The Washington herald., 1913-02-09
INITIALS AND HUPTIALs.
BY FRED c. KELLY

tuna mad plenty OF reason for regarding
herself in superlatives, as we shall see.
To start with, Petunia had become en-
gagged to a young man whom she had
known when they were both sophomores
In high school. His name. or rather his
initials. for they are all that concern US.
were c. L. p. BY the time he and Pc
tunia had been engaged a month they had
used UP three or four pads OF paper
demonstrating to their own satisfaction.
beyond reasonable doubt. that two can
not only live as 'cheaply as one, but just
as long. Also that So week, and may
be 50 a little later on. Is sufficient for
any economical couple to keep square
with the grocer. pay the rent. take In a
picture show occasionally, and make pay
ments every so often on u pretty little
layout of furniture.
The affair went so far that Petunia.
with the aid of her mother. compiled a.
complete trousseau. a maiden aunt in
Iowa sent her lot of handsome, hand
embroidered table linen-napkins. table,
cloths. lunch cloths, and everything Of
that sort that she would need.
Then one evening either he or she said
something that disillusioned the other
and unkind words we're passed. Still
ment was soon bent out of all recogni-
tion. Each decided, after reflection. that
they had been on the brink of a great
mistake-that they would have been
bored to death with each others society
In the course of mounting years. So the
engagement was then and there declared
null and void. There were no tears or
clutchings Of the chest or vain regrets:
rather there was joy on both sides that
they did. instead of later on, after they
step TO the slow music that is played
for church weddings.
There was only ono feature of the shat
tered romance that harassed the mind
of the near bride. She. with pardonable
girlish enthusiasm, had gone ahead pre-
pairing for the coming nuptial event even
to the detail of marking the various
fluffy white articles in her trousseau, and
the table linen her aunt in Iowa had sent
her. She marked the table linen and
many Of the less personal things with his
initials. &C. L. p" inasmuch as most of
the articles sent to the washwoman or
the laundry would go in his name
After the engagement had been broken
OF, she looked in the back part OF all
the cookbooks for something TO remove
indelible ink from clothing, and tried sew
eral recipes, but II appeared that indelible
ink was made to stay on a thing once II
is put there. She realized poignantly
that she should have waited until the day
before the wedding. or better still, the
day after, 10 mark things with her future
husbands initials. As matters stood. II
ever she really did get married. she
IF'f Aav ny nf he ha nd a
hand-embroidered table line that her
aunt in Iowa had sent her, for fear her
husband. or somebody they'd invited in
to eat. would desire TO know what &. l..
p. stood for. No man would want the
household linen to bear the label Of
former sUitor. He would be Obliged to
regard her. then, much as one looks upon
an article from a remnant sale. More
over, II was not likely that her aunt in
Iowa would send her an entire new outfit
the next time she got engaged. The cost
ly table linen seemed destined to be
wasted. This preyed on Petunia's mind
and she became a Iaorose person. caring
little about the other suitOrs who began
to drop around to her home evenings.
The months rolled by and young man
named Brown-George Edward Brown
got to spending more and more time in
Petunias society, for she was indeed
beautiful to look upon. and was compan-
ionable. Notwithstanding her frequent
moods of extreme sadness. He came only
on Sundays at first, but later took on the
Tuesday and Thursday evening conces-
sions It wasn't long until he tried to
convince her that all the tariff tinkerinS
by Congress must eventually reduce the
cost OF living. She declined TO become in
terested. Her previous experience had
taught her the wisdom OF avoiding haste.
and she was disposed to look farther be-
fore making up her mind.
One evening. however. n thing hap
penad that brought affairs to a focus.
George Edward Brown. after an evening
of vain attempt to interest Petunia in
his cause stood in the doorway about to
start for home. II was late and he
should have been home an hour or more
previous, but he hung on while Petunia
told him for the thirtieth time that shey
could be good pals always. but that she
would he doing him an injustice TO be-
come his wife. PetUnia was frank ana
pleasant about It. but firm. and George
was persistent. That was the situation as
they stood there exchanging the final
bits of the evening pifie talk. he with a
far-away. cross-country look in his eyes,
and she holding his hat for him in friend
ly. hOspitable fashion.
Holding the hat Carelessly upside down,
staring absent-mindedly at the little bow
in the sweatband. NPetunia's eye suddenly
shifted to something that gave her
start. She noticed the gilt block letters
lasted in the crown of the hst-his in
itiaIs, q. +. p. Naturally she had known
ali along what his initials were. but now
that she saw them in big gilt letters they
took on new possibilities. She saw a
chance to kill, or at least to cripple. two
birds with the toss of a single pebble.
Also she made up her mind that George
was, after all. the one man whom she
could care more for than any other man
In this whole big, wide world. From the
letters in the hat Petunia's thoughts went
to the letters on the table linen and back
again with lightning rapidity. What
could be easier than making into
Gg And couldn't she elaborate an l. into
with just a quick stroke or two OF her
pen. One little curve would change the r
on her trousseau things to B and every
thing would be fixed.
Within less than a week the local paper
made an announcement which wound up
in the following manner:
THE happy event will take place at
the home of the brides parents"
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IT.. r.n ~ he Wild.