Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1913-08-07
HIS PECULIAR way
Harry Weston Made Love Ac-
cOrding to the Department
Store Plan.
BY BRYANT c. ROGERS.

her brother Ben one rainy day as he
returned from the village p~ostofiice,
three miles away. The letter vas
signed Harry"
Did Harry wish to buy a piece Of
real estate from Miss Nellie?
Had he made a cash offer for her
pony?
Was it a matter of stocks and
bonds7
What was she to decide at once and
answer?
What was the momentous question
that had been hanging fire until he
had become impatient at the delay?
All kinds of things might be guessed
as the answer but they might all be
wrong. All men do not make love
alike. For instance, when Miss Nellie
Vanes father brought Harry Weston
home with him to dinner he had an OBJ
ject in view besides feeding him. He
had decided In his own mind that 1t
was high time his daughter married.
He had further decided that 1t was
up to him to select the man. As a
widower he had no wife to consult.
Harry Weston was a junior partner in
a department store. He was prim.
He was priggish. He was stilted. He
was accurate in his figures and cor
rect to a dot In his language. If he
had happened to get the wrong accent
on a syllable, or made a lapse in
grammar, he might have had to go
home and take to his bed. He saw
and admired Miss Nellie and resolved
to win her for a wife.
No, all men don't make love alike.
Harry Weston made love according to
the department store plan as nearly as
he could. There were no bargain days
with things marked down one-third,
and he didn't quite look on Miss Nellie
as a salesgirl not to be praised for her
sales for fear she would strike for ten
cents a week more on her wages.
No, not quite, but as they sat alone,
ten feet apart, he talked to her Of the
tariff, discount, profits and losses and
other things of absorbing interest to a
girl of twenty. He had made an ex-
cursion trip to Europe with his mother
when he was a boy of ten, and he
related his impressions at great
length.
The Tower Of London had given him
a chill. Windsor Castle had warmed
him up. Paris was tremendous. The
tomb of Napoleon had brought tears to
his eyes,, though even at his tender
age he had doubted that the great
hero, II alive, could make a success Of
a department store. The Pyramids of
Egypt--ah! The Rock Of Gibraltar
ah!
Mr.. Weston came down to the vanc
manor every two weeks on Sundays.
He was prompt to the minute. His
greeting was always the same. His
hand was always cold. No matter
what the weather was, he always re-
marked that the country was looking
nice. There was one single exception,
however. He had arrived with two
feet Of snow on the ground and a
blizzard raging, and after some
thought he observed that II 1t had
been of a Saturday the loss Of trade
to the store would have been thou
sands of dollars.
In due time Mr.. Harry Weston
asked Miss Nellie vane to be his wife,
But how did he do It? According to
schedule. certainly. He couldn't have
done 1t any other way to have his life,
No holding her hand! No arm around
her waist! No soulful smile in his
eyes! He wat five feet away from her
and standing with n hand on the
center table when he calmly re-
marked:
Miss vane, will you do me the
honor to become my wife?"
1t was just 90 II he said to the store
advertising a
James. you may advertise those IS
cent corsets for As cents"
IL will think 1t over" said the
poor girl as she wanted to run away
and hide and have a good cry.
Truly Mr.. Weston had something
coming to him, and he got 1t. Aftel
the annual white goods sale he re
ferred to the matter again, but with
out any great interest, and was AGAR
put off. After the SO umbrella sale
had closed with unprecedented sue
cess,-he offered his hand and hear
for the third time.
81 must have more time" replied
Miss Nellie.
A month passed and then came tn,
letter brother Ben brought. Mr.. Yves
ton wanted to know, you know, JUS
as he might want to know about al
order Of goods for the shoe depart
ment.
THE wretch" exclaimed the girl a,
she read the letter and gritted he,
teeth. ut shall be no! no! mol"
And 1t was, and when the fathe
was told Of It his reply was:
well. you have thrown over
model husband and a lot Of money
and for who and what? Well, you'll
have to take what comes along"
He threw that at her as a scare. I
he had understood %girl-nature h
would have realized that what ia Il
come along" is her hope-her myster.
her romance. And Miss Nellie fel