The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-02-19
ed the whole tableful.

that he could not continue, Broadway
rose and bowed. I'm it," he an
| swered. IT,"
Protests chorused
What hard-hearted girl has turned
you down, Broadway" asked the love
| 1y Inez.
"Who is 1t, Broadway? Who could
possibly have the heart or been the
fool to do it,"
Mrs. Gerard, his neighbor, bent or
him glance so languishing that he al
most had to turn his face away.
mo girl has ever turned me down"
he said, endeavoring to be gay. INC
girl has ever had chance to turn me
down. mean"
Realizing that this did not sound
gallant, being instinctively, by nature,
a gallant, he would have modified it
II he could, but the howl Of approba.
ton which arose from all the men, the
chorus of mock criticism which arose
from all the women, drowned his voice.
From all the women except one. That
one sat on his right, that woman was
a widow and was worth a million.
NO girl could turn you down." she
murmured.
All. that thought which so repeat.
eddy had festered in his brain! Here
were millions which admired him!
Here were millions which would pay
the debts which had piled up, which
would make the bottle with the
crimson label and the weapon with the
blued-steel barrel quite unnecessary!
Here were millions which would solve
the last one of his difficulties and for
which, if he accepted them, he could
offer adequate return in a devotion
which should be at once that of a son
for an indulgent mother and a near
drowned man for his rescuer! Why
not? Why not? Why not marry Mrs.
Gerard?
mo girl could turn you down." had
been her words.
In the hurly-burly of the questions
and the answers, the frolic and the
nonsense, he scarcely had an opportu-
nifty to speak to her in tender words.
but he answered her by scribbling on
her menu card:
Couldn't your
He felt certain that she gasped with
pleasure.
why do you say such things?" she
scrubbed.
Because I love you," the unfortu.
nate youth answered.
IT love you. too,' she scrubbed in
reply.
What sort of game are you two
playing there?" demanded Robert Wal
lace gaily.
Don't interrupt, Bob" Broadway or
dered. Its a new kind of game OF
hearts. It's played with menu cards
Shut up"
He turned again to his delighted, II
ancient partner in the novel pastime.
1T can't be true" he scrubbed.
1T is true" she wrote.
will you marry me?" he scrawled
With coy look at him which made
him feel little faint, but without ar
instant's hesitation, YES" she an.
swered
1t was tremendously to the relief Of
the young host that Bob Wallace, al
about this moment, rose and said thai!
he must leave.
1t seemed to Broadway that the
others mattered less For Wallace his
affection was so genuine that it includ
ed an intense desire to hold the mans
respect. Signing with relief he called
the major dOmo to his side as soon az
Bob had gone and whispered to him
that all glasses must be filled. With
the intense alacrity which the youthful
spendthrift's orders were everywhere
observed along Broadway, this was at
tended to, and he rose to his fee,
with all the dignity he could command
Friends" he said, II want to tel
you something. I want to tell you o.
my luck"
"Is it hard luck story, Broadway
someone asked.
"Er-yes," said he. "Iemean-"
"Jackson!" said a soft voice (per
haps little cracked) close at his side
with something of reproach in it.
For the lady," he hastily corrected
Hard luck for the lady. I'm-I'm 60
ing to be married.
The men shouted and there WERE
more than one among the ladies who
were seriously agitated, their number
being co-equivalent to the number who
themselves at one time or another haG
had hopes Of winning Broadway an6
his millions for their very own.
Everywhere about him rose thu
shout: "Who is she, Broadway? Name.
Name!"
He swayed there on his feet, some
what sickly smile upon his face, hi
hand deliberately spilling champagne
on his shirt front, fact of which hi
was in ignorance and which no one
noted for time. It. was Mrs. Gerard
who called attention to it by elabo
rately dabbing at him with her hand
kerchief.
There were proprietary details ever