Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-15

THE DAILY STORY
WAITING

clara Scott, you and / are chumsi
aren't we?" asked Miss Dorothy Lang.
Yes, OF course" was the reply.
I'VE have been chums for three years."
Yes"
And we have never quarreled about
anythng?"
NO"
You have said anything you wanted to
me, and have done the same by you?'
Yes"
and YOU won't get mad at what ] am
going to say now, will you?'
NO, though hope It's nothing awful"
1T isn't so awfully awful. It's just a
/ little bit awful"
well, let me draw long breath first
DO you know what folks are saylng?"
Mercy no.
They are saying that stephen st. Clair
Is triflnE with you"
Dorothy Lang, you don't mean IT,
I've heard II dozen times
How do the gossips know that we are
not ensaged?" Miss Clara asked with
some show of spirit and many bushes.
Just as easy as pie. If you were you'd
have told me at once, and I'd have SOL
EMMY promised to never. never tell and
then gone around telling 1t to everybody
No. you can't be engaged yet"
But who says l want to be-
why, what a question. OF course YOU
want to. Every girl does, You and
stephen should have been engaged
months ago"
But who says We are in love-
They all think YOU love each other
and they can't make out why the en-
Ragement i"n't announced In ono way
it's none of my affair, but being we are
chums. and being I've always hoped you
would get n good husband, and being
Stephen is certainly a nice young man,
and being"
But suppose he hasn't asked me to
marry him."
"Oh!"
And suppose he does and say no?"
"Oh. OH"
II am going TO do Just as 1 please
about it."
1t was Miss Claras fault that there
was talk and that no engagement had
yet been announced. Soon after she and
young Mr.. st. Clair had become acquaihT- |
ed the question of American girls mar
rylng titles came up. Mr.. st. Clair was |
aggressively against 1t. and more to he |
on the opposite side than for any other
reason the girl had said;
81 don't blame them one little bit. It's |
only natural that a girl should want TO !
marry Il man that is looked up TO by n |
large circle"
That was a blow for Mr. st. Clair. He !
was not foreigner. He had no title. He |
was n cashier of a bank. and not 500 peo-
pie knew him. As TO how many "lookcd |
up to him he had never figured, as 1t |
was his business to demand good security |
from all borrowers. AS time went on he
was in love, and he would have admitted
It but for the girls stand on the question
of titles. She had a rich father and
money in her own right. and was hand
some besides, and most any day money
hunter might drop over the water and
seek her hand. She seemed to be keeping
herself free for such an emergency.
1t jolts a good man to propose mar
riage and he turned down, Stephen ST.
Clair was a good man and he feared
Jolt. Therefore things dragged along
and the gossips had something to wonder
over
When man is mystihed and irritated
by the attitude OF another man he can
say:
What in thunder do you mean by such
conduct !"
What can n girl say? Nothing!
Less than a month after the conversa-
ton on the veranda what looked like
climax came. Tho Baron Shmdt came
over from Germany in search of wife.
She must be handsome. She must be
charming. She must have money Her
father must have heaps of the long green,
so that when the Baron had FILTERED
away her dowry the fathers bank account
could be depended upon {
How did the Baron find out about Miss
Clara Scott. who didn't live within so
niles of the port of New York, from which
le first got a sniff of the air of freedom?
Why, even the hotel boys of Gotham keep
l list of the heiresses of the whole United
states, and their charges are said to be
'ery moderate.
Baron Shmdt was made acquainted with
Miss Clara Scott.
He was a baron and a colonel and a
personal friend of the KaIsers. He owned
everal castles on the Rhine. He was the
biggest frog in the pond at court and had
even medals for bravery He had six
of honor. .
lie didn't make the mistake that some
do of popping the question
alf an hour after he was introduced.
indeed. II was all of 40 minutes before
10 said that his life was lonely without
wife. 1t was 10 minutes later when he
tempted TO take and hold Miss C.ara's
and. 1t was just 60 minutes later by
II the town clocks and dollar watches
hat he sighed long, Quivering sigh and
that he had never loved before.
That evening Mr.. ST. Clair called. Miss
lara told him of the baron, and narrowly
'atched his face as she did so. He didn't