The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1912-12-20
Her Unknown
Admiirer
BY DoRoTHEA HALE

10 be wooed and won for wife, me
George Menyman. who stl1lighIwa!
caught her fancy. MIR. Merrynian wa
attentive to her for time. then sale
on TO sip honey from another flower
One day Mrs. Travers said:
Gwen. what has become OF George
Merryman?'
"Gone over TO the enemy"
what enemy"
"I.oulse ChlIds. She has been angling
for him while he has been paying AZ
tention to me and finally hooked him.
.'And what have you been doing
MEANWHILE"
"Nothing. II he prefers Louise
don't see how can help II"
And 80 you are content to have
designing girl take your lover away
from yOn;"
81 am above design in such matters.
Eyes, you are made of too good stun
TO take an unfair advantage of rival
but Won can at least act as though you
still considered George Il friend, or
can do It for you. I'm going to invite
him to dinner
"Oh. mamma, don't!'
There was no reply to this. Mrs
Travers went to her writing desk
wrote the invitation and sent II to MIR
Nerryman. II was accepted and on
the appointed evening the gentleman
appeared dnly clad In his glad rags
and rose In his buttOnhOle. He look
ed rather proud Of himself, for he could
not but regard the invitation an effort
to draw him back to his first allegiance
and it battered him.
Louise received him as graclously as
II he had not suddenly dropped from
being attentive to her and begun to
buzz another girl. AS she was too
proud to go after him. she was too
proud to let him zee that his change
hurt her She did her best to act nat
urally aud friendly aud succeeded
Those were all the conditions re-
quired.
There was no other guest present,
EXCEPT Mr.. Merryman, and the dinner
went off much mdfe pleasantly than
might have been expected. The truth
is that young men are usually drlfters'
To a giN the matter Of her settlement
with the man she IL to marry ls an
Important epoch in her life. The man
usually doesn't count on settling
Many men don't wish to settle. and
some would run away from settle
ment. George Merryman enjoyed the
preIiminaries of matrimony. but had
no use for the article itself.
All was goiDe pleasantly at the din
ner when there came ring. and II
servant brought in box addressed In
a mans hand to Lonise MerrywealheT
bearing the trade name OF a well
known florist. Opening It, there lay
a supply of cut flowers.
why. there's no card with 1t" ex-
claimed Louise.
Mrs Travers paid no more attention
to the matter than II her daughter re-
ceived flowers every day The gnOd
lady was giving a servant orders con
corning the dessert which was about
to he brought In.
mamma" said LOnlse, enlivened
with pleasure and curiosity, "some one
has sent me a box o; flowers anOny-
mously."
"Well. my dear, you needn't fear but
the sender will turn up In time.
Young men don't make such offers to
young ladies without intending to get
the'credlt Of the gift"
louise was puzzled and could not
help showing her citation at the atten-
ton from her unknown admirer She
shifted several Of The flowers success
sively. then had the courtesy to offer
one to Mr.. Merrynan. He took 1t and
laid 1t on the tabls beside him. Pres
entity he handed II hack to her, saying:
Excuse me; appreciate your gift
hut don't like to accept flower sent
by an admirer The flowers were In
tended for yOn, not for me-"
There was a touch OF bitterness In
his tone and his manner when he slid
this that Smacked OF plque. to say
nothing OF downright jealousy. Louise
looked serious, and her mother re-
proved the butler. who had brought the
box into the dining room
thereafter. JaInes," she said to him,
'when anything comes to the house
while we are at dinner you will leave
It in the hall till we have finished
Merryman had come to dine with his
friends. feeling that he should exert
himself 10 act cordially After the
flower episode he found 1t dlfiiouh In
the first place, Louise had shown no
feeling at his dropping her, and, In the
second. some one was evidently ready
to take Ills place. After dinner he and
she were left alone by her mother,
After saying little or nothing for some
time. with scOwl on his face, Merry
man broke forth:
ITS all bosh for you to say you
don't know from whom those flowers
came. Doubtless the fellow sends
them so often that It's not necessary
for him to put in card. II you're en-
gagged you might as well say So"
Mr.. Merrymsn was gentleman, and
nothing hut downright Jealousy could
have forced him into any such rude
ness Louise saw her advantage aud