The Press., 1915-08-18
TESTING A
 |BETROTHED It Did Not Turn Out Exactly } as Expected.
By JOHN Y. LARNED

"Alec, one of the most dangerous
 things in the world Is to interfere in (
 love affair. I am not going to inter fere exactly. That's not the right name for it, but am your brother, and since you are going to take the matrimonial
 leap in the dark I venture to suggest g
 test to be applied to the girl you art
 about to marry"
 Mildred Huntington needs no test
 She is perfect in every respect"
 Granted; but will not proof of this
 add to your comfort? will not deny that Mildred is perfect in every re
 spect. She may be this and. yet un der certain circumstances think 1t ad
 visable to marry some other persor than you.'
 "What do you mean" "You know how hungry our Ameri
 can girls are for foreign titles" Some of them"
 Suppose Mildred should meet Brit
 ish earl, French duke, an Austrian or Italian prince. and he should propose to make her his wife, are you sure that
 she would stand by youY' Perfectly"
 "Then there is nothing to be said" This dialogue occurred at & hotel in Maine. Alec and Fred Winston were members of party that had been to gether there for several weeks, and the men were about to finish their outing by hunt in the vicinity of Moosehead lake. Several of the girls were dis gruntled at being deprived of what they considered the best part of the ness-and demanded to be taken on the hunting trip. The men demurred, but so persistent were the women that they finally triumphed. More elab- crate preparations were made, a chap eron was obtained, and instead of re- turning to civilization the party, con- sisting of five men and four women, started for the wilderness.
 Fred" said Alec the morning of their departure, "I wish you hadn't put that notion into my head"
 ''What notion"
 About testing Mildred. I don't like to do it, but the temptation is becom- ing irresistible I shall make the test as soon as we get home."
 "You mean when you get where you will find a man to play the part of a titled aristocratT
 "Yes."
 When the party reached their camp ing ground and had settled themselves in their temporary canvas home. Fred Winston, who had made up the party, announced that they must have q guide and he was going out to find one. Setting out, he soon came upon a party of hunters who were about to leave the woods and asked if they had a guide who wished another job when they released him.
 "There's a chance for you, Hawkes. worth," said one of the party.
 A man about thirty years old asked some questions about what was re- Quired and when informed said that he wouldn't mind taking the job. Hav- ing gathered his belongings, he bade goodby to his friends and started to camp with Winston. Hawkesworth was an Englishman, and Winston mo- ticing his British accent conceived the idea of using him to make the test he had proposed to his brother upon Miss Huntington.
 How would you lke," he said to the guide, ito play the part of noble manr
 Hawkesworth looked up at him, but made no reply. Winston gradually un- folded his scheme. Hawkesworth lis tened to what he said without com ment till he had concluded, then said that he would not pass himself of for anything more than what he was, but be had no objection to Winston declar- ing that he was a prince of the blood if he liked.
 'That's all wish," said the latter.
 When they reached camp Winston introduced the guide in this wise: Per init me to present my friend Hawkes. worth of London. He has the mania for hunting common among English bloods and is in the Maine woods for moose. He has consented at my invi- tation to honor us by joining our party, and, since he knows the best hunting grounds, will pilot us. We won't need any other guide"
 Hawkesworth was made welcome, and when Fred Winston intimated that he was the Earl of Singleton there was quite futter in the camp, especially among the women.
 "He doesn't look like an earl at all," said one of the girls. He's very ordi- nary"
 "Why should an earl look different from any other manT said his intro. ducer. Besides, how can style be expected from one who wears a fan- nel shirt2 You can't judge a man by his clothes. They say that the worst dressed assembly in the world is the British House of Lords. They don't stand on their appearance. It's the fact that they are peers."
 Whether Alec Winston suspected that his brother had introduced Hawkesworth to make the test he had proposed, whether he believed the lat ter to be an earl. he kept his eye on his 1apcee. All the girls of the party who regarded Hawkesworth with cu- riosity were desirous to know how they should address an earl, and were told that they might call him what they liked so long as they didn't call him anything above Tom Hawkesworth.
 Hawkesworth, judged by certain at- tributes, was just the man a woman would admire. There was natural air of dominating force about him. He was a silent man. It is the man who Is always expressing opinions who does Dot get credit for depth, even If he has It He who never talks is supposed to be always thinking. Great generals have usually been reticent men.
 When the party was made up it was supposed that the women would re- main in camp while the men went out