St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-01-31

between rnem now. ana IN FAVOR OF
Armstrong? She would if she could
but she could not
"Come tomorrow evening" she said
"and I'll try to give you an answer"
'T'H tell what I'll do. Margaret"
said the wooer "I'l come tomorrow
evening and wen Zip a coin to decide
whether you marry me or not"
very WELL" said Margaret, in a
tired way.
The next day she met Brown on the
They had so much to say to each
other that they couldn't say it all be-
fore reaching her house, so Brown
went in.
Margaret" he said. II have no
| doubt that you can do better by mar
rying some one else than me- But my
argument is this: You must take the
risk any way. Why not take it with
a man you love? Besides. some men
are capable of being made by a wife.
You would undoubtedly have a hard
time with me, but you're level head
ed girl, and that's the kind l need.
I'm a donkey engine, and. you know,
an engine can't run itself; it must
have an engineer"
Margaret was so Influenced by this
argument. especially since her heart
was enlisted, that she promised the
young man that if something-she
wouldn't tell what-turned out the
next evening a certain way she would
marry him. Brown showed that when
interested in a subject he had lot of
hang on in him, for he never gave up
till he drew the information out of her
that she was to decide his rivals fate
by the spinning of a coin. Then he
refused to let go until she had agreed
to give him an equal chance. She con-
scented that he should be present the
next evening and the coin should de-
eide between him and Armstrong. The
coin would be spun as a bit of pleas
antry, but it was understood that
whichever man won won in earnest.
The advantage was all with Brown
because he knew of the game to be
played and had a day in which to pre-
pare for it. One may say that in such
an affair there is no preparation to be
honorable.
But while Armstrong had the steadi-
ness of a planet revolving in its fixed
orbit. Brown was a man for occasion.
While he had noble impulses. he did
not allow them to run away with him
In the matter of the girl he loved.
All's fair in war and love Is a princi-
pie Of nature. During the evening he
spun coins on a smooth table top till
midnight. Before he had finished he
had discovered how to make them fall
on which ever side he chose.
The next morning he telephoned to
his employer that he would not be
ready for business that day and had
no excuse to offer for his absence.
very sorry to lose you. Mr.. Brown"
was the reply. "but you needn't come
tomorrow; your place will be filled"
1t may seem singular that man
struggling to get wife should give up
the income on which to support her,
but Brown argued that he couldn't get
the wife and keep the position. He
possessed the faculty of deciding be-
tween the greater and the lesser. He
needed all of the day to continue his
preparations for the game he was to
play in the evening. If he lost there
was no recovery. If he won he had
lifetime in which to secure another
position.
When the evening for the trial came
Brown had used up in preparation
every moment since he had parted |
81,
eight hours for sleep. 1t was not that I
he dreaded failure, but detection. If |
he were caught introducing loaded |
coins for the spinning he could not tell /
just what would be the result. He |
might lose the girl. He certainly would /
incur the contumely of his rival, and /
his action might prove ruinous to him.
But nothing troubled him except the
possible loss of the prize.
Brown called late enough to give his
rival an opportunity to get in before
him. then entered as though he had
merely dropped in casually. Armstrong
looked annoyed. and Margaret appear
ed to be very regretful of having
drifted into the position she occupied.
The three with difficulty kept up an
EN- barrassing conversation for half an
hour, when Armstrong. giving Mar
garet knowing look. proposed 70 de-
eide a question he had raised by spin
ming a coin. He had invited her to go
to the theater with him, and she seem
ed to be in doubt what day to set for
the purpose. His proposition he in
tended for an Introduction to the trial
that was to decide his fate with Mar
garet. The night for attending the
theater having been settled. Brown
proposed some other way of amusing
the trio by coin spinning. Margaret
wore an American Beauty rose in fier
hair, and at last Brown proposed TO
Armstrong to spin a coin for it. Mar
garet consented and Armstrong won
the rose. Then Brown spoke.
Mr.. Armstrong. there is a prize we
both 1ocfro &l,or-rrt, I