't you show a little self-asser-
ton ?"
"Lots Of it. Pm a duffer only
when l am with you. l can hold my
own with men, but you have reduced
me to jelly-like state of submission.
! am so desperately in love with you
and so afraid of you that when you
speak ] become a groveler. But il
you will marry me-" he suggested
hopefully, II might become brave"
"I'll not marry a groveler to re-
form him. And you wouldn't change.
You would always be a henpecked
mental nonentity, a joke for a car
toonist."
"a joke doubtless enjoys being a
joke, and if ] were a henpecked hus-
band should be perfectly happy"
81 shall not marry a groveler.
Why you have been successful in
business and politics cannot under
stand. You are a member of the leg
islature, and father says you are i'm
mensely popular both at home and
at the capital. Yet to me you show
never a whit of independence of
thought or action"
Glove has made me a slave"
"And you are not ashamed of the
fact. You seem proud of it."
A few weeks later the legislature
convened. Soon after the beginning
of the session a bill was introduced
that brought to the capital represen-
tatives of all the street railways in
the state. The bill was one to COM
pei owners of street railways to
place upon their cars satisfactory
shelter for the motormen and con-
ductors. Nella Carroll's father
owned the street railway of Hilton
City. Immediately after the intro
duction of the bill he went to the
state capital and Nella went with
him.
The bill, owing to the efforts Of a
powerful lobby against it,. dragged
slowly on its course and Mr.. Carroll
and Nella remained at the capital.
The devotion of Ralph Prince be-
came more and more conspicuous,
and Nella's evaporation and impa-
thence increased with ii.
A party of young people had gath
cred in the Carroll suite at the hotel.
The governors messenger knocked
at the door and asked for Mr.. Prince.
Prince came to Nella. II must go,
Nella," he said. "The governor has
sent for me-"
"Send word to the governor that l
need you here"
But, Nella, the governors re-
quests are commands"
80 are mine. Tell the messen-
ger you cannot come. There is an
important reason why you should re-
main here"
Prince took the messenger into
the corridor and in few minutes re-
turned alone. 81 sent word to the
governor that could not come, Nell
la. Tell me the important reason
why you wished me to remain"
"To make Welsh rabbit. No one
else can mix good one. Light the
chatting dish lamp and gate the
cheese"
The day before the railway bill
was TO be voted on in the house,
NellA sent for Prince.
"Ralph, father told me something
today which utterly sstonishes me.
He saws YOU favor the passage of the |