Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-16
A MISS AND A HIT
BY CLIFFORD HOWARD

What! It's you, is it," he exclaimed,
flushed with irritation as his eyes fell on the
young man who had approached. What
do you mean, Sir, by coming around here and
disturbing me, instead of going TO the front
door? Have | not already told you dis
tinctly enough. Sir, that you are persona non
grata in any circumstances? Have you for
gotten, Sir, what passed between us at our
last meeting, some two or three months
ago."
mo, Sir, l have not forgotten" returned
the young man coolly, and as he spoke he
seated himself on the arm of nearby chair.
" | remember our interview very distinctly;
but"
But me no butts, Sir" interrupted the
Colonel shaking his finger. did | not tell
you positively that | would not permit you
to pay court to my daughter or attempt to
hold any communication with her whatso-
ever?"
Eyes Sir"
"And that l would listen to no further
talk in regard to the matter?'
Yes, Sir"
And did | not make it plain to you, Sir,
that it was my wish that you should con-
slider that your last call at my house?"
Eyes, Sir, believe you did; but, as I
understood it"
"Tush!" interjected the Colonel 1T is
nothing to me, Sir, what you might have
understood | made myself sufficiently
clear for any man of ordinary brains and
self respect. Your coming to see me again,
Sir, is an impertinence, a rank impertinence,
Sir! If for no other reason, this display of
bounce would alone have been enough to
convince me that you are no fit person to
address my daughter. And you might as
well understand at once, Sir, SO long as you
have made 1T necessary for me to speak
bluntly, that my reason for refusing to adj
NIT you as a sutton for my daughters hand
is because, Sir, you are man without means
and without prospects and without social
position of any kind. My daughter, Sir, has
been accustomed all her life to culture and
wealth, and l do not intend that she shall
marry beneath her in either respect, nor that
any man shall use her as a stepping stone to
his own vulgar ambitions"
If you think, Colonel" returned his Wis
itor, that my regard for your daughter was
prompted by any thought of money, you are
not know that you are what would be called
a rich man"
BAH retorted the Colonel. Don't
come at me with any such talk as that Sir!
| do not claim to be rich man as measured
by the millionaires of the country; but you
know very well, Sir, that | ami more than
commonly we'll supplied with this worlds
goods and am able to give my daughter
something more than merely comfortable
home. Why, Sir, and the Colonel straight
ened himself UP in his chair and glared at
the young man, I've got furnishings and
works of art, Sir, right here in this house,
that could not be duplicated for ten times
the amount of any yearly salary you have
ever been able to earn. If you had any kind
of gentleman's education, Sir, you would
have known this without my telling you.
You have been in my home, Sir, and you
have seen some of my paintings and tapes
tries and rugs and bits of virtu; but, bah!
they have meant nothing more to you, Sir,
than SO many cheap chromos and table
clothsl
why, Sir, that Corot alone, above the
door in the library, is worth today five thou
sand dollars, if it's worth dollar; and that
one Japanese screen in the drawing room |
bought myself in Toxic and paid twelve hun
bred yen for it; and my whole Japanese col
lection-e mbroideries, kakemonos, vases,
and carvings is without an equal in this
town, Sir, and could not be duplicated for
anything under ten thousand dollars; and
as for my library, Sir, have some of the
rarest incunabula to be found anywhere
outside of the big libraries. | have one Ell
zevir alone that paid nine hundred dollars
T Il hot |