The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-04-24

80 l am in business and among
women and children, but I know what
a young mar is. for I've been n my
self. So l concluded to go back to the
days Of my wild oats and see you as
you are. not as you would pretend to
be. I'm very fond of my niece and
wish her to marry a man, not q SWIVEL
ing, driveling fellow who pretends to
goodness while his inclinations are 9TH
erwise. l have found you perfectly
honorable and you played a fair game.
III say this, even IL you did relieve me
Of my money. Come in to dinner"
Mr.. Springer did not let m 60 for
several days. He was not the man he
had been on the train, but was no
prude. He was much engrossed in
business. and this did not give him
time for dissipation eve If he was
inclined that way. and he was not 80
inclined. went back to Edith with
a far better report of my status with
her uncle than she had given me of her
status with my aunt.
l found that Aunt Kate had been
called away for a few days. and I was
obliged to &c to Edith to be informed
as to the situation. She told me that
my aunt had written her a brief note.
saying that on her return and mine
she would be pleased to see 10 at her
house to spend an evening. gave
Edith an account of my meeting with
her uncle. at which she was much sur
prised.
"Y0u men are very queer" she said.
A few days after my return l receiv-
ed a telephone message from Aunt
Kate that l was to fetch Edith to her
house for dinner and to spend the
evening. On the evening in question
l called for Edith. and she said that
she would try to undo the impression
she had made upon my aunt. l told
her that she would better act herself
and not try to appear to be any one
else. Aunt Kate was very shrewd and
not to be fooled.
We found n hostess got up in her
finest costume, extremely decollete and
with plenty Of adornment. She gave
Edith a smack and warmly pressed
my hand. Curious to know Why she
had been so different with Edith dur.
ing her call. I entered upon tho sub.
ject at once.
Edith told me she had shocked you.
Aunt Kate" I said.
Shocked me! She was trying to fool
me. Do you suppose l don't know q
woman of the world? Why. my dear.
you could never be bad even If you
tried ever 10 hard. Come in to din
ner."
What a relief, both to me and to
Edith! And how happy we were at
having 81 successfully passed the Or
deal required. But we had done moth
ing to further the issue. Edith's uncle
and my aunt had taken pains to pre-
vent our imposing on them to see us
as We. were and not as we would have
pretended.
Our dinner was 4 most enjoyable
one, but Edith and l agreed that 1t
would have been far more delightful IL
we could have had her uncle with us.
Ny aunt. who had the faculty Of
adapting herself to the person she wa
with, behaved herself remarkably well.
Indeed. so circumspect was she that
Edith conceived the idea that we were
trying to impose upon her: that Aunt
Kate had maligned herself and l had
borne her ont In the deception.
Another dinner we enjoyed quite as
well-that vas with Edith's uncle. We
threatened to make a match between
the two. but they had passed too far
into bachelorhood and spinsterhood, 80
We e obliged to be content With
the match between ourselves.
It appeared later that Mr.. Springer
had a double. motive for taking the
trouble tt travel with me incognito.
He was getting old and wished to re-
tire. Since he had no son to succeed
him and Edith was like a daughter "a
him he conceived the idea Of working
me into the management Of bis busi-
ness. The result was that in time i
beeane tn head.