The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1914-07-31
IT WAS A SURPRISE
BY ALLIE CLAYTON.

The daughter of the household, aged
sleven. looked up from her book as
the man caller came into the library.
How do you :. do, Mr.. Dearmore,"
she said. getting up politely. You
might as well take comfortable chair
because sister won't be down for ages.
She Is always slow about getting
dressed and / suppose now she'll be
slower than ever because she won't
care II she does keep you waiting"
well. why shouldn't she care, I'd
an assumption of surprise designed to
be comic.
The young person hitched little
closer to him In her eagerness. II Just
found Quit" she told him, tonight /
guess they weren't going to tell me,
but sister was so interested in brush
ing out her switch that she didn't no.
tice me and mother said: You might
have done better II you'd more ambi-
ton, but, thank heaven, you're engaged
at last!' And sister said yes, 1t was
time and she'd have to make the best
of 1t. Why, she's engaged! Don't you
understand"
"You surprise me-" said the caller,
with interest
The young person nodded her head.
TITS awfully exciting to have an en-
gagged person in the family. We never
had one before. / held my hand over
my mouth to keep from asking right
me- vryh0 ht,t 4
they'd make me go away-and then
all they said was that where the
trooser was coming from II dad didn't
make killing goodness only knew.
What's trooser?"
"A sort Of feminine delirium, I be-
lieve," the young man told her.
Wouldn't you like to read out loud
to me from your book?"
mot when | can talk" the young
person assured him, promptly. ''Pd
think It was Bob Samson, only he
hasn't been here for ages. He's riding
around a ranch out West now and he
always brought me chocolates and
petted the dog and waited hours and
hours for sister. Mother told her one
day for goodness sake when she got
her hands on that huge old Samson
house to burn 1t down and put up an
other one with French gray drawing
room, and other things, but / guess
Bob slipped a cog somehow"
"Er-what?"
well, Aunt Clara said to mother
that "a cog in the wheels must have
slipped somehow and how did he ever
get away and wasn't II pity! SocI
suppose Bob did 1t. / always liked his
chocolates-he brought me just as
good ones as he brought sister. Some
times they try to lass off cheap candy
on me, but I know! Then feed 1t to
the dog.
I'm glad 1t wasn't that Siddens
man. He always called me little one
and patted my head 'and he had bron-
chitis and always coughed before he
spoke, and sister said she didn't care
If he was rich, but she couldn't endure
a man who wore brown ties and ate
grapefruit with fork and anyhow he
gave her the shivers. That was the
time mother scolded 80 and sister
went to Aunt Clara's for a month.
I'm surprised at her getting en-
gagged, because she'll have to have a
house and meals then and she says
picking out things to eat Is simply
awful and she wouldn't wear her life
away keeping down the grocery bills
for any man and he might as well
make up his mind to 1t. Anyhow, sis
ter never loses her head, because
mother says 80, and she'll make him
toe the mark. Mother says that with
her sweet smile sister could make a
man believe white was black, but that
seems foolish. Wouldn't you know
black If you saw. it?"
II used to think l was able to dis
tinguish colors," admitted the caller.
But you're different" said the
young person. ut isn't as though you
were one of sisters trailers-that's
what dad calls 'em. 1t doesn't make
any difference to you. Only / thought
II told you about 1t you'd understand
why she didn't hurry to get down
here, now she's interested In one par
ticular man."
WELL" said the caller, I'll tell you
a secret. I'm the particular mani"
The young persons eyes bulged.
"Honest?" she squealed. "Why, / was
never 80 sur-r-p-prised in my ll-life!
And you never petted the dog once!
My, but you're quiet!"