The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-12
A Proposal
Under
Difficulties
The Girl Did Not Help
Him Any
By +. A. Mitchell

travel and to study art. Most Ameri
cans who go to Europe for that pur'
pose seek Italy, but there Is good deal
to be learned In Paris, and Miss War.
rem preferred Paris because she had
friends there. She was an orphan
with an income sufficient to live com.
fortably, and her Partisan friends In.
troduced her to others. This led to an
acquaintance With number of French
residents of Paris. Besides these, she
met artists everywhere, and she was
not girl to decline an acquaintance
for want of the conventional forms of
Introduction.
At that time American girls led their
sex among all nations for having bro
ken away from the cramped position
Of women. Frenchmen were perhaps
growing tired of their women being
hedged about by all manner of precau-
lions and consequently resembling so
many dolls. At any rate, there was
something so novel to them in Miss
Warren that they were captivated by
her.
Among those who fell In love with
her was CASTOR de Touche, a bachelor
of thirty, whose parents lived on the
family estates In the south of France.
The father and mother were old per-
sons and had never been out of the
province In which they were born.
Their son was Of an age to be indie
nonNnnf md liyad IN Do Ill r.
lea men not engaged in some regular
occupation have always been like fish
out Of water. In Europe there are men
Of fortune who have found plenty to do
to keep them from stagnation. CASTOR
de Touche was an art critic, ntterateur
and at times legislator, besides taking
care of his estate. which he was always
increasing. But he was a Frenchman
Of the old school, and conventional
forms were as natural to him is ihe air
he breathed.
M. de TcIche became acquainted
with Miss Warren. having been
called Upon to criticise one of Ter pic.
lures. He rated the picture very low,
tct = eu the PAINTER veg nigh. Per.
maps had he know. AZ tie time he
mn%e tec criticism that SIC YVES the
;.itlsc VII" paints! &C he mignC LGGe
Ieen tempted 20 speak more favnrablv
of It. She learned his views of its
merits, or, rather, dement's, and when
later she became acquainted with him
felt certain antagonism to him on
this account This she knew was
wrong, but confessed she could not
help 1t. 1t did not at all interfere
with her appreciation of the critics
worthiness.
When Castor de Touche made up
his mind that Lucille Warren was nec-
essary. to his happiness, indeed that
without her the bottom would drop out
of his universe, he resolved to propose
for her hand. And here he met the
problem of his life.
The only method he knew of making
such proposal was the French meth
cd, which he had been brought up to
consider the only one existent. It
would be proper for his father to pro-
pose to Miss Warren's father for her
hand. If the proposition was accept.
ed the two fathers would agree upon
the settlements, the parties to the con.
tract would be betrothed and then mar
ried. Neither would have anything to
say about whether they were pleased
or displeased with the other. If they
happened to fall In love with each
other, which was not likely. well and
good; If not, 1t made no difference so
far as their marriage was concerned.
But Gaston's father was too old and
infrm to come to Paris, and had he
been equal to the task Lucille had no
father to receive his proposition.
Therefore this plan was impossible.
CASTOR saw that he must make the
proposition himself, but there must be
some member Of her family of whom
he should ask her hand. He inquired
about her relatives and found to his
dismay that she had no relative nearer
than third cousin whom she had
never seen.
Mon Dieu" he exclaimed. what
shall l DOR
There was nothing for him to do
but face the music and make his
application direct Could he have done
30 In his native tongue one source of
his dismay would have been eliminat-
ed, but Miss Warren had no aptitude
for languages and had not sufficiently
mastered the French that he could be
sure she should understand what be
was talking about The proposal must
be made by French idioms expressed
In English terms.
'Mademoiselle," he began, II have
great concern that your father does
not live"
II mourn my father. monsieur" was
the reply, though he died when was
a little girl"
my father lives in the country and
is troubled with re rheumatism"
TOO badr replied the lady sympa.
thetically.
VERY bad, for have especial need
for him to come to Paris"
II, too, often have need for a father
However, | have been obliged to gel
on without one"