Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-06-19
real aSMEEl P'

height, thereby upsetting a tabouret
laden with smoking things which
stood beside his Morris chair. His
sister, on the other side Of the table,
looked up from her book with a de-
plorable lack Of sympathy.
II Is not raining rain tonight.
IT'S raining cigarettes.
she caroled lightly.
"Might help fellow pick 'em up,
instead Of guying himp' he suggest
ed, striking a neat balance between
resentment and cajolery, as he dived
under the table for his scattered pos
sessions She complied good-natur-
edly, and chased fugitive pipe
from under her own chair. "Mind
the tobacco jar on the rug" she eau
toned. 'Ts it crackedP No? That's
good. There, / guess we've got ev-
erything. And now tell me, George,
why the dramatic start2 Is any
thing troubling you?'
Skirts" said George laconically,
sitting down again with a tentative
air. Alice looked alarmed.
"Not love affair, dear?" she ex-
claimed. ooh, George, yon haven't
been falling in"
He waved his pipe with a pacify-
ing gesture. "Calm yourself, little
one; not so bad as that. It's this
way: Remember those two Bancroft
girls from Chicago we met at Cousin
Beth's dance last night? Chums of
hers, you know, and she made me
promise beforehand I'd try to help
'em have a good time"
'Laurette and Peggy? Yes, 1
know. Surely you've nothing to re-
greet in that quarterl You devoted
yourself to them like a perfect dear,
strictly impartial, even in dancing,
which isn't Peggy's strongest point"
"She is bit solid, isn't sheP But
then, Laurette's sylphlike enough to
make up. And pretty-say, amt she
just daisy? No, that's too COM
monplace; orchids more like it, ]
guess pink-and-white orchid p
He paused, gratifed at his unusual
fight Of fancy, Alice replied ami
ably, though without especial enthu-
siasm:
"She is pretty-and, yes, her deli
cate coloring does make her look
fiowerlike, though she's really about
as plump as Peggy. And she does
dance beautifully. Peggy has lovely
eyes, though-did you notice them p
"Why, yes in way, though not
specially. Brown, aren't they, and
sort Of soft and kind, and yet
twinkly3 Well, to get back to the
story Of muh life. Some one was
praising up the good old customs at
supper, and one of the girls proposed
philopenas, so the whole crowd ate
'em, and both the Misses Bancroft
caught yours truly. 1t just popped
into my mind that / didn't attend to
the matter today. Neither of 'em
would choose anything; they just
laughed and said they'd leave it to
my judgment. And me a simple,
unsophisticated architectp He
pulled gloomily at his pipe.
"Oh, WELL" Alice consoled him,
"its simple enough; flowers or candy
the usual thing, you know. Don't
have to waste much psychology on
that, buddie"
He cheered up. you're right, sis,
as usual. Come right down to
brass tacks, it's candy and flowers,
of course, and it only remains to pick
out the right kind for the right lady.
Flowers for Laurette, of course; you
couldn't think of anything else in
connection with her. Just the dain-
test, most-er-ethereal flowers in
the shop. Wish / had an orchid in,
come, but guess well have to let it
go at peck or SO of sweet peas. Say,
I'd like to know that girl better
talk about your uplift, sis-I bet
having dainty little angel like that
around would make difference in
fellows lifel Course / like girl
to have brains and fun, too, as well
as goodness; but she's got the whole
outfit, | guess" He reused him
self with little sigh from the mem
tai contemplation of Laurette's deli