The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1916-06-09
His Affinity
By WILLIAM CHANDLER


Dry, "why don't you get marriedF
Nonsense, Helen! You know as
well as | that we men don't marry the
women; they marry us"
"Rut." Helen persisted, "if no wom-
an chooses to take the trouble to BRING
you down and you don't care to re-
main single, deprived of wife, chill
dren and the comforts of a home II
seems to me that you had better bestlr
yourself"
Helen was a matchmaker. knew
she had some scheme on hahu anu
waited for her to declare It.
II can make it easy for you, sne
continued. III know u girl who, ike
you, has put off matrimony too long
and has begun to realize that she Is
drifting toward lonely old spinster-
hood. | have offered to help her out
[ have invited her to spend July ana
August with me at Fernwood. snail
have other guests during the summer
both men and women. / shall tell her
that | have q man in view Tor ner.
How would you like to be that man
"Helen," l exclaimed admiringly,
you are the queen of matchmaKers!
Had you told me you had girl FOR
me and introduced me to her, she ana
|, knowing Of your plan, would DOUBT
less have spurned each other. Your
proposal is delightful. | enter into IL
with all my heart. But why do you
assume that there will be natural Sc
lection between us?"
81 don't. l simply assume that you
are persons of opposite sex who seek
a mate. The mate being at hand, per-
haps YOU will recognize 1t If you are
left to yourselves to do So"
spent number of week ends at
Helens country seat besides two
weeks in August.
fancied she had got up the scheme
to make q match between me ana
some dear friend of hers, and l be-
lieved that I might find out the young
lady by the fact that she was some
one Helen adored But knew that
Helen would conceal this alteration
from me.
l settled upon a Miss Jewett, one OF
her guests during the summer whom
| had heard her speak Of quite often
, before as the lady between whom and
me there was to be a natural selec-
ton. Miss Jewett was evidently a
young woman not especially of beau
ty or endowed with such lightweight
frivolities as are usually attractive to
men. In other words, there was lot
to her, though l admit the words are
very poor description. l met her at
week end visit early in the summer
and, having settled upon her as the
lady intended for me, showed her con
siderable attention. To tell the truth,
she interested me in conversation and
preferred her company.
met her at Helen's again In July
and was counting on further pleasant
moments with her, but this time she
was principally taken up with Mr.
Judkins, whom she seemed never t
, tire Of. If l were talking with her ant
Judkins came up she would dismis:
me with nod, accompanied by {
smile, and was thus commanded tt
give place to him. After three day
at Fernwood went back to town dis
q gruntled.
During the longer period l spent a
: Fernwood Miss Jewett was again |
visitor there. She seemed delighted t
' meet me again, and we were getting
on nicely when that fellow Judkins re
appeared, and again my association
with Miss Jewett was broken up.
9fI suppose" l grumbled to my host
ess, that you've got another coupl
Q besides me and my unknown to brin
together-Miss Jewett and that ca
Judkins What she can see in him
W Helen smiled and turned away with
out listening to the rest of 1t, and
n went off to hunt up some Of the othe
spinsters, none of whom interested m
in the least. Judkins went away Sur
Al day afternoon, and l spent Sunda
lie evening in tete-a-tete with Ibis ST
% lection" which was what considere
her She had the tact to ignore hill
: now that he was gone. and had neve
% known her to be so entertaining.
x Not long after this told Helen thG
> her selection plan for me must hay
gone awry, since l had evidently ru
across Judkins' affinity. But she turn
q ed the subject, giving me no satisfa
ton.
" The summer passed without any s
= lection between me and q girl, so (,
as could see, but during the winter
saw a great deal of Miss Jewett
ceased to be interfered with by Jul
kins and-well, to make a long stol
short, made a match with Miss Jey
EFT. Tom Mowbry and his wife wei
at the wedding, and after the Ger
mony Tom handed his wife valuab
pearl necklace. asked how he can
to give it to her On that especial o
casion.
"She won it on bet Last whit
she bet me that within a year 81
would make a match between you al
the wife you have just married"
l turned to Helen: "You played 4
false. My affinity was in your secret
"Of course she was. Didn't you so
We men don't marry the women; tn,
marry usT"
THANK you very much, Helen" so
INV WIFI Nfor haIpfoce 49, .