The Lakeland evening telegram., 1914-08-10
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LESSONINROMAhCE
BY T. BELL.

nance passed away with the decease
of Brian de Bois Guilbert, said
George, but | differ. There is just
as much real, dyed-in-the-wool ro-
nance right here in little old New
York today, this minute, as ever ran
round loose in the good old days OF
chivalry"
That may all be" | said. but you
have to admit that the ancient prac-
tise Of grabbing a lady by the back
hair and toting her off to the ancestral
stronghold has been obsolete for some
few years.
You are right, and you are wrong,
returned the intrepid George You
are right in that there is difference
in method, but wrong in that the prac-
tise, modified to meet modern de-
mands, still obtains.
"Shucks. You can't prove it.
"No2 Well, do you know that
young lady In blue that just passed
US and is this minute crossing the
street about block away-there, op-
poste the cigar store?'
Il don't know her.
Neither do l." said George; but
I'm going to get acquainted and just
to show you how that little romance
lesson of mine works out, will catch
up to her and speak to her in the in
terests of romance. Wait here.
have known George for years, as
years ago, and respect him; but now
and then | almost question his san
ity 1t is his disposition to emulate
the foolish man who rushes in where
we'll behaved angels fear to tread,
AS | saw him round the corner in
pursuit of the young lady in the blue
suit, expected to be called upon
later to identify him in some police
station, and possibly be held myself
for admitting that | even knew him.
! SO waited where he left me- and i'll
twenty minutes or so he returned.
His first words were Well, |
guess, old man, you'll have to hand 1t
to me The young lady's name Is
Sarah her brother works In coal
yard, she has younger sister going
to school, and her father is out of.
work. | also know her last name and
| where she lives, and have promised
to try to find a job for her father.
| low's that|
But, George | said how does all
| this prove the case Of romance? What
| has romance got to do with Sarah and
her brother and her younger sister
| and her father, who is out OF work?
What's the answer"
| Henry" returned George with a
note of sadness in his voice, you have
| no soul Here is how It works out. |
20 to her house and meet her father,
get him a job Gratitude they
think little George is a vest pocket edt-
tion OF Paradise Regained Then you
come in the scene with me. intro
duce you, you fall in love with Sarah
and marry her. See?"
Yes" | laughed, that Is romance,
, all right; but you are barking up the
wrong tree when you think you can
marry me off to the divine Sarah !
absolutely refuse to be delivered,
bound and addressed to prove your
contentious, so you may marry Sarah
yourself, If you please"
That isn't my idea" returned
George
It's mine, answered, and then
we talked about something else.
Some days passed, and | quite for
got about the incident until one after
noon George called me on the tele-
phone and told me that the time was
, | ripe for me to be presented to Sarah
J He had, In fact, made al engagement
for both OF US to call on her that even
Ing. ] insisted that would not go;
but finally George won me over and
! went
On the way there, George mentioned
nothing about matrimony, nor did he
r speak Of Sarah at all except to say
that her father, on his recommends
tion, had got job He didn't 90 into
details and | didn't care enough to
ask him.
must admit, though, that az We
; sat in the parlor whore We had Uren
ushered by Sarah's mother, | awaited
the coming of Sarah with some curl
! osity This was pardonable, for, even
] if didn't intend to marry her IN or
der TO prove point for George, at
least | could be decent to her, and |
e had a perfect right to wonder about
her all pleased
noticed that the little parlor
looked mighty neat and comfortable,
but showed traces of a limited income,
1t was a typical fiat parlor, even to the
piano and the picture of father on the
wall
- Sarah came.
She could not be said TO have en-
tered the room; she just drifted into
1t, and, believe me, she was there. |
saw that at once
Sarah played, and George praised
her effusively She sang and George
nearly passed away lauding her. She
talked, and George hung on every
word After time it dawned on me