Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-01-22

NO girl could turn you nAu
been her words.
In the hurly-burly of the questions
and the answers, the fro1ic 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 you?"
He felt certain that she gasped with
pleasure.
'why do you say such things?' she
scrubbed.
because / love you" the unfortu-
nate youth answered.
Il love you; too" she scrubbed IN
reply.
'eWhat sort Of game are you two
playing there's" 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, if
ancient partner in the novel pastime.
TT can't be true" he scrubbed.
ut is true" she wrote.
"Will you marry me?p he scrawled.
With a coy look at him which made
him feel a. little faint, but without an
instant's hesitation. YES" she an
swered.
1t was tremendously to the relief of
the young host that Bob Wallace, at
about this moment, rose and said that
he must leave.
It seemed to Broadway that the
others mattered less. For Wallace his
affection was so genuine that 1t includ-
ed an intense desire to hold the mans
respect. Signing with relief he called
the major domo to his side as soon as
Bob had gone and whispered to him
that all glasses must be filed. With
the intense alacrity which the youthful
s3Gndthrift's orders were everywhere
observed along Broadway, this was at
with all the dignity he could command.
Friends" he said, II want to tell
you something. I want to tell you Of
my luck"
'Ts it hard luck story, Broadway
someone asked.
'Er-yes," said he. 81 mean"
"Jackson!" said a soft voice (per-
haps a little cracked) close at his side
with something of reproach in it.
For the lady," he hastily corrected:
Hard luck for the lady. Tm-I'm go
ing to be married"
The men shouted and there were
more than m among the ladies who
we're seriously agitated, their number
being co-equivalent to the number who
themselves at one time or another had
had hopes OF winning Broadway and
his millions for their very own.
Everywhere about him rose the
shout: "Who is she, Broadway? Namei
Name!"
He swayed there on his feet, a some
what sickly smile upon his face, his
hand deliberately splitting champagne
on his shirt front, a fact Of which he
was In ignorance and which no one
noted for a time. It was Mrs. Gerard
who called attention to it by elabo-
rately dabbing at him with her hand
kerchief.
There were proprietary details even
of movement of her hands and some
shrewd wits suspected for an instant,
even though they put the wild idea
from them as absurd before it gained
firm foothold in their minds.
who is she, Broadway? Namei
Name! Name!" the shouts insisted.
"Guess!" said Broadway strangely.
He felt less worry than he would
have felt before he had imbibed the
last few glasses Of champagne. He
had been drinking very bUsily since
the dreadful thought had been put into
execution. He had been certain he
would need some artificial courage.
1t gathered in his soul and helped
him fashion an extraordinary smile
vacuous and tremulous, but none the
less a smile.
"Viola?" hazarded a reckless youth
across the table, and Viola (who was
present in the makeup which she had
worn from the stage of a near theater,
where she had, that evening, acted
powerfully the part. of a wronged and
innocent ~maidenhood) hoped wildly for
an instant. Perhaps Broadway, in his
cups, had decided on this most unusual
way Of asking her the fatefu1 qIes,
ton! She had had high hopes of him.
Perhaps"
NO" he answered thickly. Guess
again. Three guesses. It's going to
take some brains, I tell you that! In
t~ellect,s the only thing'1l do it. Who
ever guesses right gets a cigar"
There was only one among the
ladies present who was not favored
by some speculative mind, and that
one was the right one.
Guesser after guesser named some
of the young and vivid creatures Of
that almost wholly young and vivid
feminine company, none guessed the
only faded flower in the gay group
Broadway, never dreaming of the ag-
ony which filed the faded flowers
much powdered bosom because of the
omission of her name, feeling few emo
lions, really, other than the keen SEN
sation of relief from htN financial wor.