The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-07-28
SOLUTION OF A
HARD PROBLEM
How a Pair of Lovers Came
TO an Understanding.


Il refer to this position in which 1
am placed by my mother"
What position?"
when a girl comes to my age she
is an independent woman, having
rights upon which no parent can tres
pass
You mean she ought to be indie
pendent
My mother has made up her mind
that THAT she-that you''-
ANY one else in it,"
You don't help me a bit To state
it boldly and correctly, she is throw
ing me at you"
Il trust / shall make a good catch"
Ever since she arranged that the
two families should spend the hot sea-
son together here she has kept me in
misery. What could be more cruelty
ing to a girls pride than to have her
mother show every moment that she
wishes her daughter to catch a certain
man? Last evening when Mr. Fitch
called she treated him abominably
Her motive was apparent to every
one"
suppose go away!
you might do that-that is, If YOU
wish
"Oh, your mother doesn't trouble me.
l would go to get you out of the mud
die"
But" she rejoined after q pause,
every one would say the man was so
prosecuted he went to escape being
positively forced to-
1T wouldn't do, would it?"
There was no reply to this
Suppose" he added meditatively-
suppose I propose to you and you de-
cline me. Wouldn't that let you out?"
THANK you. If man proposes to
me l prefer to treat his proposal as 1
see fit"
But your motherT'
Il shall neither decline nor accept
any one to please my mother
We'll, 1 don't see how I can help
you"
81 don't either"
81 tell you what you do. Accept the
attentions of another man-Fftch, for
instance. He'll do for a dummy, and
say
"Mr. Fitch is q very nice young
man"
'Thats it-nice. You can tell your
mother you're doing 1t to egg me on"
do you dare accuse me Of having
done that?"
II was giving you a plan to induce
your mother to let us-I mean you
alone"
"You should go into the diplomatic
service"
'Tf there is no way out Of it." he
said presently, 81 suppose Wen have
to submit
"Oh, it isn't as bad as that"
1--WE might go out there on the pier
and jump off, \
'Now you're talking silly"
81 have 1t! I'll go and propose to
Marcia Eldridge."
fI've always thought a girl With a
face like pan OF milk would suit
you"
u don't mean anything permanent
could break it OFF in the autumn"
"f you do you needn't come back
to-
She bit her lip. -ss'''- ''-'sse :
.Why don't you just tell your mother
you don't want me, won't have me and
she's to stop her interference at once I"
To this there was no reply.
"You don't seem to think much Of
that proposition"
cit is about as senseless as the 9th
ers."
"One more and I've done. Take the
man you want, go to your mother and
tell her you're engaged"
This met the same reception as the
last-silence.
81 give it up.''
II would advise you to give It up II
you can't think of anything less pre-
posterous than that"
why preposterous?"
DO you suppose that all the men of
my acquaintance have made me carte
blanche offers good for all time?'
II didn't think of that"
A long pause They strolled on to
the pier. The sky was blue above
them, and the waves were rolling in.
pale green, below them; gulls directly
overhead. ships out on the horizon.
There's a way out of it if we can
only find It," he said presently.
''I'm afraid we're not bright enough.
Perhaps we don't want to find it,
That's singular. thought we had
been trying to find it ali the WHILE"
You haven't contributed much to-
ward that end.'
81? What have you contributedY'
ut isn't my part to find a way ont
of it. / took risk of being considered
unmaidenly to mention it at ALL"
Let US sit down on this bench, and
I'll try once more"
They seated themselves. He looked
up at the sky and down at the waves.
but saw neither. Then he said:
Suppose I go to your mother and
nsk her for your hand'
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