Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-06-25
HIS PECULIAR WAY
Harry Weston Made Love Ac-
cording to the Department
Store Plan.
BY BRYANT c. ROGERS.


letter handed over to Miss Nellie by
her brother Ben one rainy day as he
returned from the village postoffice,
three miles away. The letter was
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
bonds?
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?
Ali 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
Vane's 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 it
was high time his daughter married.
He had further decided that it was
up to him to select the man. AS a
widower he had no wife to consult.
Harry Weston was 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 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 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
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 I'D. Paris was tremendous. This
tomb of Napoleon had brought tears Il
his eyes, though even at his tende
age he had doubted that the grea
hero, If alive, could make success o
a department store. The Pyramids 0
Egypt-ahl The Rock of Gibraltar
ah!
Mr.. Weston came down to the Van
manor every two weeks on Sundays
He was prompt to the minute. Hi
greeting was always the same. Hi
hand was always cold. No matte
what the weather was, he always re
marked that the country was looking
nice. There was one single exception
however He had arrived with twt
feet of snow on the ground and ;
blizzard raging, and after som,
thought he observed that if it hat
been of 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 tt
schedule, certainly. He couldn't have
done it any other way to have his life
No holding her hand! No arm around
her waist! No soulful smile in hi:
eyes! He was five feet away from he1
and standing with one hand on the
center table when he calmly re
marked:
Miss Vane, will you do me tn,
honor to become my wife?"
It was just az if he said to the store
advertising man:
James, you may advertise those 81
cent corsets for As cents"
II will think it over" said the
poor girl as she wanted to run away
and hide and have a good cry.
Truly Mr. Weston had sometime
coming to him, and he got it. After
the annual white goods sale he re
ferred to the matter again, but with
out any great interest, and was agar
put of. 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 the
letter brother Ben brought. Mr.. Yves
ton wanted to know, you know, just
as he might want to know about an
order of goods for the shoe depart
ment.
The wretch" exclaimed the girl as
she read the letter and gritted her
teeth. 1T shall be no! no! noi''
And it was, and when the father
was told of it his reply was:
''Well, you have thrown over a
model husband and lot of money,
and for who and what? Well, you'll
have to take what comes along"