Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-12-06
EXPERT III CHIROGRAPHY
ey c. L. MEoLAR.

Robert Walling was Just as thor
oughly IN love with pretty Amy Mar
tin as ever a great, bashful, oyergrown
man was with a petite aud saucy
chunk Of feminine loneliness, half his
weight. lie had tried to tell her about
It many times. but. eloquent as he was
ia the courtroom or at business con-
gerences, his tongue seemed TO be alb
solutely tied when be attempted to eN-
plain the state OF LIS mind to the fair
Amy
Nor was it because the dainty little
maiden discouraged him. Not at all
To the contrary, she gave him every
encouragement-eYen put forth those
clever little feminine devices which
open up inviting opportunities. But
the months passed and Robert failed
utterly to take advantage of his op-
portuniies, and Amy stamped her
pretty foot in despair and cried in
humniation
IF were only man, she ex-
claimed. viciously, wouldn't I show
them how to do it,"
Amy knew he loved her with all
the devotion Of an eastern idolater.
Then. why, Oh, why, could he not say
so and let her fall into his arms with
deeency and dispatch-and clear the
whole situation up?
Presently, however. her pride as
serted itself and she began to be an
CRY with him for his difidence and
his stupidity
Consequently, she treated Robert
with positive sayageness and encour-
aged the other admirers to a degree
that drove Walling to the last depths
Of despair.
Matters were at this status when
Wallings old college chum, Barclay
dropped in on him for few days
visit 10 renew old relationships. Now,
Barclay was quite a man OF the world
in bis way-as a pushing. successful,
stock broker must needs be. and aft.
or "a hours stop under the roof Of his
luckless friend, he caught the full sig
niacance OF the situation.
He had been a guest of Wallings
for something like a week and was
beginning to chafe openly at the re.
straint and to pine for the roar Of
the stock exchange, when a strange
thing happened to Robert Walling II
was a Tuesday evening and the two
were dressing for dinner, when
servant brought Walling in the mail
Walling sorted it mechanically OF a
sudden he gave a gasp and dropping
all the rest fell upon one little dainty,
nlae-scented envelope and tore 1t open
with feverish haste. Barclay selected
clean collar with great deliberatiou
and proceeded to button it to his shirt
Great heavens Barclay look at this
what does it mean?"
What is it?" inquired Barclay.
mildly, proceeding to tie new and
elaborate four-in-hand with exquisite
care.
Listen" replied Walling, tragical
~, and he proceeded to read the fol.
lowing epistle:
Dearest Bob: I think It would have
been much nicer if you had said all
those nice things to me personally in
the hammock or on the veranda, but
inasmueh as you are great goose,
/ win overlook It, OF course, / love
you and have for ever and ever so
long l think you are a little precipi.
tate in naming the wedding day-and'
especially at so early a date. Perhaps
win make you wait bit, as you GER
tainly deserve to Surely, l will be
home tonight-and we will arrange
things-but to suit me, sir, as you
shall hear. Lovingly,
AMY. +
Fine, finely exclaimed Barclay.
dropping the clothes brush with which
he was completing his toilet. per
nit me TO congrat ulate you, old man.
She's a deuced fine girl And I'm to
be best man, I know"
He extended his hand, which Wall.
ing grasped mechanically.
"But," expostulated Walling, what
is 1t all about? never wrote her
proposal"
Barclay extended his hand.
Rob" he said, Il wrote it myself
I'm something OF an expert in chirog.
raphy, you know Forgive me. old
man, but saw you never woodland
you wouldn't do anything else until
you got this particular girl. The end
justiles the means. my boy-accord-
ing to my philosophy
For answer. Walling squeezed Bar.